SIA to assist in North American safety week

The Scaffold Industry Association (SIA) is joining the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Alliance Program participants at the annual North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week from May 2-8 and the Occupational Safety and Health Professional (OSHP) Day on May 5. Both events are geared toward raising aware of being safe at work.

The NAOSH Week 2010 event will have activities scheduled worldwide, along with events and educational programs May 2-3 in Washington, D.C., and a roadway safety even May 5 in Portland, OR with ASSE members and state officials, the SIA said. The events kick off in D.C. at the US Department of Labor, the US Capitol, the Smithsonian and the National Zoo. Events will feature discussions on industry workplace safety, health efforts and more.

"NAOSH Week is another tool we use to educate people on the positive benefits of protecting people, property and the environment and sharing best practices among our members and their employees all in an effort to continue to enhance workplace safety worldwide," said Laurie Weber, SIA executive director.

Past NAOSH Week events have included fleet safety classes, ergonomic awareness events, updates on safety programs, corporate workplace safety and health days, city and state work safety fairs, symposiums on related topics and more.

"Today's economic downturn is tough for everyone and some businesses believe they can save funds by cutting back in safety," said C. Christopher Patton, ASSE president. "That's not a good move from a business perspective. Businesses have spent about $170 billion a year on costs associated with occupational injuries and health care, and about $1 billion every week on injured employees and their medical providers - costs that take away from company profits, research and growth - costs that continue to go up as cuts in safety are being made. Indirect tangible costs of injuries may be as much as 20 times the direct costs, including costs from accident investigation, low employee morale, retraining workers and repairs and production delays, while the intangible costs of losing a loved one, a friend and a co-worker go beyond a price tag."

For more information on any events or the ASSE, visit www.asse.org.