In its continuing efforts to educate youth on what it means to be safe at work and what occupational safety and health professionals do every day to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) launched its 8th annual kids’ “Safety-on-the-Job” poster contest. The contest is open not only to ASSE members’ children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, but also to children and schools sponsored by ASSE members. The contest runs from Sept. 19 through Feb. 14, 2010, and is open to children aged 5 to 14 with top prizes to be awarded to those in each of the five age groups that best illustrate being safe on the job.

Additionally, the savings bond awards will be presented in ceremonies in Washington, D.C., during the 2010 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week kick-off events at the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Capitol and the Smithsonian.

ASSE members and chapters also can sponsor schools, community organizations or children from their workplace in the contest, which is aimed at educating children on the importance of safety and health at work and better acquainting them with the job their parents, friends, relatives, etc. do as occupational safety, health and environmental practitioners.

Children in five age groups — ages 5 to 6; ages 7 to 8; ages 9 to 10; ages 11 to 12; and ages 13 to 14, are invited to create and submit posters no larger than 11 by 14 that best illustrate being safe at work. The first place winner in each age group receives a $1,000 savings bond, the second place winner receives a $500 savings bond and the third and fourth place winners receive a $200 savings bond. All poster contest entrants receive recognition and are invited, along with their families, all ASSE members, partners, and federal officials to attend the ASSE poster contest awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., May 3, as well as a welcome brunch, May 2, at the U.S. National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

The poster contest winners will be announced the first week of March. The winning poster in each age group is featured on the ASSE NAOSH Week 2010 poster distributed worldwide. NAOSH Week runs from May 2 to 8, 2010, and is a tool ASSE uses to promote the importance of occupational safety, health and the environment in everyone’s lives. In addition, the posters are displayed in Washington, D.C. during NAOSH Week at the DOL, the U.S. Capitol and at ASSE’s annual Professional Development Conference and Exposition in Baltimore in June 2010.

For more information, visit www.asse.org/newsroom.

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