Press Release

May 1, 2009

Mississauga, Ontario – May 1, 2009 – Helder Botelho of AOC Resins & Coatings has been appointed Chair of the IAPA Board of Directors for 2009-2010. Botelho assumed the position from Lance Novak of the Canadian Standards Association at IAPA’s Health & Safety Canada 2009 held on April 20-22, 2009 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  

“I am deeply honoured to become chair of the IAPA Board of Directors. Throughout my career, the focus has always been on the health and safety of our employees and community. This is our moral responsibility as no amount of profit is worth more than employees coming home safe at the end of the day,” says Botelho. “Throughout its 92-year existence, IAPA has consistently made a difference and will continue to make a difference in the years to come as we continue on our journey to eliminate workplace injuries and illness.”   

“Looking back on the year, there certainly has been a lot for everyone at IAPA to celebrate and be proud of. This includes the efforts of all IAPA staff and its volunteers,” says Novak. “The people who make up the Board of Directors are all volunteers with a commitment to health and safety. Each and every one of them have shared their expertise and passion for health and safety over the past year. I want to congratulate Helder Botelho as he is suited to hit the ground running as the new Chair.”

“Congratulations to Helder on being appointed IAPA’s new Chair of the Board of Directors. His leadership skills, knowledge, and dedication to health and safety will be a great inspiration for IAPA as we move forward,” says Maureen Shaw, IAPA President and CEO.  “A heartfelt thanks goes out to Lance for his enthusiasm, hard work, and commitment to IAPA over the past year.”

Helder Botelho is Plant Manager of AOC Resins & Coatings’ Guelph facility. He has over 15 years of resin and composite manufacturing experience. Botelho has been a member of the IAPA Board of Directors since November 2006. 

Lance Novak, is Vice President, Sales for Canadian Standards Association. The Canadian Standards Association is a not-for-profit membership-based association serving business, industry, government and consumers in Canada and the global marketplace. Novak has served on the IAPA Board of Directors since 2004 and will remain on the Board as Past Chair for a one-year term.

IAPA Board members joining Maureen Shaw, Helder Botelho, and Lance Novak for the 2009-2010 term are:

Ian Howcroft, CME-Ontario Division (Vice-Chair)
Robert Coffey, Head Coach
Shawn Finlay, John Deere Canada
Cheryl Gasparet, ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc.
Steve Griffiths, Imperial Oil
Ron Harber, Oakrun Farm Bakery
Dr. Roland Hosein, GE Canada Inc.
Tom Howe, The Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company of Canada
David Johnston, Archer Daniels Midland Company
Jeffrey Mitchell, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Stephen Roper, Magna International
Rob Hinrichs, Workplace Safety & Insurance Board
Wayne Weatherbee, Workplace Safety & Insurance Board

IAPA (Industrial Accident Prevention Association) 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 2010 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. Universities and colleges are also invited to submit work in the Student Media print and radio categories. Only work published or aired between January 1 and December, 31, 2009 will be eligible. For award consideration, all materials must be submitted to IAPA by Tuesday, February 9, 2010.

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
Email: lwan@iapa.ca