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WorkSafeBC Congratulates Safety and Health Award Winners

Richmond, B.C., October 17, 2007— Companies and individuals in B.C. are being recognized today for excellence in the promotion of workplace health and safety at the 2007 Safety Forum and Awards Luncheon at Newlands Golf & Country Club in Langley.

Awards are being presented to winners of NAOSHWeek (North American Occupational Safety and Health Week) and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) Achievement Recognition Awards.

“We congratulate the employers, workers and all partners in workplace safety and health being acknowledged today who by focusing on preventing injury and illness on-the-job are helping to make workplaces safer”, said Diana Miles, WorkSafeBC's Vice-President, Worker and Employers Services.

A NAOSHWeek competition was held in B.C. from May 6 – 12, 2007 with the theme “Safety and Health: A Commitment for Life”. NAOSHWeek is held annually in Canada, the United States, and Mexico and is designed to raise awareness of workplace health and safety issues.

The “Best Overall” NAOSHWeek award winner was Pollard Banknote Ltd. in Kamloops for a campaign which promoted proper lifting techniques. In the company's “Caught Lifting Correctly” week-long event, workers who demonstrated proper lifting techniques received tickets for drinks and a prize draw. Their “Show Me Safety” event – based on the TV game show “Show Me the Money” – also helped Pollard Banknote earn this year's Most Innovative award and first place in the category of Manufacturing.

Another major NAOSHWeek category winner was Garibaldi Glass Industries Inc. in Burnaby for “Best New Entry” which included a visit to another glass company starting a safety program and teaching their peers about their own dolly load limit safety program. The Canadian Forces Base, 19 Wing in Comox also won a major category award for ‘Best Presentation of Theme” for providing safety training and presentations for both on-the-job and at home.

The CSSE Achievement Recognition Awards also being presented today are given annually to individuals, organizations, and groups that have demonstrated outstanding commitment and effort to the occupational health and safety field. One of the major category winners was the “Special Project” award given to the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) for the “Legacy of Safety”. The Program includes a 3-hour Games-specific occupational health and safety awareness session for all VANOC senior executives, managers, staff, contractors and subcontractors and for delivery to 25,000 volunteers.

“The effort put forward by the 2007 award winners and the many nominees was outstanding! BC's NAOSH Week Steering Committee, extends its thanks to participating individuals and organizations for showing their continued commitment to workplace health and safety,” said Jim Hopkins BC/Yukon Regional Vice-President for the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE).

Serving 2.2 million workers and about 190,000 employers, WorkSafeBC is a provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors and funded by employers. WorkSafeBC was born out of a compromise between BC's workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers or fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. WorkSafeBC is committed to a safe and healthy workplace and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits to workers injured as a result of their employment.

For more information, contact:
Gladys Johnsen Prevention Public Affairs Manager WorkSafeBC 604 214-5441 or toll-free in B.C. 1 888 621-7233, local 5441 (cell: 604 908-0876)