Four priority areas include asbestos exposure, falls from heights
Looking to better prevent fatalities and serious injuries in high-risk industries, WorkSafe Saskatchewan has introduced a three-year Fatalities and Serious Injuries Strategy.
The strategy will focus on priority industries and occupations, where the greatest number of injuries to workers are reported. The new approach outlines targets to reducing the number of injuries and the actions that will be taken to achieve these numbers. The four injury priority areas are asbestos exposure, work-related motor vehicle crashes, firefighter cancer exposure and falls from heights.
“Safety needs to be a priority in every workplace and across all industries,” says Don Morgan, minister of labour relations and workplace safety. “Workplace injuries and fatalities are absolutely unacceptable and leave a devastating impact on loved ones. I’m pleased that we have been able to work together with a number of stakeholders to develop a strategy with concrete actions that will help to reduce the number of workplace fatalities and injuries.”
WorkSafe Saskatchewan is a partnership between the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) and the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety.
“Workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility and this strategy looks to build on the work that is already taking place to reduce serious injuries and fatalities,” says Gord Dobrowlsky, WCB board chairperson. “If we are to be successful, we need to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders so workers go home safely each day.”
Roughly 2,400 Saskatchewan workers are seriously injured each year. From 2010-18, 354 workers either died on their job or as a result of their job, said WCB.
View the full strategy here.
