NAOSH Events & Activities

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A List of Some of the NAOSH Week/OSHP Day Events for 2009

National Kick-Off in Washington, D.C.

The national kick-off for the ASSE/CSSE/OSHA North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week was held Monday, May 4th at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. with an ASSE awards ceremony at the U.S. Capitol Building. Attendees and participants had access to tours of the Capitol immediately following the event on Capitol Hill. The event promotes safe and healthy workplaces, emphasizing that safety means always coming home. Keynote presentations were given by OSHA personnel and Warren K. Brown, CSP, ARM, CSHM, President of The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE). In addition, the winners of ASSE's 7th annual "Safety-on-the-Job" Kids' Poster Contest were announced and OSHA, ASSE, and the OSHA alliance partners distributed safety and health materials to the event’s attendees.

ASSE hosted a reception in the Mansfield Room at the U.S. Capitol. ASSE President Brown presented the poster contest entrants with their awards. The poster contest winners and their families, members of ASSE and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), OSHA, the Federal Network for Young Worker Safety and Health (FedNet), Alliance Program participants and others were invited to attend the reception. ASSE President Warren Brown briefly discussed the value of safety in the workplace.

ASSE’s Region III was host to a Welcome Brunch for the “Safety-on-the-Job” Kids’ Poster Contest winners and their families on Sunday, May 3rd at the National Zoo from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

During NAOSH Week thousands mobilized worldwide to reach out on the importance of safety means always coming home for the millions of people who return home to their families at the end of the work day.

The OSHA Alliance Program partners had again gone above and beyond in spreading the word about increasing workplace safety to more than 150,000 businesses and millions of employees worldwide through their web sites, communications, company publications and much more. There are more than 50 Alliance partners supporting NAOSH Week this year – we applaud you and the OSHA Alliance Program!

National Events

To support the NAOSH Week theme, Safety Means Always Coming Home, the American Red Cross and the Canadian Red Cross worked together to develop a workplace-oriented preparedness Web Expo – a day-long “virtual trade show” that included live Webcasts (presentations) and virtual booths where participants could ask questions and download information. A Web Expo is an ideal way to expand disaster academy-type information currently offered by some American Red Cross chapters, enhancing it to cover such topics as injury prevention, pandemic flu and business continuity/emergency operations planning.

The Web Expo occured Wednesday, May 6, 2009 – Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day (OSHP). The American Red Cross and the Canadian Red Cross shared co-hosting responsibilities.

The Web Expo theme was Emergency Preparedness: Safe at Work, Safe at Home. It was designed to complement the theme of NAOSH Week and to reflect the encompassing nature of disasters situations, emphasizing how individuals are affected both at work and at home and why workplace emergency preparedness must extend to employees’ families as well.
LAMAR Billboards donated billboards countrywide to display NAOSH Week information and the NAOSH Week poster.
Ford Motor Company also posted the posters, distributing NAOSH/ASSE brochures and information at 80 of their plants/facilities countrywide for NAOSH.

California

ASSE member Lori Elder, with the Valley Coastal Chapter, met with Brownie Troop #61022 in Newbury Park, CA where presented them with her own “Safety Suitcase”. She packed it with a variety of personal protective equipment and used the Society’s NAOSH presentation to present a history of ASSE and safety. They learned about the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire and connected with the many girls who lost their lives in 1911. Each participant who answered a question was given the opportunity to wear a piece of equipment. From hard hats to boots, ear plugs to safety goggles and everything in between! The presentation was rounded out with a discussion of the NAOSH Safety Poster Contest and the distribution of entry forms and poster materials. The girls had a lot of fun, and their parents were impressed with the information contained in Lori’s presentation.

Connecticut

Thanks to the efforts of the Nutmeg Chapter of ASSE, Governor Jodi Rell, governor of Connecticut, has issued a proclamation naming May 3-9, 2009 to be NAOSH Week and May 6 to be OSH Professional Day. For more information please contact: asse.nutmeg@att.net

Delaware

The Delmarva Chapter sent letters to the editor to all the local papers on work safety. The letters were published.

