MAY 1-7THE HISTORY OF NAOSH WEEKNAOSH Week – North American

Occupational Safety and Health Week - was first launched in June 1997, marked by an agreement be-

tween Canada, the United States and Mex-ico. CSSE’s Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Week (COHS) had been observed for ten years previously (1986-1996). During the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks between the governments of Mexico, United States, and Canada, work-place safety within the boundaries of all three nations was discussed by government labour department representatives. Canada’s rep-resentative at these talks was familiar with Canada’s COHS Week and suggested to his Mexican and American counterparts that their countries may wish to become involved in a similar endeavor.

Subsequently, CSSE was ap-proached for permission and support to expand the COHS Week format and experience to Mexico and the United States. After many meetings between Labour Canada and the CSSE COHS Committee in 1995, the proposal to ex-pand the COHS format into the North American arena was formalized with the CSSE Board of Directors at their spring 1996 meeting. It was agreed that CSSE would adopt the North American concept and implement it in place of

the Canadian Week. Labour Canada agreed to ensure that CSSE was the of-ficially recognized safety organization responsible for NAOSH Week. Labour Canada would also play the lead polit-ical role for North America for three years, after which there would be a review. CSSE was responsible for all management, marketing, policy, admin-istration, etc. related to NAOSH Week, and was deemed the proprietor and governing body.

In September 1996, the agreement was taken to the NAFTA meeting and all parties agreed to the proposal. NAOSH Week was established. NAOSH Week was and implemented under this agreement between 1997 and 2000.

Since 2000, the responsibility and management of NAOSH Week has con-tinued under CSSE’s leadership. Part-nering with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety (CCOHS), and the Labour Program of Human Re-sources and Social Development Cana-da (HRSDC), and Threads of Life. CSSE works hard to promote and encourage the goals of NAOSH. Along with the efforts of the American Society of Safe-ty Engineers (ASSE), NAOSH Week continues to be a truly continent-wide event.

CELEBRATING SAFETY AND HEALTH WEEK

Safety is core to everything we do.

Our job is to keep the lights on across Alberta – for every home, farm and business. Whilemanaging more than 1 , 00 kilometres oftransmission lines, we put the safety of our

Find out more about how we make sure power is there when you need it at altalink.ca

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MakingProgress Happen

Encourages everyone to respect construction zones

LIVES ARE PRICELESSNorthside Construction Partnership6500 - 71 Street, Red Deer, Alberta T4P 3YP

Tel: (403) 347.8544 • Fax: (403) 346.4650www.northside.biz

NORTHSIDECONSTRUCTIONPARTNERSHIP

Glen Trefanenko• COR/SECOR Auditing• COR/SECOR Auditing• Consulting • Training • Consulting • Training

• Vacation Relief• Vacation Relief• Program Development• Program Development

Serving Red Deer and Central Alberta

www.trefko.comPhone: 403-872-4702

email: glentref@shaw.ca

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EVENT NAME DATE AND TIME LOCATION CONTACT PERSON DETAILS PARTICIPANTS

Day of Mourning Ceremony April 28, 201611:00 am

Red Deer City Hall West Steps

The Day of Mourning is an annual day of remembrance for workers who have been killed and injured on the job in Canada.

Open to the public

Steps for Life Walk

May 3rd, 2015Registration: 9:30Speeches: 11:00Walk begins at 11:30

Band Shell StageBower Ponds ParkRed Deer, AB

www.stepsforlife.ca

Walking for the victims of workplace tragedy to raise funds to provide sup-port for the families of those who have died or been seriously injured at work.

Open to the public

Fal l Protect ion -OSA certified training

May 2-6th, 2016 8:00 – 4:00 (each day)

Rhino Integrated Safety Ser-vices 9-4699 61 St, Red Deer AB T4N 7C9

Gary Gies (Red Deer Con-struction Association ) 403-346-4846

An opportunity to receive OSSA Cer-tified Fall Protection Training at a spe-cial NAOSH rate.$75 for members (CSSE, ACSA, PRSC & RDCA)$100 for Non-Members

Open to the public.

Mock Incident Demonstra-tion for Elementary Aged Children

May 2, 201612:00 – 1:00pm

Annie L Gaetz School, Red Deer, AB

Gary Gies (Red Deer Con-struction Association ) 403-346-4846

An event open to the public which demonstrates an emergency scenar-io, with the support of emergency re-sponders, to show the ripple effects of an accident to children who witnessed the event.

