WorkSafe produced 4 videos to address common injuries in manufacturing and to provide solutions

The Safety Association of Saskatchewan Manufacturers (SASM), in partnership with WorkSafe Saskatchewan and the Chiropractors’ Association of Saskatchewan (CAS), is striving to prevent ergonomic injuries in Manufacturing. Did you know: Poor ergonomic practices cause 40% of the time loss injuries in Manufacturing. The average back injury from poor ergonomic practices costs $4000. This does not include the uninsured costs such as lost time and lost productivity. The average duration for a back injury claim is 20 days. The average cost of a shoulder injury due to poor ergonomic practices is $17,000, and the average duration is 66 days. As part of the project, OHS ergonomists are visiting manufacturers, surveying the workers about existing pain and evaluating work stations and tasks to help prevent injuries in the future. WorkSafe has produced 4 videos to address common injuries in manufacturing and to provide solutions. Check the videos out on WorkSafe’s YouTube page [...]

2019-04-02T15:58:59-06:00March 9th, 2017|news|

WorkSafe launches new classroom course: Effective Measurement for Safety

You can’t improve what you can’t measure. This 2-day course will assist employers in understanding the benefits of keeping safety statistics — the why, what and where to find the information, the applicable legislation, data management, training, communication, and continuous improvement necessary to track injury data and prevent injuries through maintaining a safety measurement system. Course materials include tools to help you set up and maintain your own tracking system. Saskatoon March 14/15 April 18/19 Regina March 28/29 April 26/27 Please contact us for more information or to register.

2019-04-02T16:00:42-06:00January 16th, 2017|news|

SASWH Conference & Annual General Meeting 2017

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! The conference will be held Thursday, March 23, 2017, at TCU Place in Saskatoon. The theme for the conference is: Psychological Safety - Teamwork Leverages Improvement. Senior leaders, occupational health & safety professionals, and employees within the healthcare industry - don't miss this opportunity to attend an exciting industry event on March 23, 2017, in Saskatoon. This conference is an all-day, healthcare-related event, hosted by SASWH, which will provide an excellent opportunity to learn more about psychological safety and how positive teams can assist to leverage improvements and transform culture within the healthcare industry. Register early as space is limited!  Please visit here for information about the keynote speakers. Complete your on-line registration here.

2017-05-08T14:29:23-06:00January 3rd, 2017|news|

CSSE OHSE Student Writing Awards Program

CSSE OHSE Student Writing Awards Program This is a reminder of the annual CSSE OHSE Student Writing Awards Program submission deadline of April 30, 2017. The Program supports excellence in writing by Canadian students registered in a one, two, or three year OHSE program (full-time or part-time) at an accredited college or university in Canada. The purpose of the OHSE Student Writing Awards Program is to stimulate interest among OHSE students in the exposition or argument for or against, or research on, OHSE issues and to recognize outstanding achievement in this endeavor. The awards program also gives post-secondary students the opportunity to research OHSE issues, develop ideas, or bring proposals for reform to the attention of the safety community. Writing may stem from assignments in an OHSE course or be separate, original, self-generated compositions of interest to the student (3,000 words or less). Submission Deadline: April 30, 2017 For more [...]

2016-11-21T16:55:39-06:00November 21st, 2016|news|

Yorkton Plumbing and Heating – Committed to safety at work and at home

Yorkton Plumbing and Heating is a WorkSafe Saskatchewan 2016 Safe Employer finalist. Chris Wyatt has been in charge of safety at Yorkton Plumbing and Heating for the last four years. Owner Justin Yawney brought Chris on to the team to build the growing company’s safety program. With Justin’s support, Chris attained his National Construction Safety Officer designation through the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association (SCSA). Over the last decade, Yorkton Plumbing and Heating has grown and expanded its services. With a larger and younger workforce, keeping employees safe and preventing injuries has become a priority for the company. “We have a young workforce, a lot of young journeymen,” explains Wyatt. “Our number one priority has always been to take care of our workers. We want them to go home at the end of the day and be able to hug their children, to take them fishing on the weekends, or to [...]

