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WorkSafeBC hosts national forum on work-related death, illness, and
injury
Groundbreaking survey finds most Canadians believe workplace accidents to be inevitable
Richmond B.C., July 25, 2005— Each year in Canada, more than 350,000 workers are injured and another 1,000 die in workplace accidents. These work-related deaths, illnesses, and injuries are not and should not be an inevitable and acceptable cost of doing business, and this is the theme of a national forum co-sponsored by WorkSafeBC (the Workers' Compensation Board) and the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC).
"Zero is the only acceptable injury rate," said David Anderson, President and CEO of WorkSafeBC, as he welcomed more than 300 delegates from across Canada. "Our challenge in reaching that goal will be to shift public attitudes so that preventable workplace death, injury, illness, and disease are considered completely unacceptable, much in the same way that attitudes toward drinking and driving have changed over time."
Many of the forum sessions focus on practical solutions used by B.C. businesses to develop a workplace culture where health and safety issues are regarded as critical to the success of their businesses.
One of the most critical issues in changing the way employers and workers think about workplace safety is to have a baseline understanding of what the current attitude is. The results of an Ipsos Reid cross-Canada survey (PDF 132kb), to be released at the Forum this morning, show that more than 60% of Canadians believe workplace accidents and injuries are an inevitable part of life.
"This is a highly significant finding that has important implications for workplace health and safety," said Rick Iverson, Professor of Human Resource Management at the Faculty of Business Administration, Simon Fraser University. "This is the first study to benchmark attitudes and beliefs about workplace injury against another important cause of injury and death: drinking and driving. Nearly two-thirds of Canadians reject the idea that accidents and injuries caused by drinking and driving are an inevitable part of life. Shifting societal attitudes to similar levels for work-related injuries poses a major challenge."
Carol Anne Duffy, newly elected President of the AWCBC and CEO of the Workers' Compensation Board of Prince Edward Island said, "It is critical that we work together to change society's attitudes towards the acceptance of workplace injury and disease."
Serving nearly two million workers and about 179,000 employers, WorkSafeBC — the Workers' Compensation Board — is a provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors and funded by employers. WorkSafeBC was born out of a compromise between B.C.'s workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers or fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. WorkSafeBC is committed to a safe and healthy workplace and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits to workers injured as a result of their employment.
The AWCBC, founded in 1919, is a non-profit organization that facilitates the exchange of information among member organizations. Members include workers' compensation systems from all provinces and territories as well as a number of external organizations.
The entire program for the Public Forum 2005 may be viewed at: www.publicforum2005.ca
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| For more information or to arrange interviews
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| Gladys Johnsen Prevention Public Affairs Manager WorkSafeBC 604 214-5441 or toll-free in B.C. 1 888 621-7233, local 5441 Or cell 604 908-0876 |
Donna Freeman |