March 17, 2005 Press Release

SGMA’s Pierce Invites OSHA’s Snare to NMASH Conference

In Washington, D.C., lobbying to amend the Commonwealth’s trade privilege formula, SGMA executive director, Richard A. Pierce called on Jonathan L. Snare, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor-OSHA.

Pierce, as Chairman of the Northern Marianas Alliance for Safety and Health (NMASH), invited Assistant Labor Secretary Snare to attend and deliver Opening Ceremony remarks at NMASH’s Governor’s 3rd Annual Health and Safety Conference, scheduled for August 15-19, 2005.

“Assistant Secretary Snare seemed pleasantly interested in visiting Saipan to witness what our Alliance has achieved in its 3 years. He asked us to deliver an official invitation for his consideration and scheduling,” said Pierce.

Pierce discussed the success Saipan employers and their employees have achieved with the founding Excellence 2000 Partnership with OSHA-Region IX, its successor, NMASH, and the new Green Garments Partnership between SGMA and the CNMI’s Division of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

This year’s NMASH Conference will include other Pacific Island entities, as invitees, and the EPA, as a conference sponsor. Health and safety, and environmental topics, will dominate the 5-day conference’s training sessions.

Last year’s conference drew over 250 participants, and with the inclusion of EPA and the Governor’s invitation to Palau, the Marshall Islands, American Samoa, the FSM Members, Guam and Hawaii, over 500 attendees are anticipated this year.

NMASH is comprised of the Northern Marianas College, the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands (HANMI), the Saipan Contractors Association, the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, SGMA, the CNMI Dept. of Public Safety, CNMI’s Division of Environmental Quality, CNMI’s Dept. of Public Works, CNMI’s Department of Labor, OSHA-Region IX and the OSHA Education Center in San Diego.