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WSCC gears up for Safety Week

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The Worker's Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) is encouraging Yellowknife businesses to participate in North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (NAOSH) the week of May 6.

The commission will be holding "coffee and safety" breaks from May 6 to 12 to encourage employers to focus on preventing workplace injuries.

These are 15-minute blocks of time that businesses can book to have a safety officer come in and give a talk.

These coffee breaks will coincide with other similar talks that are happening across North America. NAOSH was originally known as the Canadian Occupational Health and Safety week, however the USA and Mexico joined in on the event during the original NAFTA talks in 1997.

“The goal during Safety and Health Week is to focus employers, employees, partners and the public on the importance of preventing injury and illness in the workplace, at home, and in the community,” states the NAOSH website.

While the coffee talks are a major component of the week, WSCC says that the public can get involved in a number of ways.

“We encourage everyone in the NWT and Nunavut to participate in NAOSH week by taking a picture of themselves being safe at work,” stated WSCC in an email.

On top of the social media ‘work selfies’, the week will begin with a ‘kick off breakfast and safety seminar’ on May 7 at the Chateau Nova that is open to any businesses that wish to register online beforehand.

Organizations will also be given a chance to register in the ‘Employer Recognition’ contest that will be taking place throughout the week.