News from Civil Service Employees Association

For more information contact: Stephen A. Madarasz - 518 257-1270 (o), 518 598-4705 (c)

Hundreds of Union Activists to Attend CSEA Safety and Health Conference in Lake Placid this Weekend

ALBANY, NY (04/24/2008; 1449)(readMedia)-- More than 800 CSEA safety and health activists will be spending the weekend learning ways to ensure their workplaces are safe from on-the-job hazards at the union's statewide Safety and Health Conference in Lake Placid April 25 to 27.

CSEA played a leading role in the recent enactment of the landmark Worksite Security Act, which requires public employers with more than 20 employees to assess potential risks and take appropriate measures to reduce them.

Interactive workshops on a multitude of topics ranging from working in temperature extremes and confined space entry to emergency response and safe flagging procedures will provide workers with techniques and tactics to address workplace hazards.

A complete list of program workshops is available at the union's website: www.csealocal1000.org.

CSEA has been considered a leader in the fight for workers' safety and health since leading the charge to enact New York's Public Employee Safety and Health Act in 1980.

CSEA President Danny Donohue noted the union will be "greener" at this workshop "as we lead the way for a healthier environment.

"There will be less printed materials and more opportunity to download presentations and other resources from our website both before and after the conference," he explained.

This year's conference occurs just before Workers' Memorial Day, which CSEA and the AFL-CIO unions observe on April 28 - the day the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) took effect in 1971. Workers in nearly 100 countries observe Workers Memorial Day as an international day of commemoration for workers who die or are injured on the job.

Conference attendees will hold a Workers' Memorial Day torch lighting ceremony on Friday, April 25, at 4:30 p.m. in front of the Olympic Center on Main Street to commemorate nine CSEA-represented workers who have died on the job since the previous conference.

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