Mississauga, Ontario – November 11, 2008 – IAPA (Industrial Accident Prevention Association) proudly presented Bobrick Washroom Equipment of Scarborough, Ontario with a Level I Health & Safety Achievement Award this morning. Bobrick Washroom Equipment produces and sells washroom equipment and accessories.  

In reaching this milestone, Bobrick Washroom Equipment has demonstrated that it is committed towards reaching health and safety excellence. Since 2002, the Scarborough facility has posted a lost-time injury frequency well below the average of other firms in its Workplace Safety and Insurance Board rate group. In 2007 alone, the firm’s lost-time injury frequency was 100% better than that of its rate group.  The firm credits its success to its Near Miss Reporting system which has allowed it to become more proactive in preventing safety hazards. Communication has also proven to be key to Bobrick’s success as regular safety inspections are held to ensure everyone contributes to a safe and healthy work environment.

"Bobrick Washroom Equipment has taken a very important step in the creation of a strong health and safety culture," says Craig Fairclough, Principal Consultant, IAPA. "To be on the path of health and safety excellence, firms must be willing to go beyond compliance and establish a comprehensive health and safety management system where everyone is accountable. Bobrick has achieved this and reaching this milestone is a reflection of their ongoing commitment. ”

“It is an honour to receive outside recognition for the great things that everyone here does with regards to safety,” says Marlon Inniss, General Manager, Bobrick Washroom Equipment. “Every member of the team performs their daily functions with safety as their number one priority. This has allowed us to have a successful safety program as everyone looks out for both themselves and their fellow team members.  We strongly encourage everyone to take our
at-work safety practices home to benefit their family lives. Then, we can truly achieve our safety slogan, "S.A.F.E.T.Y. (Staying Accident Free Everyday This Year)", both personally and professionally.”

Bobrick Washroom Equipment received the Level I Achievement Award after IAPA conducted an on-site verification on October 10, 2008 to ensure that the firm’s health and safety management program met the award criteria. The company also completed the self-assessment report and met IAPA award requirements, which included prevention methods, legislative compliance, management practices, and lost-time injury frequencies.

IAPA’s three-level health and safety awards program was launched in 2002. The program is designed to celebrate an organization’s journey towards achieving workplace health and safety excellence. Since the inception of the program, 45 companies have received the Level I Health and Safety Achievement Award.

Bobrick Washroom Equipment Company is the leading washroom equipment manufacturer in Canada and produces both washroom accessories and toilet partitions for a variety of building types such as office, education, hospitality, heath care, transportation, and recreation.  Bobrick is also the leading manufacturer of plastic laminate, solid phenolic, and solid color reinforced composite toilet partitions.  Among the company’s strategic initiatives is to achieve the largest market share in toilet partitions in North America.

IAPA is a not-for-profit, member-driven organization operating in Ontario since 1917. Representing approximately 50,000 member firms and more than 1.5 million Ontario workers, IAPA is Canada’s leader in workplace health, safety, and employee well-being. IAPA is focused on providing industry-leading training, consulting, educational products, and informational services that meet our members’ needs and the needs of those in their communities. IAPA is also recognized as a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre in Occupational Health and an International Labour Organization – CIS Collaborating Centre. IAPA  is ISO 9001 certified, has been awarded the National Quality Institute’s Progressive Excellence Program Level 4 for Quality Certificate and the Canada Awards for Excellence Gold Trophy Awards for Quality and Healthy Workplace.

ATTENTION MEDIA:   IAPA is now accepting applications for the 2009 IAPA Russ Ramsay Media Awards for Excellence in Health and Safety Reporting. All Ontario trade and consumer media – print (newspapers or magazines), radio, and television – distributed and broadcast in Ontario are invited to submit pieces of work focusing on workplace health and safety. Only work published or aired between January 1 and December, 31, 2008 will be eligible. For award consideration, all materials must be submitted to IAPA by Tuesday, February 3, 2009.

For more information on IAPA’s programs, products, services, and awards programs, visit IAPA’s website at www.iapa.ca.

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For more information, contact:
Lena Wan
Communications & PR Specialist, IAPA
Tel: 905-614-4272 ext. 2247
E-mail: lwan@iapa.ca

IAPA presented Bobrick Washroom Equipment with a Level I Health and Safety Achievement Award on November 11, 2008. Seen here are (l-r) Craig Fairclough, Principal Consultant, IAPA, Faye Lent, Safety & Mfg Supervisor, Bobrick Washroom Equipment, and Marlon Inniss, General Manager, Bobrick Washroom Equipment.