Government Moving Forward with
Improvements to the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Act

Today, the Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, introduced Bill 7, Act to Amend the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Act, in the House of Assembly. The amendments contained in the bill are positive changes that respond to the interests of employer groups, labour organizations and injured workers and their representatives.

In April 2008, the Provincial Government released its action plan in response to the 44 recommendations contained in the 2006 Report of the Statutory Review Committee on the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Act. The action plan contained numerous initiatives whereby the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (WHSCC) was requested to take measures aimed at strengthening client services, reducing claim duration, supporting early and safe return to work, and enhancing the role of the WHSCC in injury prevention and occupational disease.

�The changes proposed to the act are proactive and positive measures that address the needs expressed by employers, labour organizations and injured workers throughout the province,� said Minister Sullivan. �Bill 7 reflects our government�s follow through with many of the legislative changes flowing from the action plan and will help to promote a stable worker�s compensation system for the benefit of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.�

Bill 7 contains legislative changes that will enhance governance at the WHSCC board of directors table to recognize the valuable contributions stakeholders make at the board level. Under this bill, the composition of the board of directors will change so that future representation will include a minimum of one board member recommended by employers, one board member recommended by workers and one board member representing injured workers. The total number of board members will remain unchanged.

The bill also contains clarification that an employer is obliged to re-employ a worker for a two-year period from the date of disability rather than the date of injury. This is a positive development for injured workers and ensures that they have access to the full two-years of re-employment obligation whenever their injury requires that they leave the workplace.

While the primary purpose of this bill is to bring about amendments that respond to the action plan, the Provincial Government is also bringing forward other administrative amendments to ensure that the legislation remains current and relevant. These amendments help to bring the act in line with other pieces of legislation, provide clarity to the annual reporting and strategic planning standards of the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Review Division and eliminate expired provisions.

�We are pleased to see the Williams Government move forward with these important legislative changes,� said Ralph Tucker, Chair of the WHSCC. �The board of directors is looking forward to the input of new representatives of key stakeholders. This change, and indeed all of the amendments contained in the bill, will serve to improve the insurance and compensation system in the province.�

�The amendments clearly demonstrate progress in relation to our action plan,� added Minister Sullivan. �The plan will provide for an accountable and sustainable compensation system and includes measures that balance the interests of employers, workers and injured workers. Our government remains firmly committed to seeing measures in place that strengthen the worker�s compensation system, while respecting the needs of workers and employers across Newfoundland and Labrador.�

For further information on the Provincial Government�s action plan in response to the Report of the Statutory Review Committee on the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Act, visit www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2008/hrle/0425n06.htm

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2009 04 30                           4:50 p.m.