HAMILTON, ON (May 22, 2012) – The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) is please to announced that Dr. P.K. Abeytunga will receive the 2012 APEX Award of Excellence in honour of his leadership and exemplary work in the occupational health and safety industry. Dr. Abeytunga will be presented the award by the Association of Professionals Executives of the Public Service of Canada (APEX) on May 28, 2012.
“Dr. Abeytunga’s vision made CCOHS into a globally recognized, credible leader in workplace health and safety. Through wise counsel and support, he has mentored numerous individuals, including myself, to help continuously improve the well-being of others,” says Steve Horvath, President and CEO at the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). “I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award than Dr. Abeytunga,”
Since 1980, Dr. Abeytunga has served the federal government as Vice-President and Director General at CCOHS, Canada’s national centre for workplace health and safety.
Dr. Abeytunga is responsible for major international projects, co-operative arrangements with leading institutions involved in health and safety around the world, and representing CCOHS at major forums internationally. He has been a member of the CCOHS staff since its inception and has directed the programs and services of CCOHS related to occupational health and safety information, training and management systems, publications and the Centre’s free online information service OSH Answers.
Dr. Abeytunga is an experienced strategic planner and senior executive with skills in the conceptualization, development and effective implementation of many occupational health and safety programs and projects of international repute - especially in the areas of information and training. He has contributed to many international and national occupational health and safety projects in North America, Europe and developing countries, which addressed information, training, and specific problems and issues in workplace health and safety. His guidance and expertise has been utilized by UN programs and other agencies for global and regional projects worldwide. He has frequently been a speaker at regional and global conferences on the subject of information required for effective decision-making in the occupational health and safety field.
Dr. Abeytunga obtained his doctorate in occupational health and safety from the University of Aston, Department of Safety and Hygiene, Birmingham, U.K.
“His career has been defined by dedication to public service, pride in CCOHS as a federal agency, and he has taken a leadership role in establishing the organization as a nationally and internationally recognized centre of excellence in occupational health and safety. He has personally led global initiatives that increased Canada’s profile and established our country as the role model for excellence in occupational health and safety,” says Horvath.
The winners of the Awards of Excellence Program will be honoured in May by the Association of Professionals Executives of the Public Service of Canada (APEX).
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For Further Information, Contact:
Eleanor Westwood, Manager - Communications
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
(905) 572-2981, Ext. 4408 E-mail: eleanor.westwood@ccohs.ca
www.ccohs.ca/
Jennifer Miconi-Howse, Communications Officer
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
(905) 572-2981, Ext. 4241 E-mail: jennifer.miconi-howse@ccohs.ca
www.ccohs.ca/
About CCOHS
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), a Canadian federal government agency based in Hamilton, Ontario is Canada's national resource for the advancement of workplace health and safety. CCOHS promotes the total well-being - physical, psychosocial and mental health - of working Canadians by providing information, training, education, management systems and solutions that support health and safety programs and the prevention of injury and illness. CCOHS partners and collaborates with agencies and organizations from Canada and around the world to improve the quality and quantity of resources and programs, as well as expand the breadth of usage of occupational health information to many different segments of society.
