Yellowknife, NT (October 16, 2017) – The Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC), in their ongoing mission to promote occupational health and safety (OHS) program awareness, presented the first Blue Hard Hat Safety Awards to the communities of Yellowknife and Hay River on Wednesday, October 4. The awards were presented by Bert Hausauer, Chief Safety Officer and Meta Antolin, OHS Specialist with the WSCC to Sheila Bassi-Kellett, SAO for Yellowknife and Judy Goucher, SAO for Hay River.
Introduced at the October 2016 Local Government Administrators of the Northwest Territories (LGANT) Conference a year ago, the Blue Hard Hat Safety Award is awarded for distinction in Occupational Health and Safety and aims to encourage communities from across the Northwest Territories to develop their own OHS programs. To be eligible for the award, community Senior Administrative Officers (SAOs) submit a list of OHS-related documentation that demonstrates their OHS activities for the year. Communities that meet the criteria receive a recognition award and are entered into a draw for a chance to win OHS training for their community.
“An OHS program is an integral piece of an organization’s Internal Responsibility System to ensuring workplace safety,” says Judy Kainz, Director of Prevention and Employer Services. “We recognize the challenges of getting these programs off the ground, and are committed to supporting communities and businesses as well as recognizing their successes.”
The WSCC presented the Award at the 2017 LGANT Conference and AGM in Yellowknife, October 3-5.
For ways to develop OHS programs for businesses of all sizes, visit wscc.nt.ca or wscc.nu.ca.
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Jacqueline Mo
Acting Manager, Communications
T: (867) 920-3829
TF: 1 (800) 661-0792 ext. 3829