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OSHA Region IX-Northern Marianas Alliance Organizes Governor’s First Annual Conference on Safety and Health
The U. S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Northern Marianas Alliance for Safety and Health (NMASH) organized the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’ (CNMI) Governor’s First Annual Conference on Safety and Health. The conference was held August 19-22, at the Dai-Ichi Hotel in Saipan.

The NMASH agreement was signed October 10, 2002 with eleven organizations including the Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association, Chamber of Commerce, College of the Northern Marianas, and representatives of the CNMI government, and OSHA. The focus of the Alliance is to promote safety and health in the workplace in CNMI through training and education.

Governor Juan N. Babauta signed a proclamation declaring August 18-23, 2003 as the CNMI’s Health and Safety Week. During his opening remarks at the conference, Gov. Babauta said, "We began this effort about a year ago because it is the right thing to do; but also, we realize that many of our workers have limited knowledge and we need to teach them about a healthy working environment. The conference covers a wide range of topics with the goal of passing on the knowledge to the community."

In addition, OSHA’s Region IX Administrator, Frank Strasheim, presented CNMI Labor Secretary, Joaquin Tenorio, with a federal grant award for the 21(d) Consultation Program. This program provides small businesses with free occupational safety consultation services.

Over 250 participants attended the conference which included workers from local government and private sector, safety and health representatives from the Saipan Garment Manufacturers’ Association, the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Saipan Contractors’ Association. The sessions covered a wide range of topics such as: water quality, bloodborne pathogens, severe acute respiratory syndrome, hazardous materials, construction safety, garment factory compliance, recordkeeping, and homeland security. In addition, First Aid/CPR classes were offered in the Mandarin language. Outdoor laboratories were also set up for trenching and excavation and scaffolding safety demonstrations.

(Note: NMASH participants are: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Region IX, OSHA Region IX Education Center, University of California San Diego, Northern Marianas College (NMC), CNMI’s Office of the Governor, Division of the Environmental Quality, Department of Labor, Immigration, and Employment Services, Department of Public Safety (DPS), divisions of Police and Fire, Saipan Garment Manufacturers’ Association (SGMA), Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands (HANMI), Saipan Contractors’ Association, and Saipan Chamber of Commerce.)

Page last updated: 02/25/2010