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U.S. Department of Labor | |
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| Occupational Safety & Health Administration | ||||||
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Speeches
NAOSH WEEK |
Speeches - Table of Contents |
| • Information Date: | 05/01/2006 |
| • Speaker: | Edwin G. Foulke Jr. |
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"ADULTS DO THE DARNDEST THINGS"
As Prepared for Delivery Edwin G. Foulke Jr. Assistant Secretary of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration NAOSH WEEK Frances Perkins Building Washington, D.C. Monday, May 1, 2006 Good morning. And welcome to the official start of the North American Occupational Safety and Health Week. This is an exciting week. For the next six days, the American and Canadian Societies and Safety Engineering will be sponsoring an international series of events designed to raise awareness of the role and contribution of safety, health and environmental professionals. NAOSH Week It is my pleasure to open this ceremony and this week's activities. I've been working in the field of occupational safety and health for 20 years, but I've only been at OSHA for about 25 days. This is my first NAOSH Week as OSHA Administrator, and my first opportunity to acknowledge the incredible work performed by safety and health professionals, including OSHA employees, who have dedicated their lives to saving the lives of others. Yours is a noble profession. I am proud to be in such company. Thank you. I would also like to thank Art Nordholm, the Secretary of CSSE, and Jack H. Dobson, Jr., the President of ASSE, for being here today. ASSE has been a member of the OSHA Alliance program since 2002. In fact, OSHA's involvement in NAOSH is part of the Alliance. Through the Alliance Program, OSHA forms cooperative agreements with trade and professional organizations, businesses, labor, other government agencies, and education institutions. We work together to develop compliance assistance products, create training programs and foster awareness about workplace hazards in order to prevent worker illnesses and injuries. I am told that there are 20 Alliance participants and several Strategic Partnership representatives here today who have been actively promoting NAOSH Week through their own safety events throughout the country. Thank you for commitment to the safety, health and well-being of America's working men and women. Investing in Safety and Health OSHA's cooperative program members understand that it pays to invest in safety and health prevention in the workplace. Workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities cost the country more than $170 billion per year. These costs affect every person in the United States - every employee, every employer and every family member. ASSE estimates that workplace injuries cost employers the equivalent of one-quarter of all their pretax profits. On the flipside, companies that implement effective safety and health programs reduce their injury and illness rates an average of 20 percent. Workplace accidents lower wages for workers, decrease profits for companies and increase prices for consumers. On average, a workplace accident costs an employee and their family $8,000, often forcing them to dip into savings or default on payments. It is the number one reason people default on their home. Comprehensive safety and health programs do more than just save money. They increase employee morale, corporate reputation and productivity. Safety and health programs also decrease absenteeism, recovery time and workers' compensation. By reducing workers' compensation costs, companies are more profitable. They also can afford to keep jobs here in America instead of shipping them overseas. Young Workers Safety and health programs also help protect one of the most vulnerable populations - young workers - who may not be aware of the hazards they face on the job. Thankfully, there are people who have dedicated their lives to saving the lives of our young workers. Today, we are joined by representatives from the Federal Network for Young Worker Safety and Health. FedNet is comprised of 11 federal agencies that have banded together to promote the health, safety and well-being of our young people. They have championed the Federal government's efforts to educate and protect the next generation of workers. OSHA is committed to helping young workers. In an effort to reach out to the 20 million young people that will be working this summer, we launched a teen summer jobs safety campaign three weeks ago at Thomas Edison Academy in Alexandria, Virginia. Throughout the rest of the summer, we will be releasing guidance and information to help all of us understand the unique needs of young workers. We are joined today by a group of students that have already demonstrated a keen interest in safety and health. You may have noticed them amidst all of the suits today. These are the six student winners of ASSE's annual safety poster contest. Adults do the Darndest Things There's a TV show with Bill Cosby called "Kids Say the Darndest Things." It's a great show that reminds all of us that sometimes kids are a lot smarter than adults give them credit for. These posters here on stage illustrate this clearly. Kids don't always know what their parents do all day at work, but they instinctively understand the importance of them working safely. In contrast, adults could stand to learn a thing or two. Looking at the posters, I was reminded of a couple examples of safety and health bloopers that are both humorous and horrible. You could call them "Adults Doing the Darndest Things." Haley Bock Let's start with the ABCs. Six-year old Haley Bock of Apex, North Carolina teaches us that "Safety is as simple as ABC."   