NAOSH Week

Find resources and sign up for the SAFE Work Matters e-newsletter to help you "make safety a habit" at safemanitoba.com Injuries prevented and lives saved that's the VALUE of SAFE Work It's a theme that can't be reinforced enough, says Cliff Cullen, Manitoba's Minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade. "Safety needs to be top-of-mind each day in every workplace," he says. "Businesses and organizations need to constantly work at creating a culture of safety in the workplace for their employees. Anything they can do is important. NAOSH Week creates an awareness of the critical need for workplace safety on an annual basis." Workplace safety needs to be a 365-day-a-year pursuit, said Kent Blackmon, the City of Winnipeg's manager of organizational safety services. "We've instituted a concept that we call Safety 365, which sees initiatives occur throughout the year that support safety, health and wellness across our different workplaces," he says. "People — especially younger workers who've grown up with the belief that safety is a right — have the expectation that a workplace is going to be safe, so we work at it every day throughout the year." Cullen says though the impact of NAOSH Week is undeniable — it's done a great job of creating awareness of the need to improve workplace safety over the past 20 years — more organizations need to take the message to heart. "Many industries have stepped up and taken safety issues head-on. And while things have worked out quite well over the past number of years, we can do even better," he says. "I know we need to get better at workplace safety in various sectors of government, for example. It's an ongoing process. We've gained ground (in enforcing workplace safety), but there's still more work ahead." Blackmon says the key to making continued strides in workplace safety lies in continually driving home the concept. "From a management perspective, our approach is three-pronged: to ensure we have the right standards in place, promote awareness and provide employees with the tools, training and resources to work safely, and to measure and communicate safety performance on an ongoing basis. All of this ensures safety is an important part of the conversation at all levels in the organization, at all times." Right now, all city departments are involved in conducting safety audits, he adds. "They will pave the way for even more enhancements (to safety procedures) over the next few years. With workplace safety, you can't be static. You always have to be working at making it as good as it can possibly be." Thanks to NAOSH Week, an increasing number of organizations will be prompted to pick up the workplace safety torch, says Cullen. "This year's theme, Make Safety a Habit, is very appropriate," he says. "As I said earlier, workplace safety should be top-of-mind every day. NAOSH Week has made many businesses and organizations aware of that need, and will continue to in the years to come." The Winnipeg launch for NAOSH Week will take place in the Pinnacle Lounge at Investors Group Field on May 8 at 8:30 a.m. naoshPoster2017.indd 2 2017-01-05 3:41 PM MAKE RISK-FREE WORK A HABIT BY TODD LEWYS (L) KENT BLACKMON, MANAGER OF ORGANIZATIONAL SAFETY SERVICES WITH THE CITY OF WINNIPEG. (R) CLIFF CULLEN IS MANITOBA'S MINISTER OF GROWTH, ENTERPRISE AND TRADE.SUBMITTED PHOTOS This year's theme for North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week — which takes place May 7-13 – is a straightforward one: Make Safety a Habit.

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