WHSCC to host first Progressive Agriculture Safety Day in Atlantic Canada
Since young workers are at highest risk for workplace injuries, educating New Brunswick’s youth has always been a priority for the WHSCC.
“From 1998-2005, 11 young New Brunswickers died on the job – that’s simply unacceptable,” said Lise Malenfant, assistant regional director for the WHSCC’s northwest region. “To reduce not only fatalities but all workplace injuries to zero, it’s critical that we instill a strong health and safety ethic early on – one we hope our youth will maintain throughout their working lives,” Malenfant said.
Because potato harvesting is a high-risk activity and employs many young workers, the WHSCC has worked closely with the sector to develop and deliver customized safety awareness sessions to approximately 1,000 students in the northwest region in the last three years. To enhance this safety education, this year the WHSCC and Potatoes New Brunswick are co-sponsoring three separate Progressive Agriculture Safety Days.
“We’re very excited to host this event for our youth. It’s the first time ever this highly successful program has been presented east of Ontario, and we’re proud to be involved,” said Angela Acott-Smith, WHSCC education consultant and safety day co-ordinator. “These safety days are designed to provide fun, age-appropriate, and hands-on training to children to keep them safe not only on the farm, but at school, at home, on the road and near the water,” she said.
Children are divided into small groups supervised by an adult or older teen leader, who help them rotate through various stations where topics such as railroad safety, firearm safety, ATV safety, fire safety, animal safety, sun and water safety, and tractor and equipment safety, are taught. The full-day events are being planned for area schools and will be delivered on-site at a local farm.
“The presentations and demonstrations are dynamic and encourage participation. And when children have an active role in the learning process, they are more likely to retain the information,” Acott-Smith said.
The first Progressive Agriculture Safety Days will be held June 1, at École Grande Rivière in St-Léonard, with two more safety days planned for the fall, in the Florenceville area.
For more information on the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day program, visit: www.progressiveag.org.
Disability Awareness Week May 27-June 2
2007 marks the 20th annual Disability Awareness Week (DAW) in New Brunswick. This year’s theme is “Disability Awareness – Education for All.” A variety of exciting activities and community projects related to the theme will be held across the province. Regular updates on DAW events will be posted on the Premier’s Council on the Status of Disabled Persons’ website, at:www.gnb.ca/0048. At the website you can learn about inclusive education and enter the Inclusive Education Quiz Contest for your chance to win some great prizes, including a $750 Wal-Mart gift certificate.
What is inclusive education? Inclusive education is about how we develop and design our schools, universities, colleges, classrooms, programs, activities, etc., so that all students learn and participate together. It is based on the belief that all students have value and usually can best learn in regular classrooms, among students their own age. Inclusion also means that our schools help develop positive relationships and mutual respect between all participants.
6th Annual Open House at WRC
In recognition of Disability Awareness Week, on June 1 the WHSCC will host its 6th annual Open House at the Workers’ Rehabilitation Centre in Grand Bay-Westfield. This event provides all invited employers and physicians with an overview of the services provided by the WRC for injured workers, including a tour of the facility. Visitors are also invited to attend optional information sessions. The following sessions are offered for employers: From Report of Accident to Case Management–What to Expect from the WHSCC; Facilitating a Successful Return to Work–A Guide for Employers; Demystifying the Work Capacity Evaluation; and The Stalled Return to Work (SRTW) Assessment. Sessions offered for physicians are: Imaging Options for the Painful Shoulder; Personality and Complicated Recovery–A Way Through; and Nerve Condiditon Studies (NCS) and Electromyography (EMG) in Clinical Practice.
Registration is free to New Brunswick physicians and employers. However, spots are limited so register today by calling Chad Humphries at 632-2804 (in Saint John) or toll free at 1 800 222-9775, ext. 2804.
In the Courts Atcon Construction pleaded guilty to one charge under section 9(1)(c) of the OHS Act for failing to ensure that employees wore seatbelts. They were fined $5,000, plus a victim surcharge of $1,000. The charges resulted from an incident that occurred August 11, 2006, where a worker lost control of a backhoe and it rolled down an embankment. The operator was thrown from the backhoe and received minor injuries.
Killam Investments Inc., was fined $2,000 for its part in a 2005 accident in which a worker fell from a roof and suffered broken bones. Barry Kincade Roofing Ltd., the company hired by Killam, was fined $4,800. Under New Brunswick’s OHS Act, both the employer and the hiring company are responsible for worker safety.
The 22-year-old worker had only been on the job for five weeks when he was left unsupervised at the job site on a three-storey apartment building. Unfamiliar with the safety harnesses, the worker hooked himself up incorrectly. The harness did not stop his fall when he fell from the roof.
Highway 11 Truck And Trailer Ltd. pleaded guilty under section 9(2)(c) of the OHS Act for failing to provide such information, instruction, training and supervision as was necessary to ensure an employee's health and safety. The employer was fined $3000, and a victim surcharge of $600. The charge was the result of an accident in December 2005, to a mechanic, who, while working under the truck, was pinned betweenthe two rear wheels when the driver started the truck and began pulling away.
Ask us! Q: If an employee has an accident and is out for six weeks, will our premiums increase? We have not had any previous claims through WHSCC.
John Smith* Saint John, NB
*Names have been changed for privacy purposes.
A: There are too many variables to answer such a question with a yes or no, let alone by how much. It depends on the size of your payroll in relation to the cost of the claim (or claims), how your firm compares to the industry (claim cost/payroll ratio). One constant is t he safer you are, the less you pay... that's the whole idea behind the WHSCC's Experience Rating System (ERS).
Experience rating is designed to improve employer awareness of the importance of workplace safety and to achieve greater equity through rewards and penalties based on the employer's own accident cost experience.
The ERS is designed to benefit both employers and workers. It benefits employers by giving them some control over their insurance costs, and a financial edge over the competition. It benefits workers by encouraging employers to provide them with safe and healthy workplaces.
The system is fair and equitable; the ERS is specifically designed to accommodate the different types and sizes of firms within New Brunswick. Experience rating compares employers with only their peers – those within the same rate group facing a similar level of risk. If an employer has lower injury cost than their competition, they'll pay less than their competition.
The basic formula is simple; we add all the costs associated with workplace injury in a rate group for the last three years, then we determine if an employer’s cost is above or below their rate group's average, relative to their payroll. If the costs are below average, they'll receive a discount on their basic rate. If they're above average, they'll pay a surcharge.
If you have a question for Ask us! please forward to stearsb@whscc.nb.ca .
Recent Accident Reports
Date of Accident: |
April 5, 2007 |
Injury Type: |
Broken leg |
Hospitalized: |
Yes |
Industry: |
Fire Fighting / Firefighter |
Location: |
Southwest |
Notes: |
The fire department responded to a 911 call about a two-vehicle accident. The fire truck was the first to arrive and stopped on the same side of the road and near a car that was involved.Two firefighters went to the car while the injured worker headed for the other vehicle involved, which was on the other side of the road. He stopped to answer a call and when he turned a half-ton truck struck him. He was standing on the side of the road at the time. |
More accident reports...
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