Out of hundreds of entries from children aged 5-14 from around the world, children from Indiana, New York, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin took the first place honors in their age group for the 7th annual American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) kids’ “safety-on-the-job” poster contest, ASSE announced in a press release.

The contest, open to ASSE members’ children or organizations and schools they sponsor, asks children to best illustrate what job safety means to them, their families and friends. Almost 1,000 poster entries were received this year from around the U.S., Columbia, Costa Rica, Kuwait and Dubai.

In addition to receiving savings bonds, the children’s winning posters in each of the five age groups will be featured on the North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week poster sent to thousands of businesses worldwide. The contestants are also honored in a Washington, D.C., awards ceremony Monday, May 4, 2009, at the U.S. Capitol and at the U.S. Department of Labor NAOSH Week kick-off. NAOSH Week runs May 3-9, 2009.

First place winners are: 5-6 age group – Caylin Marie Wigger, 6, of Chadler, IN; 7-8 age group – Abigail Christine Helser, 8, of Portage, WI; 9-10 age group – Taylor Visker, 9, Moses Lake, WA; 11-12 age group – Hayley Lemens, 12, Pendleton, OR; and, 13-14 age group – Amanda Carr, 13, Greenwich, NY.

To view the list of second, third and fourth place winners, visithttp://www.asse.org/newsroom/release.php?pressRelease=1184.

This year’s theme for NAOSH Week is “Safety Means Always Coming Home”. A theme that reverberated throughout the thousands of posters received from children over the past six years of the contest. NAOSH Week is a tool ASSE members, along with OSHA, the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) and more than 60 corporations and trade association partners (http://www.asse.org/naosh09for the full list) use to help raise awareness of the importance of occupational safety and health in everyone's lives.

First place winners receive a $1,000 savings bond. Second place winner receive a $500 savings bond and the third and fourth place winners receive a $200 savings bond. All poster contest entrants receive a prize and are invited, along with their families and all ASSE members, to attend the ASSE poster contest afternoon awards ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Monday, May 4. This is preceded by the NAOSH kick-off and poster recognition event at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to be hosted by OSHA and to feature a panel discussion with safety and health experts on cutting edge best practices. OSHA will also be host to a NAOSH program on occupational safety and health the afternoon of May 4 at the DOL in D.C.

A special recognition brunch will be held and sponsored by ASSE members from Region III (Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma) for the poster contest winners, all entrants and their families Sunday, May 3, at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

For more information on the events and how you can participate in NAOSH Week please go towww.asse.org/naosh09. To order a free NAOSH 09 poster please contactcustomerservice@asse.orgor call 847-699-2929.