District of Columbia

In a proclamation the Mayor declared May 3-9, 2009 as NAOSH Week and May 6 as OSHP Day.
In coordination with NAOSH Safety Week, May 3 - 8 2009, the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) sent daily e-mails to all personnel. These e-mails each contained a brief safety discussion topic that includes a copy of one of a poster from ASSE’s “Safety on the Job” poster contest and a safety statement related to AOC and the work we do. They encouraged their supervisors to use each of these messages as their Safety Tool Box Talk each day. Employees were also encouraged to read each message and to consider if and how it affects their work. Employees were told to look for the first e-mail message regarding Fall Protection on Monday, May 4, 2009. During the North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Safety Week, employees are encouraged to set aside time each day to discuss safety and share best practices, and to continue to make safety their top priority.

Florida

Due to the efforts of the Central Florida Chapter of ASSE, Mayor David J. Mealor of Lake Mary, Florida issued a proclamation naming the week of May 3-9, 2009 as North American Occupational Safety and Health Week and May 6, 2009 as Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day.
Thanks to the ASSE Central Florida Chapter Mayor Richard T. Crotty of Orange County, Florida issued a proclamation naming the week of May 3-9, 2009 as North American Occupational Safety and Health Week and May 6, 2009 as Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day.
The West Florida Chapter of American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) held a Building Solid EH&S Skills - Professional Development Conference on May 7, 2009. It was a one day conference and held during NAOSH week to provide education to our members and other safety professionals in West Central Florida. NAOSH materials will be provided to participants in the vendor area. The conference will be held at the University of South Florida - College of Public Health, Tampa, FL.
On May 7, 2009, Walt Disney World Resorts honored its Occupational Safety and Health Professionals with a breakfast and notes of gratitude from the Chief Safety Officer.
The Central Florida Chapter distributed hundreds of NAOSH week posters to their members at the April and May 2009 Chapter meetings. The May 2009 Chapter Meeting included a technical presentation and demonstration by DBI Sala to provide members with invaluable information on fall protection and incident prevention.
Walt Disney World Resorts distributed and posted hundreds of NAOSH week posters company-wide reaching more than 55,000 Cast Members.
Due to the efforts of the Central Florida Chapter of ASSE, the Polk County Board of Commissioners in Bartow, Florida issued a proclamation naming the week of May 3-9, 2009 as North American Occupational Safety and Health Week and May 6, 2009 as Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day.
Due to the efforts of the Central Florida Chapter of ASSE, Mayor Donna Hart of St. Cloud, Florida issued a proclamation naming the week of May 3-9, 2009 as North American Occupational Safety and Health Week and May 6, 2009 as Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day.
Due to the efforts of the Central Florida Chapter of ASSE, Chairman Bob Dallari of Board of County Commissioners in Seminole County, Florida issued a proclamation naming the week of May 3-9, 2009 as North American Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day.
Due to the efforts of the Central Florida Chapter of ASSE, Mayor Douglas T. Kinson of Maitland, Florida issued a proclamation naming the week of May 3-9, 2009 as North American Occupational Safety and Health Week and May 6, 2009 as Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day.
Due to the efforts of the Central Florida Chapter of ASSE, Mayor David C. Strong of Winter Park, Florida issued a proclamation naming the week of May 3-9, 2009 as North American Occupational Safety and Health Week and May 6, 2009 as Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day.
Due to the efforts of the Central Florida Chapter of ASSE, the Lake County, Florida County Commission issued a proclamation naming the week of May 3-9, 2009 as North American Occupational Safety and Health Week and May 6, 2009 as Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day.

Georgia

Worked with the local OSHA office and held a safety day.

Hawaii

The Hawaii Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR), and the Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division (HIOSH) sponsored a one-day safety workshop on May 20, 2009 at Hale Ikena Fort Shafter.
Thanks to the Hawaii Chapter, the Mayor on Maui has agreed to proclaim NAOSH Week and OSHP Day. The chapter plans to be at the signing on Maui.

Illinois

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley proclaimed May 3-9, 2009 NAOSH Week and May 6 OSHP Day in his proclamation.

Indiana

The Indiana Chapter held a safety program and also honored Caylin Wigger for winning first place in the ASSE poster contest.

Louisiana

Lance Roux, President of the Greater Baton Rouge American Society of Safety Engineers Chapter was interviewed on the “Around the Town” television show in Baton Rouge on April 30th. He talked about NAOSH week, occupational safety and health profession and more.
Donald Jones, P.E., CSP, past president provided occupational safety and health information to the community at local meetings and distributed the NAOSH poster locally.