Open to the public

Safety Day Conference May 4, 2016 Hampton Inn, Gasoline Alley, Red Deer, AB

Brenda Cooke 403-846-3662 or Register online at http://www.cssecentralab.org/chap-ter_events

A safety day with guest presentations on communication workshop, hazard-ous electrical awareness presenta-tion, the myths & misunderstandings of fall protection presentation and con-fined space awareness

Open to the public

Fire extinguisher training with live fire exercise May 5-6, 2016

Red Deer Construction As-sociation, 3-7471 Edgar In-dustrial Bend, Red Deer AB T4P 3Z5

Gary Gies (Red Deer Con-struction Association ) 403-346-4846

Each course is 2 hours in duration. 3 courses per day (8:00 am, 10:30am, 12:30am). $50 for Members (CSSE, ACSA, PRSC & RDCA).

Open to the public

NAOSH WEEK EVENT CALENDAR

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERING (CSSE)

Central Alberta Chapter

The CSSE is Canada’s largest and most established professional organization for Health and Safety Practitioners, with over 4,500 members across Canada and over 1400 members in Alberta.

“The mission of the CSSE is to be the premier organization for health, safety and loss prevention specialists.”

The Central Alberta Chapter holds their meetings monthly.

If you are a safety, health or loss prevention specialist or have an interest in promoting health and safety in industry, please

check out the CSSE website at www.csse.org or contact Dan Trottier, Central Alberta Chapter Chair,

at (403) 347-0005, email: dan.trottier@tatonga.ca

THE CSSE IS THE OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF

NAOSHNorth American

Occupational Safety and Health WeekMay 3 to 9, 2015

Safety And Health - A Commitment For Life - Start Today78

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May 1-7, 2016

Ph: 403-347-7426 Fax: 403-347-7423Toll Free: 1-866-211-0959

www.earldreeshen.ca

Earl Dreeshen, M.P. Red Deer-Mountain View

Suite 100A, 4315 55th Ave., Red Deer

Committed to Committed to Keeping Alberta SafeKeeping Alberta Safe

#7, 4812-78 St., Red Deer403-346-6715www.pmcl1964.ca

CONCRETE CONTRACTORS• INDUSTRIAL • COMMERCIAL

“Knowing what to do in an emergency is a valuable skill, but knowing how to prevent

accidents is worth even more”

FOUNDATIONAL TO YOUR SUCCESS.

HOW TO AVOID COMMON WORKPLACE INJURIESWorkers spend roughly eight hours at their

workplaces each day, and many workers must be careful to avoid injury over the course of a typical workday.

According to a recent FindLaw survey, workplace injuries are common, with one in five American adults saying they have suffered an injury while on the job. Statistics Canada notes that an estimated 4.27 million Canadians aged 12 or older suffered an injury severe enough to limit their usual activities in 2009 and 2010. Although many of these injuries were attributed to adolescents and seniors, work-ing-age adults see their share of injuries as well.

The employees most susceptible to injury are those working in dangerous areas, such as construc-tion sites and factories, but just about any worker can suffer an injury on the job. Knowing the most common injuries can help individuals take preemp-tive steps to limit behaviors that may lead to inju-ries on the job. The following are some of the most common and disabling workplace injuries, accord-ing to the Workplace Safety Index.

• Overexertion: Overexertion can lead to various

musculoskeletal injuries, including sprains, muscle pulls and tears. Heavy lifting and lowering of items affects the back, which is the part of the body most often injured on the job. Workers should not push their bodies to extremes. Braces and other supports can protect the back, shoulders and other vulnera-ble body parts from injury. Lifting should always be done with the legs and not the back.

• Slips and falls: Falling on wet and slippery floors or tripping over something on a floor is an-other common workplace injury. While many falls occur on level surfaces, falls from elevated areas, such as ladders and stairways, also can occur. Spills should be mopped up promptly and caution sig-nage should be used on slippery surfaces. Workers should wear the right footwear for the job and envi-ronment.

• Reaction injuries: These involve trauma to the body from slipping and tripping without actually falling. It can be difficult to prevent these types of injuries, but always being aware of your surround-ings can reduce your risk for reaction injuries.

• Falling object injuries: Workers can be injured by falling objects. These injuries are most common in warehouses or construction sites. Proper protec-tive gear, such as helmets and hard hats, can keep employees safe, as can maintaining a hazard-free environment.

• Vehicular accidents: Automotive accidents can lead to injuries for workers who must drive as part of their job. Employers can ask that all employees who drive routinely enroll in safe driving courses and can monitor any health conditions that can lead to impaired driving.

