THE City of Abbotsford announced on Monday that it has won three distinguished awards from the BC Municipal Safety Association (BCMSA) in recognition of its outstanding commitment to occupational health and safety.

“It’s our goal that all City employees, across all City worksites, know their health and safety rights and responsibilities, know how to perform their duties safely, and can go home to their loved ones in one piece every day,” said Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens.

“Our employees are our greatest resource, and one of Council’s key strategic priorities is that our workforce is involved, safe and engaged. Receiving these three awards highlights the excellent efforts of our Occupational Health and Safety team in educating our workforce and championing safe work practices and procedures.”

The City received the following awards at a special presentation by the BCMSA at the Executive Meeting of Council on Monday afternoon:

• Organization Safety Excellence Award for maintaining low incident rates. This is achieved by running a comprehensive health and safety program, fostering a safe and healthy work environment, and providing regular and relevant training and safety education.
• City of Excellence Award – Gold Standard for demonstrating safe excavation techniques and exemplary best practices in all aspects of ground disturbance.
• Innovation Safety Solution Award for taking an innovative approach to addressing challenges in occupational safety, ultimately leading to a safer, healthier work environment. This includes finding new solutions to reoccurring issues, identifying corrective actions to eliminate preventable workplace injuries, and implementing new practices or procedures that go beyond what is considered routine in the industry.

The City of Abbotsford said it remains committed to upholding the highest standards of occupational health and safety and continues to work diligently to promote a strong safety culture, provide a safe and healthy working environment and safeguard the lives and livelihoods of its staff.