2017-05-08T14:29:23-06:00October 21st, 2016|news|

WorkSafe Saskatchewan launches 2017 Youth Video Contest

High school students encouraged to #FocusonSafety Regina, SK – WorkSafe Saskatchewan announces the 2017 Youth Video Contest, inviting Saskatchewan students in Grades 9 to 12 to create a 2-minute video focusing on workplace safety. When focusing on safety, students can help Saskatchewan achieve Mission: Zero – zero injuries, zero fatalities, zero suffering. Workers under 25 are at the highest risk for being injured on the job. In Saskatchewan, approximately 6,000 young workers are injured each year. When students make a video focusing on safety, they are more knowledgeable before entering the workforce. They are aware that they have rights and responsibilities in the workplace. The contest awards student and school prizes for the top three videos:   1st place 2nd place 3rd place Student/Team $1,000 $750 $500 School $1,500 $1,000 $750 Students have until March 31, 2017 to submit their videos. WorkSafe Saskatchewan encourages students to promote the contest and [...]

2017-05-08T14:29:23-06:00October 17th, 2016|news|

Heidi McCaskill – The Ultimate Workplace Safety Mom

Heidi McCaskill, a receptionist with Cervus Equipment, was a WorkSafe Saskatchewan 2016 Safe Worker finalist. Cervus Equipment encourages and promotes safety in the workplace. The safety culture has progressed and evolved over the years. Cervus signed the Saskatchewan Health and Safety Leadership Charter in 2014, acknowledging their commitment to Mission: Zero. Since becoming a Charter member, Cervus has implemented safety goals, focusing on what they can do to reach Mission: Zero. “It’s like a performance review for the company – how can you make Cervus safer – not just how can you be a better employee, but how can you make our workplace safer. And it holds management accountable” “It helps having management’s support and leadership,” says Heidi. “They’re often busy with other things. It’s good when employees can come to me with their concerns. They sometimes feel that it’s not important enough to involve management and their time. I’ll [...]

2017-05-08T14:29:23-06:00October 6th, 2016|news|

Rack Petroleum – Committed to Health and Safety

A commitment to health and safety is an integral part of Rack Petroleum’s success. Everyone at the Rack, as the employees and customers affectionately call it, works together to prevent injury to themselves and others. Their proactive stance on safety has a lot to do with Safety Officer Kevin McNicholls. Safety is commonplace at the Rack. To acknowledge their commitment to safety and to Mission: Zero, Rack Petroleum signed the Saskatchewan Health and Safety Leadership Charter in 2015. “As safety leaders in our community, our intention is to promote safety and get others in the community involved in Mission: Zero,” say Kevin. “Yes, we’re promoting the company, but more importantly, we’re promoting safety.” In Kevin’s eight years at the Rack, he has brought safety to the forefront of every employee’s activities. When Kevin first began at the Rack, he worked at the fertilizer plant for two years until he suffered [...]

2017-05-08T14:29:23-06:00October 6th, 2016|news|

Lanny’s Story: A journey to safety

Do you know a safe worker? Nominate them for the 2017 Safe Worker Award. Deadline for entries is October 31, 2016. The mining industry presents many hazards. Many of the hazards, by the nature of the mining industry, are different from hazards in other industrial sectors. For example, digging and complex mining processes may lead to ground instability. “When you’re dealing with industrial hazards, there is a lot you have to manage to keep the work environment safe,” says Lanny. “You have different gases, height hazards, heat hazards, confined spaces and congested work areas.” Lanny Storey, a journeyperson scaffolder with AREVA Resources Canada Inc., won the WorkSafe Saskatchewan 2016 Safe Worker award. Lanny’s story begins at AREVA’s uranium mines in northern Saskatchewan. AREVA also has a uranium mill in McClean Lake. The mill is where workers extract uranium from the mined rock. The process uses water and hazardous chemicals to [...]

2017-05-08T14:29:23-06:00August 25th, 2016|news|

2015 OHS INSPECTIONS AT CONSTRUCTION SITES RAISE SAFETY CONCERNS

48% compliance with wearing protective headgear on sites 50% of workers trained in fall protection plan 41% use fall protection REGINA, SK: In September 2013, Kurt Ferguson was only 22 years old the day his construction career ended. He was crossing the floor of the house he and his crew were building in Moose Jaw when he stepped into an unguarded hole cut for stairs and plummeted into the unfinished basement. A piece of rebar pierced him under the right arm, shattering two vertebrae, and injuring his spine before exiting beside his left ear. “I tried shouting but I couldn’t talk or move,” Kurt remembers. “No sound came out and I was trapped.” He lay impaled by the 15 mm piece of steel rebar from his right armpit to behind his left ear, waiting to be discovered. Incidents like Kurt’s are deadly and the risk is frequent. In Occupational Health [...]

2017-05-08T14:29:23-06:00August 17th, 2016|news|