Maryland

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Chesapeake Chapter and National Capital Chapter (NCC) hosted a joint golf outing (“Playing for the Future”) to benefit safety and health education, on May 5, 2009, the day after the NAOSH kick-off event. The event took place at the Patuxent Greens Country Club in Laurel, Maryland. The proceeds went towards funding scholarships for students pursuing degrees in occupational safety, health and the environment. For player and sponsor information, go to the NCC website at http://ncc.asse.org/ or call: Fred Miller, 717-476-0315 or Mike McCullion, 703-995-4027 or Rush Barnett, 410-684-3327.
The Governor of Maryland declared NAOSH week May 3-9 in their May 4 proclamation signed by Governor Martin O’Malley, the Lt. Governor and the Secretary of State

Michigan

Ford Motor Company (US and Canada) held a conference in Michigan with participants from all of their US Operations in attendance. They intended to provide promotional safety materials to all of their locations, including instructions on how they can tailor their local campaign efforts based on the informational kit provided (every location will have the flexibility to coordinate based on local resources, needs, etc...).
They will also provide safety materials to their Canadian plants through their central WHQ operations.

Missouri

The local chapter distributed the NAOSH posters and urged local school students to participate in the annual ASSE kids’ safety poster contest

Nevada

Reid Gardner Station, located in Moapa, Nevada, promoted NAOSH Week from May 3-9, 2009.

New Hampshire

Thanks to the ASSE Granite State Chapter for their assistance in getting Governor John Lynch, the Governor of New Hampshire, to issue a proclamation recognizing NAOSH Week 2009 and Occupational Safety & Health Professional Day in NH.

New Jersey

Submitted more than 250 ASSE kids’ ‘safety-on-the-job’ poster contest submissions sponsored by the chapter members. ASSE member Eric Voight and his family joined several students from their sons’ school to again attend and participate in the NAOSH kick-off events in D.C.

New York

The Carr family of about 20, Amanda won first place in the poster contest, attended the NAOSH kick-off events in D.C. Amanda’s grandfather is long-time ASSE member Samuel Cahan of the San Diego chapter.

North Carolina

The local health provider not only distributed NAOSH posters but brochures on the SH&E profession and teen safety book marks to patients and in their community.

Ohio

Thanks to the ASSE Kitty Hawk Chapter and PotashCorp, there was a Safety Fair 2009 on May 4, 2009 in Lima, Ohio. Vendors were onsite along with demonstrations by vendors and local emergency services

Oklahoma

The ASSE Oklahoma City Chapter displayed two billboards in support of North American Occupational Safety and Health Week during NAOSH Week and up to three months, courtesy of Lamar Billboards. In addition, the chapter submitted a NAOSH Week proclamation to the Oklahoma City Governor to name May 3 – 9, 2009 as NAOSH Week. The Oklahoma City Chapter also encouraged other local chapters and cities to do the same.
Thanks to the Oklahoma City ASSE Chapter, Mayor John Criner of Enid, Oklahoma issued a proclamation naming the week of May 3-9, 2009 as North American Occupational Safety and Health Week.

Oregon

Thanks to the efforts of Columbia-Willamette ASSE Chapter the Mayor Janet Taylor of Salem, Oregon issued a proclamation naming the week of May 3-9, 2009 as North American Occupational Safety and Health Week and May 6, 2009 as Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day.
Bob Adams of the Oregon State Correctional Department sponsored 100 poster entries.

Texas

Region III again sponsored the NAOSH kick-off brunch at the National Zoo.
CSHI sponsored the annual Safety Recognition BBQ luncheon and recognition ceremony at its Austin headquarters.
Governor Rick Perry recognized in an official recognition Carley Jarman of San Antonio for winning 3rd place in the poster contest.
A Lamar billboard featuring Carley Jarman’s poster was up for a month in San Antonio.

Virginia

The local chapter sponsored and helped pay the way for 10 year-old Ivy Barker and her family to attend the NAOSH kick-off events in D.C. May 3 & 4. Barker is from Warm Springs, VA, where her poster was featured on a Lamar billboard for a month.
The 14th Annual Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Conference will be held June 2nd thru the 5th 2009. It will be held at The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, Roanoke Virginia. Anybody who is interested in attending should contact Sharon Holmes (804)786-5873. Each year the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry sponsors the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Conference (VOSH) to help educate employers and employees in developing safe and healthy work environments and to provide affordable safety and health training opportunities to employers, employees and safety and health professionals.

Washington

The employees of the Moses Lake Genie Industries company raised funds to send two ASSE poster contest winners and their fathers to Washington, D.C., for the NAOSH kick-off events May 3 & 4. Wes Watkins again sponsored the posters of the employees’ children.

