Workplace Safety

 South Shore Safe Communities Workplace Safety Working Group  

Who we are:

Our Goal:

To improve the safety of youth in the workplace.

Why focus on Youth???

-Youth workers run a greater risk of being injured on the job than workers in any other age group.
-Youth have little direct work experience, little knowledge of their rights, and often little safety training or job security.
-Many youth start with jobs that are low paying, difficult and may be dangerous.
-Six times more injuries happen to young people in the first month than ant other time on the job.
-Parents often assume that safety has been addressed by their child's employer.
-Over one half of young workers have received no safety training for new tasks.

Our objectives are:

• Increase the communities' awareness of the importance of improving workplace safety for youth.
• Involve the youth in meaningful ways in making their workplaces safer.
• Increase employer, youth, parent and community awareness of and use of exisying resources that are effective in reducing youth workplace injury.

Accomplishments: 

• Promote Passport to Safety and SWAT (several local employers have signed up and approximently 300 local youth have received Passports)
• Arranged for Minister of Labour to speak at Bridgewater and Area Chamber of Commerce meeting
• Held focus groups with youth around the British Columbia Workers Compensation Board's Video "Lost Youth". Purchased and shared copies of the video with various partners including the school board and Michelin Tire who are using it as part of their safety training.
• Met with representatives from the Workers Compensation Board to discuss opportunities for partnership (We are being considered as a possible site to pilot the Health and Safety 101 course).
• Hosted several education sessions for employers and youth. The most recent event, "What You Can't Afford Not to Know About Youth Safety in Your Workplace", featured presentations from Passport to Safety, Occupational Health and Safety, Nova Scotia Safety Council, and Workers Compensation Board. Thank to Michelin and Aliant for their ongoing support. 

Work in Progress:

Workplace Safety Related Links:

Workers Compensation Board: www.wcb.ns.ca; www.safeforlife.ca; www.silencedoesntworkhere.ca

Labour and Workforce Development: www.gov.ns.ca/lwd; www.gov.ns.ca/lwd/healthandsafety/

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS): www.ccohs.ca

Safety Associations in Nova Scotia: www.worksafeforlife.ca/worksafeforlife/index_easpx?DetailID=1940

Safe Communities Canada: www.safecommunities.ca