INUVIK - Growing up, Quentin Bodnar-McLeod, 17, would often see his father come home from work with the odd cut or bruise.

He said his dad, Bobby, a mechanic, just chalked the injuries up to being part of the job, even though many of those injuries were sustained working in unsafe conditions.

On April 1, 13 students completed the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) safety course titled Go Safe: Work Smart, which is aimed at youths entering the workforce. Back row, from left, Rick Bourgeois (shop teacher), Ryan Cardinal, Natasha Staples, Patrick McLaughlin (WSCC senior safety officer), Roman Mahnic (SHSS principal). Front row, Quentin Bodnar-McLeod, Jordy Kennedy, Edwin Joe, Jacob Peffer and Chelsea Lennie-Blake. Missing from photo: Edward Elanik, Douglas Sittichinli, Bradford Keevik, Brandy Kowana, Dean Nokadlak and Alex Savoie-Esagok. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

"A lot of times he came home with a cut or a burn and wouldn't tell anyone about it," he said. "It was just like part of the job. He was never seriously hurt."

The Grade 12 aspiring welder is hoping the workers' safety course he completed on April 1, along with 12 other Samuel Hearne Secondary School students, will help him stay safe throughout his career.

"A lot of what we learned seemed obvious," he said. "But what it taught me is you just have to think about the situation you're in and think about what could happen if you're not careful."

The course entitled Go Safe: Work Smart was put together by Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) three years ago and is aimed at young workers up to 25 years of age. According to WSCC, on average, 455 workers in this age bracket are hurt seriously enough that they are forced to take time off work every year in the NWT. Those injuries range from serious head injuries to bumps and bruises.

The course is designed to be incorporated into high school curriculum or at the workplace, where employees learn the material on their own or through an instructor.

Over the 50 hours of class time, students were taught in each of the course's 13 modules. These included Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) training; sections dealing with chemical, biological, physical and ergonomic hazards; and proper use of equipment, tools and electricity. There's even a module that deals with safety on the land, focusing on ice, chainsaw and cooking safety, among others.

Patrick McLaughlin is the region's WSCC senior safety officer and enforces the Occupational Health and Safety Act. He helped monitor the course and attended the certificate ceremony at the school, where he congratulated the students.

He said the program focuses on three basic rights to which all workers are entitled: the right to refuse a dangerous task; the right to know what you're using and working with; and the right to get safety education and training.

"The majority of young people going into the work force are never trained," he said. "They just go in and assume their duties. They try their hardest but they haven't been trained about the hazards associated with the work they're doing."

Rick Bourgeois, the school's shop teacher, taught the course to students, who ranged in age from 15 to 18-years-old. Four students didn't complete the course.

Bourgeois said at the beginning of the school year he noticed his shop students weren't taking safety seriously. While he contemplated how to get through to them, he found out about the WSCC program through a colleague. He figured it would be a great tool to help students learn and appreciate the importance of workplace safety.

"They worked together; they co-operated," he said. "We completed it. I'm very proud of them."

He said the program will continue to be offered at the school.

Seven of the graduates have even signed up for the Territorial Skills Competition in Yellowknife on April 20. There they'll put their knowledge to the test, competing in the workers' safety event.

That's great news for McLaughlin, who sees his fair share of workplace safety hazards in Inuvik, especially with the current construction boom.

But, he adds, the situation is improving.