Wisconsin

Former ASSE President Jack Dobson, CSP, of Liberty Mutual helped spread the word of safety throughout the UPS facilities in Wisconsin by sending them a personal note asking them to join in celebrating North American Occupational Safety and Health Week 2009, May 3-9 and Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day, May 6, 2009. He also included information the American Society of Safety Engineers regarding the celebration.

International Events

To support the NAOSH Week theme, Safety Means always Coming Home, ASSE, the American Red Cross and the Canadian Red Cross worked together to develop a workplace-oriented preparedness Web Expo – a day-long “virtual trade show” that included live Webcasts (presentations) and virtual booths where participants could ask questions and download information. A Web Expo is an ideal way to expand disaster academy-type information currently offered by some American Red Cross chapters, enhancing it to cover such topics as injury prevention, pandemic flu and business continuity/emergency operations planning.
Ford Motor Company provided safety materials and posters to their Canadian plants through their central WHQ operations.

Kuwait

ASSE Kuwait Chapter sponsored more than 100 poster contest participants for the “Safety-on-the-Job” poster contest as a part of NAOSH Week. Mo Ishan Iqbal, 13, Kuwait; won second place in the 13-14 age group for his poster titled “Safety Blooms/Withers”. Immanuel Adriana Rakshana, 11, Shuaiba, Kuwait won third place in the 11-12 age group for his poster titled “Climb the ladder of safety for a joyous homecoming every day”

The following companies are promoting NAOSH by distributing the NAOSH posters to their locations worldwide:

AGC Associated General Contractors
American Industrial Hygiene Association
B&H Maintenance & Construction
BSCAI Association Headquarters Building Service Contractors Association International
BRACE
Ford Motor Company
Forging Industry Association
Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Industrial Truck Association
JetBlue Airways
Lamar Advertising Company
National Chicken Council
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
NORESCO
Sprint Nextel Corporation
Sprint Environmental, Health & Safety
Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association
USDOL-OSHA
Working Partners U. S. Department of Labor

Listing of ASSE NAOSH/OSHP 2008 Events

NAOSH 2008 National Kick-Off Events/Poster Contest Awards Ceremony, Washington, D.C.

National kick-off events for the ASSE/Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE)/OSHA North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week was held Monday, May 5th, beginning with the formal launch at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) followed by the ASSE poster contest awards ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in the historical Mansfield Room and a special event for the ASSE poster contest entrants, their families and ASSE members at The National Gallery of Art. The events not only celebrated the work of the poster contest winners and their illustrations of being safe at work, but promoted safe and healthy workplaces, emphasizing that safety is good business. Keynote presentations were given by OSHA Deputy Administrator Don Shalhoub, ASSE President 2007/08 Michael W. Thompson, CSP, and CSSE Vice President Andrew Cooper. The winners of ASSE's 6th annual "Safety-on-the-Job" Kids' Poster Contest received their awards as well as runners up and all poster contestants attending the events. OSHA, ASSE, Navistar and the America Red Cross also provided safety equipment such as tote bags, safety flashlights and a Red Cross emergency first aid kit to all 250 attendees at the kick-off.

On Sunday, May 4th, ASSE’s Region III sponsored and was host to a Welcome Brunch for the “Safety-on-the-Job” Kids’ Poster Contest winners and their families at the National Zoo from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Photos of these events can be found at www.asse.org/naosh08.

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin’s resolution, prepared with ASSE, designating May 4-10 as NAOSH Week and May 7, 2008 as Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day passed the Senate. Sen. Durbin’s staffer Heather McLeod attended the events and presented ASSE with the passed Resolution. Heather also talked about how her father, a steel worker in New York City, was a strong supporter of workplace safety. ASSE presented Heather with Sen. Durbin’s NAOSH Champion Award. This was the 7th year in a row that the Senator has sponsored and helped pass a resolution supporting NAOSH Week, OSHP Day, ASSE and the occupational safety, health and environmental professionals.

National Events

California

PaperlinX, located in Santa Fe Springs, CA, once again celebrated NAOSH Week. This is the third year PaperlinX has celebrated NAOSH Week. During NAOSH, PaperlinX hosted several NAOSH Week activities throughout their company to help raise awareness about the value of safety and health at work. They also displayed NAOSH posters at their branch locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. They are in over 60 locations throughout the Midwest and Western States and Hawaii (Spicer Paper Warehouses and Kelly Paper Stores).

