The United Steelworkers has donated $50,000 towards the newly established research chair position at Laurentian University’s Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health (CROSH) in Sudbury.
“Occupational health and safety is critical for the well-being of all workers and the overall economic health and productivity of our communities,” Leo W. Gerard, president of USW International, said in a news release. “The United Steelworkers is extremely pleased to be able to make this donation to help fund a research chair in occupational health and safety at Laurentian University.”
CROSH’s new research chair will lead research relevant to a broad range of workplaces. He or she will work to make the centre a national and international leader in occupational health and safety research, development, education, training, and global best practices, while being supported by a team of researchers, graduate students, and other personnel.
“We are thrilled to have the support of the United Steelworkers as we begin our search for a research chair in occupational safety and health,” said CROSH’s associate director, Dr. Michel Larivière.
For more than a decade, Laurentian University has been building on its expertise in the area of occupational health and safety, beginning with mining and expanding to other workplace sectors.
Officially approved by Laurentian University’s Senate in 2008, CROSH is a multidisciplinary group of researchers, guided by an advisory board comprised of representatives from labour, industry and local health and safety organizations. CROSH leads and engages in innovative studies aimed at identifying health and safety concerns and eliminating hazards, occupational injury and disease from workplaces around the North.
Laurentian recently announced CROSH director Dr. Tammy Eger as the recipient of the university’s 2012-2013 Research Excellence Award.