Workplace Safety Symposium Planned in Aroostook County Bookmark and Share

February 29, 2012

A Presque Isle Safety Symposium is planned in April to help workers and employers improve safety and health in the workplace and reduce job related injuries and illnesses.

The one-day event will be held on April 3, 2012 at the Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle and is open to the public. The preregistration price for admission is $25 and the cost of registration at the event is $35.

Although the event is open to the general public, the four breakout sessions at the symposium each have course options focused in the areas of general industry, construction, health care, and municipal worksites. One of the course options open to participants is a half-day Forklift ?Train-the-Trainer? class offered by SafetyWorks!

Tim Crowley, President of Northern Maine Community College will provide the keynote presentation in the morning and the lunch speaker will be Lois Smith of Maine Public Service.

?Work related injuries and illness cost Maine workers millions each year in terms of medical costs, lost time, and lower productivity,? said Maine Labor Commissioner Robert Winglass. ?This symposium provides a unique opportunity for the state to partner with the Aroostook County business community to address this issue from the standpoint of prevention.?

Symposium sponsors include Smith and Wesson, Carey Medical Center, Columbia Forest Products, MEMIC, and the Maine Department of Labor SafetyWorks! program.

SafetyWorks! is an outreach program of the Maine Department of Labor designed to reduce job-related injuries, illnesses and deaths. Onsite safety training and consultation services are available by request and are provided free of charge. All services are voluntary and completely confidential. SafetyWorks! is not part of OSHA and does not issue citations or fines.

In January, the SafetyWorks! program launched a new Safety Training Institute in Augusta with the support of Maine Governor Paul LePage. The center offers classroom space for SafetyWorks! safety and health courses and includes a large indoor facility where workers can get hands-on training on a variety of different topics, including: fall protection, confined spaces, forklift operation, scaffolding, electrical hazards, ergonomics, and ladder safety.

For more information or to preregister for the Aroostook County Safety Symposium, visit www.safetyworksmaine.com/symposium or call SafetyWorks! at 207-623-7922.

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