Colorado

Each employee who came into Valero Medical got a NAOSH t-shirt and pen. Valero Medical annual health fair for the refinery was on May 15th. They planned to give out all of the NAOSH items. Valero has about 700 workers at the local refinery and most of them attended the health fair. It was a great way to get the word out about NAOSH and remind them all about the impact of safety in the workplace.

D.C.

Michael Thompson, President of ASSE, opened the annual NAOSH Week (May 4-10) national kick-off events in Washington, D.C. at the U.S. Department of Labor and at the U.S. Capitol in the Mansfield Room, with his comments on the importance of increasing workplace safety for everyone.
On May 9, 2008, Congress passed a Resolution designating May 4-10, 2008, as North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 7 as Occupational Safety and Health Professional day and recognizing occupational safety, health and environmental practitioners for the work they do to help the millions of people who go to work each day and return safely. The Resolution, S.R. 547, was sponsored by U.S. Senators Richard J. Durbin (IL), Barack Obama (IL), Johnny Isakson (GA), and Edward M. Kennedy (MA).
OSHA teamed with ASSE, CSSE and industry groups to promote job safety during North American Occupational Safety and Health Week. The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) joined with the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), an OSHA Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) to kick off the annual North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 4-10, 2008, in Washington D.C. This year’s theme was “Safety is Good Business.”

Florida

Disney displayed 300 NAOSH 2008 posters in their backstage areas for their 59,000 Cast Members to view.
The ASSE Central Florida Chapter handed out 500 NAOSH posters and NAOSH pens at a Spanish Safety Expo in June and also handed out 100 NAOSH posters at their April 7, 2008 Chapter meeting.
ASSE members from the Central FL Chapter also sponsored several poster contest participants for the ASSE “Safety-on-the-Job” poster contest this year.
Jeff Spackman, Central Florida chapter president, did a Superman reveal of his undershirt at the chapter meeting … revealing a NAOSH week t-shirt that he had made up with a likeness of the NAOSH week poster! Central Florida Chapter gave out about 300 NAOSH week posters at their meeting. Some of their safety vendors took them to give to their clients who may not have ASSE members on their staff (and therefore may not know a thing about NAOSH week). Heather Earl thought it was great that they were able to reach out beyond their ASSE membership through their local safety vendors.

As NAOSH week continued, they had additional NAOSH week activities at Walt Disney World Resorts:

All of the safety and health professionals received messages from their Managers and Directors with heartfelt thanks for the work they do in observance of Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day (two examples are attached below).
The Safety and Health professionals were presented with a delicious cake to celebrate Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day.
In observance of Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day, the Director of Safety and Health and the Vice President of Risk Management Services honored all of the safety and health professionals with a hot breakfast, thank you cards, watches, and kind words thanking all of them for what they do behind the scenes every day to make a difference in the lives of their Cast Members and Guests.
The Main Street Diary (an internal newsletter from their Senior Vice President of Operations to all Cast Members) included a message about NAOSH week (the message is attached as an excerpt from the newsletter).
NAOSH week posters had been plastered everywhere backstage for their front line Cast Members to see.

They strived for continuous improvement in injury and illness prevention every day, and there were many safety and health activities that occurred that week (and year round) that would have occurred regardless of whether it was NAOSH week or not (i.e., safety committee meetings, safety milestone celebrations, safety and regulatory training, safety communication, safety feedback and coaching, health and wellness education, healthy snacks, and more).

Messages from Managers and Directors to Safety and Health Professionals

Team,

As you are aware, this week is North American Occupational Safety & Health Week! This is truly a great and rewarding profession that we have chosen. Our profession saves lives ... and has a positive direct impact on the quality of life in the workplace and society. We should all be proud of the great work and significant contributions we make daily to the Walt Disney World organization.

Your individual and collective team efforts are very important to the WDW business ... particularly during this period of uncertainty in the economy. In order for any business to be successful ... it must be productive and safe. This thought process is in harmony with this year's NAOSH Week slogan below:

Safety is Good Business!

Thanks again for all that you do!

Safety & Health Team:

As I think you already know, the American Society of Safety Engineers' has recognized today, May 7th, 2008 as Occupational Safety and Health Professionals Day.

Safety and Health professionals work day-in and day-out, behind the scenes, as under-recognized heroes making sure employees go home safely. On this special day set aside for this specific purpose, I want to thank you for all that you do to help keep us safe. Your efforts, although not always in the forefront, certainly do not go unnoticed.

Thank you for your dedication and professionalism. Enjoy your day.