By Marla Tomlinson
Safety and prevention in all aspects of life are getting a high profile lately, but especially in the workplace, says Ron Lovelock, director of prevention services at Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
"Right now, we're seeing a whole society-wide move towards safety and prevention," Lovelock says. "Safety is really in the forefront, especially in the workplace."
In order to promote safety and prevention, WSIB has incentive programs in place. One of these programs is the Safe Communities Incentive Program (SCIP).
By joining SCIP, employers are able to earn premium savings by teaming up with other employers to improve health and safety, he says. Under SCIP, if the combined claims costs of the registered employers in the community are lower than expected, the employers share 75 per cent of the total saving.
SCIP is now in 20 communities in Ontario. To join in SCIP, the community must be part of the Safe Communities Coalition. Safe Communities Coalitions are designed to develop, promote and support a community culture focused on safety and well-being, says Sue Armstrong, co-chair with the coalition in Thunder Bay.
Local safe community programs, like the one in Thunder Bay, are part of a larger umbrella organization under the Safe Communities Foundation, a national organization committed to preventing injuries and making Canada the safest country in the world to live, learn, work and play.
The concept behind the coalition is to bring together community leaders, small-business owners, large corporations and local agencies to make effective health and safety programs to meet local needs.
"There are many different areas we're looking at, mostly in the workplace and especially small businesses," Armstrong says, adding that every day in Ontario 25 young workers aged 15 to 25 are injured. This adds up to 8,000 preventable injuries a year.
Lovelock says many companies have already gained rebates for improved health and safety through the SCIP program. In the last two years, over $1 million has gone to communities who have been successful in SCIP.
Registered participants in SCIP receive several incentives, including refunds on premiums, access to a health and safety consulting team, training programs and other resources, assistance in improving claims management and return-to-work management and an evaluation of the participant's health and safety management systems.
A business may be eligible to participate in SCIP if the employer pays $90,000 or less in WSIB premiums, completes the program's Safe Workplace Awareness training, completes an evaluation of the company's health and safety practices and the company is in one of the participating communities registered with SCIP, or is part of a community with a local steering committee and an action plan approved by SCIP.
Another incentive program offered by WSIB is the Safety Groups Program.
"The Safety Groups Program brings businesses together to share their safety knowledge and learn from each other's knowledge and experiences," Lovelock says.
The program offers financial incentives plus improvements to the health and safety of the business involved.
For more information on the incentive programs and how to become involved, visit the Web site at www.wsib.on.ca or call toll free 1-800-663-6639.
