“NAOSH Week is the perfect opportunity for ASSE, CSSE and OSHA, along with 25 of our agency's alliance program participants, to come together to spread the word about transportation safety,” OSHA Edwin Foulke Jr. said. “Together, we will address ways to provide employers, employees and the public with the tools they need to protect our nation's working men and women.”
The theme for this year's event – which runs May 6 through 12 – is “All Modes of Transportation.”
“In the U.S. alone, transportation-related incidents continue to be the leading cause of on-the-job deaths," said ASSE President Donald Jones Sr., PE, CSP.
Jones noted that in 2004, 43 percent of the 5,703 workplace fatalities were transportation-related. Overall, nearly 6.2 million traffic crashes were reported in 2005, causing 43,443 fatalities and 2.7 million injuries – costing employers an estimated $250.6 billion.
Goal of NAOSH Week Is to Raise Awareness
The Federal Network for Young Worker Safety and Health (FedNet) also is supporting 2007 NAOSH Week.
FedNet is a federal interagency work group formed in 2003 by OSHA to address occupational issues that affect the safety and health of young employees. It is made up of more than 30 federal agencies, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and EPA.
OSHA alliance program participants that are actively supporting NAOSH Week include the National Safety Council, the American Red Cross and the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses.
The goal of NAOSH Week is to raise awareness of the role and contribution of EHS professionals and to reduce workplace injuries and illness by encouraging new safety and health activities at all companies and organizations.