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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Workers are encouraged to tie one on

Campaign focuses on workplace safety

By: Geoff Kirbyson

Posted: 04/12/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

The Workers Compensation Board doesn't want any of the students about to embark on summer construction jobs to worry about statistics -- becoming one, that is.

An average of two construction workers die every year in Manitoba and that's two too many for Doug Sexsmith, president and CEO of WCB.

"These deaths are entirely preventable," he said.

So, too, were the 780 injuries sustained on the job in 2010. That number has been up and down over the last decade, which is why the WCB is about to launch its Tie One On campaign, designed to increase awareness of the dangers of working high above the ground. There were 706 injuries in 2003 in the province but 897 just two years later.

"We haven't had the improvement that we've been looking for," he said.

Workplace injuries can range from something as minor as a sprained ankle to spinal-cord damage and paralysis. What breaks a worker's fall can also have a significant impact on the extent of their injuries.

"You could land on a fence," he said.

Sexsmith said while its television ads, which launch this week, focus on the dangers of working on a roof, workers can also get injured climbing a ladder or working with power tools.

Sexsmith said workers are often most in danger when they get used to working in dangerous situations and become nonchalant about their safety.

While the campaign is designed to promote safety among companies, WCB is also encouraging the public to call in if they see unsafe work sites.

Sexsmith said there are about 30,000 workers in the construction industry in Manitoba, but the number of students in the sector swells in the summer.

While most construction companies adhere to strict standards, there is still a significant number that don't. That's why Sean Scott, executive director of the Construction Safety Association of Manitoba, wants to boost the number of certified firms. The Certificate of Recognition program is an occupational health and safety accreditation course that verifies the company is operating at national standards.

Thus far, about 450 construction companies in Manitoba have COR but more than 7,000 don't.

"Ultimately, we want everybody to have it. It's a very effective tool to implement a safety-management system," he said.

"Safety is not an add-on. It's a part of business and it's the law."

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 12, 2011 B4

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