Centre For Health & Safety Innovation Opens In Canada
Mississauga, Ontario -- A vision eight years in the making was recently realized with the grand opening of the Centre for Health & Safety Innovation (CHSI). Founded by four health and safety associations: the Electrical & Utilities Safety Association (E&USA), the Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA), the Ontario Service Safety Alliance (OSSA), and the Transportation Health and Safety Association of Ontario (THSAO), this new facility is a meeting place for the exchange of knowledge and action with regards to occupational health and safety trends, issues, and initiatives.
"Individually we can only achieve so much, but by working together we can accomplish a great deal more," says Maureen C. Shaw, President & CEO of IAPA and Chair of the CHSI Board of Directors. "The Centre for Health & Safety Innovation is striving to be the nexus for occupational health and safety, bringing the world's best knowledge to our workplaces through this state-of-the-art facility."
E&USA, IAPA, OSSA, and THSAO are CHSI's founding partners and united, serve 80% of Ontario's workers. The coming together of these four organizations under one roof allows for a greater pooling of resources, an enhanced exchange of information and ideas, and a unified effort to achieving the overall goal of a world without injuries, illnesses, or fatalities in the workplace.
The creation of CHSI goes beyond serving the needs of the founding partners. The new facility also works towards increased collaboration across the occupational health and safety system, between Ontario's Ministry of Labour and Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and the province's other 10 health and safety organizations:
- Construction Safety Association of Ontario
- Education Safety Association of Ontario
- Farm Safety Association Inc.
- Mines and Aggregates Safety and Health Association
- Municipal Health and Safety Association
- Ontario Forestry Safe Workplace Association
- Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers
- Ontario Safety Association for Community and Health
- Pulp and Paper Health and Safety Association
- Workers Health and Safety Centre
Other goals of CHSI include: providing workplace safety education and training; developing new health and safety programs in areas such as occupational diseases; and encouraging excellence in workplace health and safety by rewarding efforts of individuals and employers.
The Centre for Health & Safety Innovation will act as the key resource for employers, employees, and others seeking expertise and direction on how to make workplaces injury and illness-free. The new facility features a variety of flexible meeting rooms, state-of-the-art technical equipment, modern amenities, and a team of support staff. CHSI will become the hub for health and safety organizations in Canada dedicated to the prevention and elimination of workplace injuries and illnesses, providing a meeting place for the exchange of knowledge, learning, and innovation. CHSI is located at the junction of Creekbank Road and Tech Avenue in Mississauga, Ontario.
SOURCE: Centre for Health & Safety Innovation