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Learn Tips, Test Wellness at Safety Fair

Annual event focuses on maintaining safe workplaces

Visitors to the 2012 Safety Fair browsed vendor tables during the annual event that focuses on workplace safety. This year's fair takes place June 20. Photo courtesy of Mike Snyder.
Visitors to the 2012 Safety Fair browsed vendor tables during the annual event that focuses on workplace safety. This year's fair takes place June 20. Photo courtesy of Mike Snyder.

With National Safety Awareness Month in June, Duke faculty and staff have an easy way to get into the swing of things June 20.

Duke's Facilities Management Department and the Occupational and Environmental Safety Office will host its seventh annual Safety Fair from 8 a.m. to noon in the Presidential Ballroom at the Washington Duke Inn. The event will feature 32 vendors showcasing products and information on how to create and maintain a safer work environment.

The event is open to all Duke employees and will also feature demonstrations by groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, American Red Cross, Duke University Police Department and LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke's employee wellness program.

"The National Safety Council's theme for National Safety Awareness Month is `Safety Starts with Me,' and we want to remind people that safety is something that starts at every level," said Mike Snyder, safety manager for Facilities Management. "We're all responsible for personal safety and helping to create an ideal safety culture at Duke."

To help bring that idea to the forefront, vendors like Grainger Industrial Supply, Dillon Supply Company and Fastenal Tools will offer demonstrations and information on products such as safety gear and cleaning and construction materials. Other groups, like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Eye Care Associates and American Red Cross will provide safety tips. As June also marks the beginning of hurricane season, Duke employees will be encouraged to review emergency preparedness information on the DukeALERT website.

At the LIVE FOR LIFE table, staff will conduct several health-measurements, including blood pressure checks and measurements of body fat and flexibility. Safety Fair visitors can also learn about LIVE FOR LIFE programs like free fitness consultations.

"Part of our goal is to bring health and wellness directly to Duke employees, so this is a good opportunity to showcase what we do and how faculty and staff can be safer through better health," said Liz Grabosky, fitness manager with LIVE FOR LIFE. "When your mind and body are in good health, you have a smaller risk for accidents."

Snyder noted that attendees of the fair will receive a free tote bag to carry vendor giveaways, which can act as a tangible reminder of safety.

"It's about getting it engrained in our mind that safety really is job number one," Snyder said.

For more information about the fair, contact Mike Snyder at (919) 660-4231.