• Machine entanglement: Injuries can occur when employees get caught in or compressed by large and dangerous equipment, which is common in factories. All employees should be trained in ma-chinery operation to avoid these types of accidents.

• Repetitive motion injuries: Repetitive motions, such as typing, pushing buttons, pulling levers, or bending and squatting can strain muscles and ten-

dons. Although these conditions are not as obvious

as others at the onset, over time they can be harm-

ful and painful. Vision problems from staring at a

computer and carpal tunnel syndrome are some

common repetitive motion injuries. Take frequent

breaks and use ergonomic equipment to alleviate

these conditions.

Hearing Protection SpecialistsRiverlands Gate Business Centre

Suite #202, 4327 - 54th AvenueRed Deer, Alberta. T4N 4L9

Phone: 403-346-3939Toll Free: 1-877-824-3939

Hours of Operation:Monday-Friday: 8:30am - 4:30 pm

www.riverlandhearing.com

Sandra Duncan BC-HISRegistered Hearing Aid Practitioner

Dr. Neil Cannon MA, MS, AuDDoctor of Audiology

Working together to ensure our safety and well being.

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We are Manufacturing ExcellenceHealth and Safety First

Our success is fuelled by passionate employees relentlessly focused on safely building, operating and maintaining facilities, which are recognized globally as being the safest,

most reliable, and most competitive.

At Agrium we are dedicated to increasing understanding, raising awareness and reducing workplace injuries and illness. Having our workers go home safely at the end

of the day is our goal – everyday.

Joff re Nitrogen OperationsP.O. Box 666, Red Deer, Alberta T4N 5G6Phone: (403) 885-4010Fax: (403) 885-5653

agriumwholesale.com

Our success is fuelled by passionate employees relentlessly focused on safely building, operating and maintaining facilities, which are

recognized globally as being the safest, most reliable, and competitive.

At Agrium we are dedicated to increasing understanding, raising awareness and reducing workplace injuries and illness. Having our workers go home safely at the end of the day is our goal - everyday.

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By Glen Trefanenko of Trefko Safety Services

Regardless if we call events causing injuries and/or property damages “incidents or ac-cidents”, companies expect their personnel to report them all. Regardless, incidents and

accidents are not always being reported but far few-er near misses are being reported compared to the amount that are being experienced.

A near miss is an unplanned event that did not re-sult in injury or damage, but had the potential to do so. Only a fortunate break in the chain of events pre-vented damage or an injury. Incident pyramid the-ories, which started in the 1930’s and illustrate that for every fatality or major damage as a result of an event, which is represented on the top, there would be several near misses which are represented at the bottom of the pyramid. Regardless what the near miss total number is they are occurring and in many cases without any thought of reporting them. Some people may say that nothing was damaged or no one was hurt so why report. The way to look at it is that if

you can prevent an occurrence from happening that would cause damage or injury, why wouldn’t you.

When investigating events that cause damage and/or injuries, you are looking to determine the causes so that corrections to prevent recurrence may be es-tablished and put into place. If the root (basic) cause of an event causing serious injury and/or damage was determined to be “the non-reporting or improp-er investigation of a near miss”, I am sure that the persons involved in the near miss would be second guessing their decision to not report the near miss in the first place. If you are involved in a near miss, report it because you may be saving a life.

If we are using the same piece of equipment or completing the same tasks day after day, we may get complacent in understanding the current and poten-tial hazards and the risks that they present. Since we may have learnt that there is a certain way to op-erate a piece of equipment because it has not been operating properly for some time, we may sometimes not think twice about reporting this as a near miss or having the equipment repaired. Because of this,

if someone is new to your work area or has not used the piece of equipment that you may operate every day, you may be putting them in harms way without even knowing it. So even if you are familiar with a piece of equipment that is not working properly, have it repaired for your safety and the next person that may use it before an event occurs.

As the result of a work place near miss, the in-volved worker is given the opportunity to prevent a similar event that may injure a person or cause property damage. This opportunity is created by properly reporting and documenting the near miss. It does not end there as the company has to fol-low-up by properly investigating the near miss, de-termining the causes then developing and putting into place, corrective actions to prevent recurrence.

Everyone has to ensure that a near miss is used as a tool to prevent events that cause injury and/or property damage by reporting and investigating such events then by establishing, communicating and fol-lowing corrective actions to prevent recurrence.

THE IMPORTANCE OF REPORTING NEAR MISSES