Sault Ste. Marie Safe Communities Partnership: judges' choice award.Sault Ste. Marie Sault Sainte Marie — pronounced "Soo Saint Marie" (IPA /su seɪnt məˈɹi/) — is the name of two cities on the Saint Marys River, which forms part of the boundary between the United States and Canada. holds a unique distinction few cities in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. can match. The community of 75,000 has been deemed among the safest places in the world, as designated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Spearheaded by the Sault Ste. Marie Safe Communities Partnership, the WHO designation achieved in May 2003 was quite a feather in the collective caps for volunteers of the local initiative. It is the highest recognition for injury prevention that a community can receive in the world. To attain the designation of being a safe community, applicants must be deemed to have a comprehensive public-safety program in place. They must also have an umbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or in place, co-ordinating safety programs for businesses and the workplace, but one that covers all ages and genders, including high-risk groups, including children, seniors, young workers and Aboriginals. The initiative is adjudicated for the WHO through their social medicine division of the Karolinaska Institute, a Stockholm-based medical university and research centre which sends inspectors to prospective communities that apply for the designation. Since its local establishment five years ago, the local partnership has hosted a myriad of safety training programs through workshops, seminars, theatrical performances and by distributing publications, educational material and videos to thousands of area school children, seniors and company presidents addressing a variety of safety issues. Donna Boston-McLean, who works as the partnership's co-ordinator, carries out the day-to-day activities and provides the organizing link to the 180 volunteers, consisting mainly of health and safety professionals from throughout the community. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The partnership, which works with mentor companies and organizations to deliver their best safety practices, is held in such high regard by member firms that health and safety professionals are paid by employers--on company time--to participate in the various programs. As an extension of the WHO's program, established in Canada by Toronto's Paul Kells, the Sault initiative was born out of the city's strategic planning Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. process, Building an Extraordinary Community. Boston-McLean says the city has created a "culture of safety" with a strong roster of health and safety professionals and partnerships with companies and other stake-holder organizations over the years. Stakeholders include : the City of Sault Ste. Marie, PUC (Public Utility Commission) A regulatory body in every state in the U.S. that governs public utilities within its jurisdiction such as electricity, gas, oil, sewer, water, transportation and telephone service. Some states call it the Public Service Commission (PSC). Services Inc., Royal Bank, G.P. Flakeboard Company, Algoma Steel ''See also Algoma (Disambiguation) Algoma Steel Corporation (TSX: AGA) was founded in 1902 by Francis Clergue, an American entrepreneur who had settled in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. , the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB WSIB Workplace Safety and Insurance Board WSIB Washington State Investment Board ) and the Red Cross, as well as others. Through several sub-committees, the Safe Communities Partnership covers injury prevention topics, including fall prevention, first aid, WHMIS WHMIS Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System , emergency response, bicycle safety Bicycle safety is the use of practices designed to reduce risk associated with cycling. Some of this subject matter is hotly debated: for example, the discussions as to whether bicycle helmets or cyclepaths really deliver improved safety. and workplace stress. The WHO designation has opened doors to network on an international basis, says Boston-McLean. During a Sault-led Irish trade mission, the partnership exported their Risk Watch Program--an injury prevention program delivered to primary-aged school children--to representatives in Ireland's County Louth for implementation in their school system. "It was the idea of one country sharing best safety practices with another country." Boston-McLean says major workplace accidents can be financially crippling to small contractors. Hefty Ministry of Labour fines can put some companies out of business. Through workplace safety programs such as their highly popular Safe Communities Incentive Program (SCIP SCIP Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals SCIP Surgical Care Improvement Project SCIP Society for Computers In Psychology SCIP Sussex Community Internet Project (UK) ), the partnership works with volunteers to deliver seminars including slip-and-fall workshops and fire extinguisher training courses, as developed by the WSIB. Small-business owners and senior managers are encouraged to attend, since they have the authority to make changes in places through policies and procedures Policies and Procedures are a set of documents that describe an organization's policies for operation and the procedures necessary to fulfill the policies. They are often initiated because of some external requirement, such as environmental compliance or other governmental . At the program's conclusion, businesses are eligible for a rebate from WSIB. Over a four-year period, about 130 area businesses have participated, with more than $442,554 given back to these companies in rebates. "We also follow up on anything these businesses need. Many of them don't have funds and resources to do a lot so we try to offer it as inexpensively as we can to help them in business." The organization offers a free youth safety awareness program to participants, allowing young workers to have some health and safety training before they begin their summer jobs through the province's Passport to Safety Program. One program unique to the Sault is the Safe Employees Harmonization program developed with local member firms to deliver a standardized safety orientation program under one course that benefits all workers and businesses. The information sessions are open to all contractors, offering them inexpensive access to training and information. "We have managed to come up with an amazing network in our community. Now we have the big companies sitting together trying to come up with ways to help smaller businesses in their health and safety." The non-profit organization relies on government grants and private-sector donations to organize events and hire contract trainers as needed as needed prn. See prn order. . By Ian Ross Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. |
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