June 11, 2008

Panel urges New Brunswick safety commission to boost inspections and fines

Fredericton

New Brunswick’s workplace health and safety commission should boost inspections, fines and stop-work orders to help eliminate injuries and accidents, says an independent review panel.

The panel’s report, released June 4, says the province’s Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission should review its discipline options to crack down on “workplaces requiring increased attention.”

Those measures include “additional inspections, stop-work orders, ticketing, and demerit fines.”

The panel’s 250-page report, which contains 64 recommendations, was tabled in the legislature by Labour Minister Ed Doherty.

Premier Shawn Graham’s Liberals pledged to review the commission during the 2006 election.

The resulting document studied elements ranging from governance to worker benefits to the commission’s financial performance. It also reviewed how the commission can further reduce workplace accidents and injuries.

The panel notes that New Brunswick ranks well in Canada when it comes to workplace injury rates, lost time claims and fatality rates.

Still, it says improvements can be made to make the province the national leader.

New Brunswick’s accident frequency rate declined 21 per cent from 2001 to 2005 and remains the second lowest in Canada, notes the report.

Between 1993 and 2005, the province’s fatality rate was among the country’s lowest, at 4.5 work-related deaths per 100,000 workers.

But the panel argues that all workplace injuries are preventable.

The report also recommends that health and safety information be taught in schools, and that employees be given better orientation and training.

As well, it says that safety programs used in the construction and forestry sectors be adopted by those in other fields, like health care.

“The statistics show that New Brunswick is doing very, very well,” Doherty said.“I am heartened by that, but acknowledge that we can do even better.”

Doherty said his department will review the recommendations and decide which ones to implement.

Michel Boudreau, president of the province’s Federation of Labour, applauded the review.

Boudreau, who represents about 35,000 workers, particularly supports the call for more training dollars for agencies outside of the commission.

Canadian Press

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