NLIS 8
October 11, 2002
(Labour)

 

Regulation passed to bring construction
sector into early and safe return-to-work model

Labour Minister Anna Thistle and Mike Power, chairperson of the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Safety Association (NLCSA), are pleased to announce that regulations under the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Act have been amended to include construction companies under the new, early and safe return-to-work obligations which came into effect on January 1, 2002.

Considering the nature of their industry, construction employees of construction companies were exempt from the model until a consensus could be reached on how to include them in the existing legislation. The exemption was granted due to the unique hiring practices in the industry.

"Officials from my department, the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (WHSCC) and the construction industry, have been working together on this issue for the past several months," said Minister Thistle. "This agreement demonstrates the genuine commitment of all industry players towards the health and safety of workers and the value of industry, government and labour working in partnership toward common goals.

"All other industries in this province have been governed by the early and safe return-to-work model since the beginning of the year and are working through it with good results. Being included in this new model provides an opportunity for construction employers and their employees to work together more effectively so that injured employees can return to work safely and more quickly than before."

The NLCSA welcomed the opportunity to work with government to bring the industry fully into this model and the amendment is the result of this successful partnership.

"Our industry has made tremendous progress over the past number of years with respect to reducing the severity and cost of injuries in the construction industry," said Mr. Power, association chairperson. "Already, we feel that the existing construction safety training programs of the NLCSA have contributed to decreased claims costs, which over time will reduce the assessment rates that construction employers pay to the WHSCC. From 1997 to June 2002, more than 1,300 construction firms have participated in NLCSA industry-specific health and safety training, and have begun the implementation of effective health and safety management programs in their workplaces. Early and safe return-to-work strategies will complement these efforts considerably.

"Because the early and safe return-to-work model promotes self-reliance by the workplace parties, the NLCSA, an industry driven not-for-profit corporation, will shortly begin delivering industry-specific, affordable and accessible training to the province�s construction industry."

Media contact:

Kathy Dicks-Peyton, Communications, Department of Labour, (709) 729-1741
Ron Croke, NLCSA, (709) 739-7000.

2002 10 11                                     2:35 p.m.


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