Awareness key to prevention
Phill Duffy
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (May 07/01) - A proactive, hands-on approach to on-the-job injuries is much more practical than the red-tape method of filing a report.
Gordon Beckett is the chief industrial safety officer for the Workers' Compensation Board of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
"Some of the major things we look for when dealing with company health and safety programs are how they are organized, what kind of committees they have, and what are their training procedures," said Beckett.
"We train these organizations to perform their own inspections. We teach them to get into a preventative mode when it comes to occupational health and safety.
We do this by using injury statistics to tell us where the focus is needed, and we investigate the root causes."
One of the most common occupational injuries seen in Northern communities are back injuries. Whether it is a sudden accident, or a repetitive strain injury, the fact that air delivery is so prevalent in the North means that cargo handlers should watch their backs.
Falls are also one of the most frequent causes of injury in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, especially in the construction industry.
The WCB is always examining new ways to prevent occupational hazards in their campaign to reduce serious workplace accidents.
"A policy we've adopted at the WCB is a zero tolerance policy for the lack of fall-protection. This means that if someone is found to be working at a height of 10 feet or more without the proper safety harness, equipment such as scaffolding, or gear, the work site will be shut down immediately," said Beckett.
"The company could face a fine of up to $500,000, and the business could even be completely shut down. The employee guilty of the violation could face a fine of up to $50,000."
The National Occupational Safety and Health Week is May 6-12.
"The goal of the safety and health week will be to focus the attention of employers, employees, and the general public on occupational health and safety," said Dale Thomson, the manager of health and safety for the NWT Department of Transportation.
The department is one of the many sponsors involved in ensuring the national safety and health week will be a success.
"We will be stressing the importance of preventing occupational accidents and illnesses through education and awareness," added Thomson.
As with most things in life that are to be avoided, prevention is of paramount importance.
Whether it's making sure you are wearing the proper Canadian Standard Association approved gear, or maintaining a clean work area, a safe worker is a healthy worker.
If you have any questions concerning occupational health and safety, you can contact the WCB Prevention Services at the following numbers.
Nunavut residents: 1-877-404-4407.
NWT residents: 1-800-661-0792.
