Spike in Sask. workplace fatalities is a crisis

Lori Johb says swift action is needed to protect workers and save lives.

Saskatchewan is experiencing a worker fatalities crisis.

Between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30, 2018, 48 people lost their lives because of their work. By comparison, the annual average number of work-related deaths between 2015 and 2017 was 30. That’s a 60 per cent increase in fatalities in 2018.

Sadly, our crisis in worker fatalities is not new. Saskatchewan has the distinction of being the most dangerous place in Canada to be a worker; this province has the highest provincial fatality rate in the country.

While it is encouraging to know this crisis now has caught the attention of our provincial government and others that seem ready to work together to try to reverse the trend, we know that it will take a desire and much dedication to see the change we need. Our work will need to be focused and it needs to be done swiftly.

In addition to joining with the organization I represent — the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour — to develop a comprehensive Worker Fatalities Crisis Strategy, there are a few things the provincial government can do immediately to help protect workers and save lives:

Begin a widespread public awareness campaign to inform Saskatchewan people of the current worker fatalities crisis, and educate workers on their three fundamental occupational health and safety rights: the right to know, the right to participate, and the right to refuse;

Commit to publishing all incident reports in an accessible online format, as is done in British Columbia;

Commit to publishing all investigation reports in an accessible online format, similar to the process in Alberta.

Public awareness and education are important first steps. We need people to recognize this as a crisis, and that we need action from all parties, especially employers and governments. Saskatchewan must follow other provinces and publish updated fatality statistics on at least a quarterly basis. The public must be aware so they can apply pressure to those in power to ensure workplaces are safe and healthy.

For example, in 2018 asbestos exposure claimed 13 lives and other work-related cancers claimed another seven. This is the type of information everyone should be able to easily access.

Public education is vital for preventing serious injuries and fatalities. Some employers are still either unaware or don’t care about their responsibilities to keep workers safe. This needs to change. Public messaging directed toward employers about issues such as training, supervision, and preventing harassment in the workplace is urgently needed.

Employers, supervisors, and workers need to be aware of the three fundamental safety rights employees have: Right to Know, Right to Participate, and Right to Refuse.

Bob Sass, a lifelong champion for workers and safe work, authored these rights in the 1970s and they have become the benchmark in law across the country and beyond.

Importantly, Sass included a legal protection against discrimination for raising safety issues. Knowledge and use of these rights will save lives.

In order to prevent fatalities, we must increase enforcement, prosecutions, and the size of penalties for employers who do not take health and safety seriously. We should continue to hire additional safety officers, add resources to support OHS prosecutions, and provide training to police about how to apply the criminal code to workplace deaths.

To my knowledge, the provision in Saskatchewan’s OHS legislation allowing for jail time for employers who kill workers has never been used. The threat of time in jail is a powerful deterrent.

I and the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour are committed to doing all we can to ensure workers in Saskatchewan come home safe and healthy to their loved ones every day. Lives depend on it. We need to do better. Saskatchewan has to do better.

Our work will need to be focused.