3 Practical safety strategies for supporting your at-risk workers
Worker safety · Jul 27, 2023
Millions of workers world-wide are put in hazardous work environments each day and keeping them safe can be a challenge. In 2021, the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC) reported
278,298 claims due to workplace related injuries, diseases and fatalities across Canada¹.
However, taking a proactive approach to worker safety can help you to minimize incidents, develop a strong safety infrastructure and avoid non-compliance penalties. Here are three ways that you can support your at-risk workers and reduce harmful situations before they occur.1. Be proactive and make mitigation a priority
Get ahead of hazardous incidents, such as worker-related injuries, by making mitigation a priority and identifying gaps in your safety structure. Identifying where workers could face hazards can help you create important safety measures to minimize the number of incidents that occur. Assessing your worksites for potential risk is crucial to developing strong safety strategies. Additionally, such strategies can help you improve talent acquisition and retention, the overall safety of your worksites and your business' reputation.
2. Implement, maintain and reassess your safety infrastructure
By staying proactive and taking the steps to implement, maintain and reassess your safety infrastructure, you can help to reduce the number of harmful incidents that may occur. This can help to create a safe and secure work environment for your at-risk workers and help to protect your business from any potential liabilities, as well as identify any gaps in that infrastructure.
Once you have identified the gaps in your safety infrastructure, you will want to work towards filling them. Understanding the worker safety solutions available to you, and the value they have, can help you do this. It is also important to create a regular cadence of reassessing your infrastructure to determine if updates could be made.
3. Stay up to date on provincial and federal OHS regulations regarding at-risk workers
Making sure you are aware of any changes to applicable occupational health and safety (OHS) regulations on a provincial and federal basis can help you stay compliant and avoid any related penalties. You should also ensure that your workers have access to the resources and training they need to stay safe. This could include providing safety gear, training videos, and other materials that can help them understand the importance of following safety procedures. You may even want to consider partnering with a third-party safety consultant to provide more specialized and comprehensive training for your workers.
Taking proactive steps towards worker safety is important in minimizing workplace related injuries, diseases and fatalities. By implementing, maintaining and reassessing your safety infrastructure, staying up to date with provincial and federal OHS regulations, and making mitigation a priority, you can help to create a safe and secure work environment for your at-risk workers and protect your business from any potential liabilities.
Learn more about
mitigating risk in the workplace and provincial worker safety standards
in our latest litepaper, or speak with a TELUS Connected Worker specialist
to find the right solution for you.
