With Saskatchewan recently joining the movement, health and safety charters are gaining in popularity across the country.
It’s not uncommon for employees at Humber Valley Paving in Corner Brook, N.L., to sit down for a “toolbox” lunch to talk about everything from working safely on heavy duty equipment to making a job site safer.
Safety has always been important to owner Al Muggridge, but two years ago he stepped up his message to employees by applying to be a signatory on Newfoundland and Labrador’s chief executive officer (CEO) leadership charter. It's a formal declaration based on the principle that the effective management of health, safety and wellness is essential to the operation of a successful business.
To become a signatory, Muggridge had to apply and answer an exhaustive list of questions that included everything from how health and safety is promoted internally to how employees are involved in the process. The province's Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (WHSCC) also reviewed the company's safety track record.
Muggridge said putting himself under that kind of microscope has made his company increasingly vigilant about safety.
"Since signing the charter we've hired a full-time safety officer, for example," he said. "It's made us more cognizant of the role of health and safety."
In 2007, Newfoundland and Labrador became the first province to sign a health and safety charter. Nova Scotia has since made the same commitment. More recently, Saskatchewan joined the movement – and with good cause, according to Peter Federko, CEO of the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board. The prairie province has the dubious distinction of having the second worst time-loss injury rate in Canada.
“It spiked at 4.95 per cent,” he said. “That meant five out of every 100 workplace injuries in Saskatchewan were serious enough for the employee to miss a day of work. It became obvious that it was a cultural issue.”
The province has taken several steps toward changing that attitude. The latest initiative, the Health and Safety Leadership Charter, brings employers, community groups and the provincial government together as the vehicle for a culture shift, said Federko. Since June, more than 150 employers and community leaders have signed on.
“Now everyone knows who is on the list,” he said. “We’ve created public accountability. Any cultural change in an organization does not occur until the leadership says, ‘This is how we’re going to do things.’ It’s about getting community and business leaders to publicly commit to safety.”
The charter is built around seven principles adapted from the Conference Board of Canada’s CEO Health and Safety Leadership Charter. That charter, launched in 2005 by Duncan Hawthorne, president and CEO of Bruce Power in Tiverton, Ont., has grown to include more than 250 signatories in eight provinces.
Federko said having the declared support of the heads of major employers is the value in a charter.
“It’s important to invite people who are recognized as community leaders, who have credibility in the community because of the work they do, how they’re recognized by the community and for the things they do,” he said.
In Saskatchewan, the charter is sponsored by WorkSafe Saskatchewan and Safe Saskatchewan, a non-profit organization focused on all unintentional injuries.
Federko said the charter approach is effective because it draws together several groups to collectively deal with the problem and signals safety is a general concern not limited to a single workplace.
The intent is to keep bringing signatories together to talk about best practices and what they’re doing to back up their commitment to safety.
“Me as CEO standing up and preaching to community leaders does not have the same effect as one of their own,” said Federko. “They can say this is worthwhile and meaningful.”
Susan Fennell, mayor of Brampton, Ont., said charters also set the bar for employers and the wider community. In 2007, Fennell was the first mayor in Ontario to sign onto the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board's health and safety charter.
“It's awareness, a reminder,” she said. “Safety should be inherent but you have to be constantly engaging people and reminding them. There's never a time when we can all stand around and say we've finished with occupational health and safety. It has to be at the forefront and this keeps it there.”
In Saskatchewan, Federko plans to keep the momentum by hosting future leadership forums, accumulating a library of best practices and encouraging more companies to sign on. He is already seeing signs of change.
“Companies with more than one worksite are having branch managers sign the charter internally,” he said. “They're imposing those principles from the top. One employer, a manufacturer, has started doing 45-minute safety lunches. Another has made it the focus of its internal newsletter.”
Charters are gaining momentum across the country. While in many provinces the onus is still on CEOs to be involved — most often via the Conference Board of Canada's CEO Health and Safety Leadership Charter — wider provincial initiatives like the one in Saskatchewan are getting attention.
