The following message was issued today by WorkSafeNB president and CEO Gerard Adams in recognition of North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, May 4-10 2014:
Last week, on April 28, we marked a very important and somber day, the National Day of Mourning, where we officially honoured those who died, were injured or became ill on the job.
As we celebrate North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, we must all continue to do a better job and keep safety in mind by remembering these workers every day.
In New Brunswick, seven workers died in 2013. They all left behind families, friends and a community that mourns them. The fact is that one worker death is far too many. When you consider that close to 10,000 workers were injured in one way or another last year, it’s proof that we’ve still got a lot of work to do.
The theme for this year’s week is “Make Safety a Habit!” Safety can become a habit in New Brunswick. Habits represent who we are, what we believe in and are part of our culture.
Creating a safety culture shift in New Brunswick requires involvement of every employer, every worker and every aspect of a business. Everyone is responsible for preventing workplace injuries and illness.
Changing a culture won’t happen overnight, but it must happen. The sooner it does the fewer injuries and fatalities we will see. With the commitment of all New Brunswickers, our province will continue to be one of the safest places to work in the country.