July 15, 2003 Press Release

Public-private sector partnership promotes safety

U.S Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Northern Marianas Alliance for Safety and Health will host a health and safety conference next month, where nearly 150 health and safety officers, federal and local government officials and private sector participants will hold networking sessions aimed at improving workplace safety conditions.

NMASH co-chairpersons Richard A. Pierce of the Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association (SGMA) and Al Johnson of the Northern Marianas College (NMC) said the four-day conference will be held August 19th through the 22nd, and will kick off with a proclamation signing for CNMI Health and Safety Week by Gov. Juan N. Babauta.

Also at the opening ceremonies, OSHA Region IX Administrator Frank Strasheim will present CNMI Labor Secretary Joaquin Tenorio with a federal grant award for the CNMI’s New 21(d) Consultation Program, a program that provides small CNMI businesses free occupational safety consultation services.

Exhibits would be offered by OSHA for access to the OSHA Webpage, the OSHA Training Institute, NMC, CNMI administrative offices and local private safety companies.

Plenary session panel discussions are scheduled in the morning on topics that include Saipan Water Quality, Improving Public Safety Conditions for Your Employees, Staff Housing, Fire Safety, and Life Safety and Inspection Techniques.

Other conference topics include:
• Training in Weapons of Mass Destruction, for CNMI Public Safety officials only, by D. Shiraishi of OSHA Region IX;
• Bloodborne Pathogens and SARS by the OSHA Institute;
• Ergonomics by OTI;
• Violence Affecting Workers; Pedestrian Safety;
• Street Robberies and Neighborhood Watches;
• Recordkeeping;
• First Aid and CPR training in English and Mandarin; and
• Numerous other breakout sessions exclusively for the hotel, garment and construction industries.

The Northern Marianas Alliance for Safety and Health (NMASH) is a non-profit charter comprised of the Northern Marianas College, the CNMI Administration’s Department of Public Safety, Department of Labor and Immigration, Department of Public Works, Division of Environmental Quality, U.S. DOL Region IX OSHA Office, the OSHA Training Institute in San Diego, California, the Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association, the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Saipan Chamber of Commerce and the Saipan Contractors Association.