[ Video: http://www.cos-mag.com/video/corporate-videos/4196-air-canada.html ]

MONTREAL, Nov. 3, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada has been named the gold winner of the 2014 Canada's Safest Employers Awards in the transportation category. The Awards, announced in the November issue of Canadian Occupational Safety magazine, recognize companies from all across Canada for outstanding accomplishments in promoting the health and safety of their workers.

"This award recognition speaks volumes about the countless efforts by Air Canada employees and is a considerable achievement," said Samuel Elfassy, Air Canada's Senior Director Corporate Safety. "The airline industry presents a complex operating environment, one in which occupational health and safety management plays a key role in maintaining a safe workplace."

"Sharing of information is critical to safety. We use the latest technologies to gather data in new ways, to create a culture where employees are comfortable and confident in speaking up. This prestigious award is a prime achievement and speaks to Air Canada's safety culture which upholds our keystone value: Safety first and last – 100% – All the time," continued Mr. Elfassy.

"Keeping 27,000 employees healthy and safe on the job is no easy feat. Air Canada's commitment to all its workers in this regard is why it is deserving of a gold Canada's Safest Employers Award," noted Amanda Silliker, Editor, Canadian Occupational Safety magazine. "Its various initiatives such as tackling back injuries and monitoring radiation make it stand out as a leader in occupational health and safety."

About the Awards

Launched in 2011, Canada's Safest Employers Awards recognize companies from all across Canada with outstanding accomplishments in promoting the health and safety of their workers. The award comprises 10 industry-specific categories, ranging from hospitality to mining and natural resources. Companies are judged on a wide range of occupational health and safety elements, including employee training, OHS management systems, incident investigation, emergency preparedness and innovative health and safety initiatives. Twenty-seven winners were recognized at a gala event in Toronto on October 28, 2014. The 2015 nomination process will be launched mid-January 2015.

About Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine

Canadian Occupational Safety magazine is the premier publication on occupational health and safety in Canada. In each issue of COS, readers get a whole new mix of practical, lively, and editorially sound articles to help them in their work as health and safety professionals. The magazine covers a wide range of topics, from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 182 destinations on five continents.  Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2013 served more than 35 million customers.  Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 60 Canadian cities, 49 destinations in the United States and 73 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,316 airports in 192 countries.  Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax that ranked Air Canada in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers as Best Airline in North America in 2014 for the fifth consecutive year.  For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com.

SOURCE Air Canada

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