Water Treatment Plant Marks 2000 Days Without a Lost Time Injury

North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week is taking place from May 3-9, 2015. This year’s theme - Make Safety a Habit for Your Career - is especially significant for City staff at the Windsor Lake Water Treatment Facility, where they have recently passed an important milestone; marking 2000 days and approximately 144,000 working hours without a lost time injury. 
 
“Windsor Lake is an industrial facility which runs continuously, 365 days a year, to provide clean, safe drinking water to residents and businesses in the City of St. John’s,” said Councillor Jonathan Galgay, Chair of Public Works Standing Committee. “Through routine duties of the operational staff they are exposed to a number of potentially hazardous situations that range from chemical exposure to working at heights. We are very proud to recognize and celebrate this milestone with all the staff members working at the Windsor Lake Water Treatment Facility.”
 
In addition to the potential hazards listed previously, the Water Treatment Maintenance Operators and Maintenance Technicians must safely de-energize equipment, enter confined spaces, and use overhead cranes. Laboratory Technicians handle a variety of chemicals and reagents in order to properly analyze samples through accepted laboratory techniques and equipment, and it is the responsibility of management to provide the resources necessary to ensure that everyone goes home at the end of the day.
 
“It is the attentiveness of the staff while performing their duties and the culture of safety at Windsor Lake that makes all the difference,” said Councillor Galgay. “The 2000 days without a lost time injury could not be achieved without the continuous, combined efforts of all employees and is a reflection of the safety performance at this facility.”
 
The goal of NAOSH Week is to focus the attention of employers, employees, the general public, and all partners in occupational safety and health on the importance of preventing injury and illness in the workplace, at home and in the community. 
 
Media Contact:
Kelly Maguire
Media Relations
City of St. John's
709-576-8491
kmaguire@stjohns.ca