Mix of education and enforcement help to reduce numbers
Workplace fatalities in Nova Scotia have decreased to 21 in 2010 compared to 32 in 2009, according to the province's Labour and Workforce Development.
Based on Workers' Compensation Board information, injury rates are also down about 16.5 per cent since January 2008.
To reduce deaths and workplace injuries, the Department of Labour and Workforce Development and its safety partners, are working with employers and employees.
"Almost every workplace death, injury or illness can be avoided and we all have a role to play in making that happen," said Department of Labour and Workforce Development Minister Marilyn More. "My department is using a mix of education and enforcement to make workplaces safer and healthier."
The Workplace Safety and Insurance System which includes Labour and Workforce Development, Workers' Compensation Board, Workers' Compensation Appeal Tribunal, Workers' Advisers Program, and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, uses education tools to promote workplace safety. It is also doing research to improve how joint occupational health and safety committees and safety representatives operate.
"Education and enforcement go hand in hand, and different people respond to different approaches," said Jim LeBlanc, executive director of Labour and Workforce Development's Occupational Health and Safety Division.
Where those efforts fail, there could be charges and fines. On the enforcement front, Labour and Workforce Development had 20 occupational health and safety prosecutions before the courts at the end of 2010. Cases involving workplace deaths at Rotor Mechanical Services Ltd., Sepracor Canada (Nova Scotia) Limited, and Maritime Steel and Foundries Ltd. are underway.
The other cases involve charges that range from failing to provide information to an occupational health and safety officer to not taking reasonable measures to ensure a safe and healthy workplace.
In January 2010, the department introduced administrative penalties to reinforce the shared responsibility of employers and employees to keep workplaces safe. When a provincial health and safety officer issues orders, an administrator determines whether a fine should be imposed. The fine reflects the level of authority the person holds on the work site, past convictions or penalties and the potential for injury.
As of Dec. 15, there were 902 administrative penalties issued, ranging from $100 to $2000. Of those, 857 penalties were levied against employers, 22 against employees, and 23 against owners, supervisors, self-employed people and service providers. The penalties followed a review of 3,356 orders since Jan. 15, 2010.
