The province of Alberta has made good its promise to post the safety records of companies online but won’t earmark which employers have bad records of worksite fatalities and injuries.
Employment Minister Tomas Lukaszuk states Albertans have a right to know the injury record of their employer. He says the Web site lists figures for accepted lost-time claims, claim rates and fatalities for 140,000 employers insured by the Workers Compensation Board. But it’s up to individuals to check with companies for more detailed information.
Lukaszuk says it would be too subjective for his department to highlight companies with unusually poor safety records. There were 110 job-related fatalities last year in Alberta.
The online publication of time lost statistics was just one element of a tiered plan laid out by Lukaszuk for making the Occupational Health and Safety program more transparent. (WCxKit)
Other initiatives include:
- Stopping the province’s Best Safety Performer Awards — Lukaszuk said the program would only be re-started when he is certain “deserving companies” are on the reciveving end.
- Hiring eight new Occupational Health and Safety officers, and updating the chain of command for the province’s safety compliance and enforcement procedures.
- Launching a pilot program to inspect workplaces on evenings and weekends.
- Reviewing the direction of Work Safe Alberta during a November forum.
- Revising the Certificates of Recognition program, that allows employers rebates on their Workers Comp Board premiums if they are committed to ongoing improvements.
Author Rebecca Shafer, JD, President of Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is a writer, speaker and website publisher. Her expertise is working with employers to reduce workers compensation costs, and her clients include airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com .
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