The letter "A" in Haley's drawing might have been inspired by this gentleman, who threw caution, commonsense and electrical hazards to the wind, while using power tools on a metal ladder in a pool. I am honored that Haley is here with us this morning, accompanied by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Bock. Abigail Chiles Not to be outdone, Abigail Chiles, age 8, from Eagle, Idaho gives us wonderful advice: "Be a stranger to danger." Abigail's poster shows an all too familiar scenario.  Falling off a ladder is dangerous both at work and at home, particularly when somebody is balancing on one foot, atop an unstable ladder that is leaning against power lines.  Please join me in welcoming Abigail, her father Matthew, and her grandparents, Sherman and Bonita. Daniel Hales Also joining us today is Daniel Hales, age 8, from Louisburg, North Carolina. Daniel's entire family was here last year. He and his father are back.  Daniel is incredibly mature for his age. His poster reminds us that "Falling in love can change your life, falling at work can change your life. So fall in love with safety. Wear your fall protection." I think we can all agree that Daniel is pretty wise for 8. I wish the guy in the following picture were as wise as he.  Something tells me there has to be a better way. Keaton Fuller Keaton Fuller is 9 years old, hailing from Bloomington, IL. He is here today with his father Mac and his mother Debra. Keaton has his sites set on safety.  His poster reminds all of us of the importance of staying on target by being aware of the hazards around you.  Back in the adult world…This guy is just asking for trouble. Perhaps he did not notice that he was sitting directly underneath his precariously propped pick-up truck. Let us hope that if the truck falls, it misses the target. Liam Cavanaugh Liam Cavanaugh wins the award for having the most people here with him today, including a host of aunts and cousins. Liam, age 9 from Maple Glen, Pennsylvania.  Liam's poster features a slew of safe worker bees who say "bee ready, bee aware, bee a buddy or bee sorry." I particularly like the bee that tells others to "bee a buddy." Thousands of injuries could be avoided if people just looked out for each other. Evidently, the folks in the following picture never got the message.  Now this is creative. A forklift lifting another forklift, which in turn is carrying two guys. A half dozen people are standing around waiting to see what happens. None of them are being buddies. Allegra Trites Allegra Trites, age 11 from Omaha, Nebraska, is here with her father Steve. Allegra's poster guides the viewer along a safety quest through a variety of workplace hazards.  If only the driver of this forklift had followed Allegra's map, perhaps he would have found a better ending to his journey.  Kayla Copperthite The final student here with us today is Kayla Copperthite of Westminster, Maryland. Kayla is 12 years old, and is joined by her parents, David and Denise, as well as her sister Karley.  Kayla's poster illustrates the 3 B's of Safety - be informed, be prepared, be safe. The drawing features a range of personal protective equipment, including gloves, goggles, boots and a hard hat. Kayla understands better than most, how many injuries would be avoided if people simply used the appropriate equipment.  Unfortunately, adults do the darndest things. This guy looks surprisingly calm considering that he is standing in shorts and a t-shirt next to a team of people fully dressed in hazmat gear. I hope he wore sunscreen. Conclusion and Kid Questions As these pictures show, I think we could all stand to learn a few things from our kids. If I could invite all of the students here today to stand and take a bow. Please give these wonderful students a round of applause. Thank you for joining us here today and for being the adults, teaching all of us how to be safe. In fact, if I could take a moment to ask you a couple questions about safety? Would that be okay?
It is now my pleasure to introduce Art Nordholm, the Secretary of CSSE, and Jack H. Dobson, Jr., the President of ASSE, who will each deliver a few words about the significance of NAOSH and the wonderful work being done by safety engineers. First, let me take a moment to properly introduce Art and Jack. Art has served on the CSSE Board of Directors for close to a decade and currently holds the positions of Chairman for NAOSH for Canada and National Secretary. He has been involved with NAOSH since its inception and was instrumental in expanding Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Week into North American Occupational Safety and Health Week. He is a Canadian Registered Safety Professional and a Certified Health and Safety Consultant. Art has been involved in safety for over three decades. Jack is the President of ASSE and the manager of occupational safety and health for Simplicity Manufacturing, Inc., of Port Washington, Wisconsin. He began his 36-year professional safety and health career with the U.S. Air Force, before moving on to the Navy and Treasury departments and as an OSHA training institute safety instructor. Jack has a B.S. in Business Administration from Roosevelt University, and an M.A. from Webster University. An active ASSE member, Jack has served in many elected capacities including the ANSI standard committees on confined spaces and fall protection. Please welcome Jack Dobson. [Remarks delivered by Jack Dobson and Art Nordholm] Closing Statement Thank you John and Art for your insightful words on safety and for spearheading this noble initiative - NAOSH Week. And a sincere thank you to all of the students who joined us here today. If the future of this country is on your shoulders, then we are all in good hands. Thank you for joining us here today. I hope you have a safe NAOSH week and a blessed day. |
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