Earlier this week I was delighted to proclaim the first Annual Occupational Health and Safety Day at the Toronto Police Service.
The Toronto Police Services Board has a keen interest in the health and safety of all of the members of the Service. For the Board, our concern goes beyond health and safety and includes the overall wellness of our members. I believe that this commitment is part of what makes us an employer of choice.
I am also very pleased that health and safety is an area in which the Board, the Service and the Association can all work together productively, in the best interest of the members of our Service.
Here are my speaking notes from the launch.
Good morning,
On behalf of the Toronto Police Services Board, it gives me great pleasure to proclaim today, October 1, 2008, as our annual Occupational Health and Safety Day. As of this day, the first Wednesday of every October shall be our Occupational Health and Safety Day.
And on behalf of the Board, the Service, the Association and their representatives on the Central Joint Health and Safety Committee, I want to welcome all of our Joint Health and Safety Committees for joining us on this important today.
The “Occupational Health and Safety” Board policy states that:
The Toronto Police Services Board, as the employer, is ultimately responsible for worker health and safety. Through the implementation of initiatives intended to eliminate occupational illnesses and injuries, the Toronto Police Services Board is dedicated to the goal of enhancing employee wellness and maintaining workplaces that are safe and healthy for the members of the Toronto Police Service.
The Board recognizes that the local Joint Health and Safety Committees and the Central Joint Health and Safety Committee play an integral role in helping the Board achieve this goal. Joint Health and Safety Committees throughout the Service will be the framework within which Management and the Toronto Police Association will work cooperatively to develop and implement the internal responsibility system that is the key to an effective health and safety program.
As you can see, the Board Policy recognizes the local Joint Health and Safety Committees to be the foundation of our occupational health and safety system.
Health and safety of members is a matter of great importance to all of us. I am pleased that it is an area in which the Board, the Service and the Association work cooperatively and for a common purpose.
I want to thank all members of our local Committees for your energy, your interest and your dedication. Beginning with the October 6 meeting, you have been invited to visit our Central Joint Health and Safety Committee. I look forward to meeting many of you as you attend our meeting, get to know what we do, and share your knowledge and information with us.
Once again, on behalf of the Toronto Police Services Board, I am pleased to be here to commemorate the first ever Occupational Health and Safety Day. It is critical that we remember, each and every day, that employee wellness is a paramount concern and that we work together to ensure that our workplace is healthy, safe and happy.
Thank you.