Muggridge in Newfoundland and Labrador said charters add a level of accountability that lets others know which organizations are truly making safety a priority.
Danielle Harder is a freelance writer based in Brooklin, Ont.
Safety has always been important to owner Al Muggridge, but two years ago he stepped up his message to employees by applying to be a signatory on Newfoundland and Labrador’s chief executive officer (CEO) leadership charter. It's a formal declaration based on the principle that the effective management of health, safety and wellness is essential to the operation of a successful business.
To become a signatory, Muggridge had to apply and answer an exhaustive list of questions that included everything from how health and safety is promoted internally to how employees are involved in the process. The province's Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (WHSCC) also reviewed the company's safety track record.
Muggridge said putting himself under that kind of microscope has made his company increasingly vigilant about safety.
"Since signing the charter we've hired a full-time safety officer, for example," he said. "It's made us more cognizant of the role of health and safety."
In 2007, Newfoundland and Labrador became the first province to sign a health and safety charter. Nova Scotia has since made the same commitment. More recently, Saskatchewan joined the movement – and with good cause, according to Peter Federko, CEO of the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board. The prairie province has the dubious distinction of having the second worst time-loss injury rate in Canada.
“It spiked at 4.95 per cent,” he said. “That meant five out of every 100 workplace injuries in Saskatchewan were serious enough for the employee to miss a day of work. It became obvious that it was a cultural issue.”
The province has taken several steps toward changing that attitude. The latest initiative, the Health and Safety Leadership Charter, brings employers, community groups and the provincial government together as the vehicle for a culture shift, said Federko. Since June, more than 150 employers and community leaders have signed on.
“Now everyone knows who is on the list,” he said. “We’ve created public accountability. Any cultural change in an organization does not occur until the leadership says, ‘This is how we’re going to do things.’ It’s about getting community and business leaders to publicly commit to safety.”
The charter is built around seven principles adapted from the Conference Board of Canada’s CEO Health and Safety Leadership Charter. That charter, launched in 2005 by Duncan Hawthorne, president and CEO of Bruce Power in Tiverton, Ont., has grown to include more than 250 signatories in eight provinces.
Federko said having the declared support of the heads of major employers is the value in a charter.
“It’s important to invite people who are recognized as community leaders, who have credibility in the community because of the work they do, how they’re recognized by the community and for the things they do,” he said.
In Saskatchewan, the charter is sponsored by WorkSafe Saskatchewan and Safe Saskatchewan, a non-profit organization focused on all unintentional injuries.
Federko said the charter approach is effective because it draws together several groups to collectively deal with the problem and signals safety is a general concern not limited to a single workplace.
The intent is to keep bringing signatories together to talk about best practices and what they’re doing to back up their commitment to safety.
“Me as CEO standing up and preaching to community leaders does not have the same effect as one of their own,” said Federko. “They can say this is worthwhile and meaningful.”
Susan Fennell, mayor of Brampton, Ont., said charters also set the bar for employers and the wider community. In 2007, Fennell was the first mayor in Ontario to sign onto the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board's health and safety charter.
“It's awareness, a reminder,” she said. “Safety should be inherent but you have to be constantly engaging people and reminding them. There's never a time when we can all stand around and say we've finished with occupational health and safety. It has to be at the forefront and this keeps it there.”
In Saskatchewan, Federko plans to keep the momentum by hosting future leadership forums, accumulating a library of best practices and encouraging more companies to sign on. He is already seeing signs of change.
“Companies with more than one worksite are having branch managers sign the charter internally,” he said. “They're imposing those principles from the top. One employer, a manufacturer, has started doing 45-minute safety lunches. Another has made it the focus of its internal newsletter.”
Charters are gaining momentum across the country. While in many provinces the onus is still on CEOs to be involved — most often via the Conference Board of Canada's CEO Health and Safety Leadership Charter — wider provincial initiatives like the one in Saskatchewan are getting attention.
Muggridge in Newfoundland and Labrador said charters add a level of accountability that lets others know which organizations are truly making safety a priority.
Danielle Harder is a freelance writer based in Brooklin, Ont.
