A Northern Ontario safety organization has been given a national award of excellence for promoting healthy workplaces.
Workplace Safety North (WSN), which has offices in North Bay and Sudbury, was named the platinum winner of the Canada Award for Excellence in the Healthy Workplace category. The award is from Excellence Canada, which is a national authority on organization excellence established by Industry Canada.
The award, said WSN, recognizes outstanding achievements by organizations in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, across Canada.
Workplace Safety North, which is one of four designated health and safety associations in Ontario, primarily serves the forestry and mining industries.
WSN provides expert advice and information, classroom and online training programs, on-site consultations, health and safety audits, industrial hygiene testing, ergonomic assessments, and specific problem-solving to those industries.
Paul Andre, WSN's President and CEO, said it was an honour for his agency to receive the award.
“It’s especially relevant for a health and safety association, and recognizes everything our staff did to be able to work through the pandemic to help other workers at other companies stay safe and healthy,” he said.
It was noted that WSN and its legacy organizations have been helping make Ontario workplaces safer for nearly 100 years.
“Right across the province, WSN staff do an awesome job,” said Andre.
“They’re dedicated, caring professionals who work hard to help ensure Ontario workers come home safe and healthy at the end of each workday. This award reflects their dedication, and we are very proud.”
This is the third award for WSN, having won silver in the same category in 2016, and gold in 2019. The Healthy Workplace award is based on Excellence Canada’s Canadian Healthy Workplace Standard which was developed in partnership with Health Canada and in association with professionals from the health and wellness sectors.
Len Gillis covers health care and mining for Sudbury.com.
