Ab SchHealth and safety took centre stage last week under the theme, Play It Safe.
The University of Alberta’s Department of Environment, Health and Safety hosted Safety Week from Sept. 21 to 25, a series of events that aimed to showcase the variety of safety-related groups on and off campus. It included an Edmonton Police Services’canine demonstration and an automated external defibrillator (AED) presentation from the Faculty of Medicine.
Lorelei Betke, Communications Coordinator for the Department of Environment, Health and Safety, said the intent of Safety Week is to increase awareness of resources on campus that focus on physical, psychological and emotional safety.
“What we’ve found … is that people see the acronyms (of safety-related organizations) and they don’t necessarily know what it stands for,” Betke said.
“They’ve never heard of us, they don’t see us routinely because many of us … don’t often get out into the community, so this is a really great way to interact with the rest of campus.”
Betke’s secondary goal for the week was to frame safety positively so students and staff will perceive campus safety departments and organizations as helpful resources, rather than a list of numbers for emergencies. This ambition is highlighted in Safety Week 2015’s theme, Play It Safe.
“People tend to perceive safety not always in a positive light, so it’s nice to turn it on its head and make it something that’s accessible,” she said.
“I’ve been with EHS for about 10 years or so, and because I’ve been here for so long, it’s important for me that the university remains a safe place to study.”
