WSPS Advocate Newsletter - December 2010 Edition

ON THE MOL & WSIB RADAR

The WSIB has provided detailed backgrounders to explain how it set premiums for your industry group, or "rate group," in 2011.

Some firms feel caught off guard by the rate increases, given that almost every industry group has seen its injury rates come down in the past couple of years. While that's a valuable achievement, it doesn't acknowledge the fact that premiums are based on a second compelling reality: the length (duration) and cost of long-term disability claims. Indeed, the cost of supporting a growing number of injured workers on long-term and short-term disability has been going up almost as fast as the number of injuries has been coming down.

Eight steps you can take--right now and over the long term
Here are eight ways employers can help to create a sustainable system and help reduce premium rates for themselves and their industry group over the long term.

1. Maintain your iron grip on prevention
We are paying today for injuries that occurred in past years, when prevention efforts weren't what they are now. A compounding factor is that previously injured workers are at a higher risk of re-injury. So, whatever you do, stay on the Road to Zero. Your steady focus on prevention, particularly in the areas that drive the most expensive claims, such as injuries involving fractures, or affecting workers' shoulders and lower backs, will help keep costs from rising even faster. Work with your designated health and safety association--that's us, the Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS)--to meet your sector-specific prevention needs. Ask about our track record in helping businesses, large and small, achieve zero workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

2. Join a Safety Group
Firms that join together to build prevention measures and return to work programs, achieve results and reap rewards far above those who operate in isolation. Building a sustainable and effective return to work program is part of every Safety Group curriculum. The key performance measures participants must achieve to receive their rebate are tied to their ability to reduce the length of their disability claims. WSPS is currently accepting registrations for Safety Groups in 2011, designed to meet the health and safety needs of firms in the manufacturing, agriculture and service sectors. Check it out.

3. Network with your peers
Extend your reach by finding opportunities through your trade associations and community organizations to problem-solve and share best practices with other workplaces that affect the performance of your industry group. WSPS, for example, offers dozens of safety-based, peer-to-peer Networking and Knowledge Exchange forums that take place in different sectors across Ontario.

4. Ask the right questions
The role of owners, operators, and senior executives is to protect human resources while managing costs. One way presidents, CEOs and business leaders do that is by asking the right questions. Here are three that get to the heart of managing high-cost claims:

• Do we have anyone not at work right now because of a worker's compensation claim?
• How long have they been off?
• When can I see a plan that sets out what we and the WSIB are doing to get that person back to work and by when?

5. Reinforce your return to work program
The key to reducing claims costs for your organization and your industry group is to balance your prevention efforts with a well-defined, inclusive and effective "early and safe return to work" program that helps workers get back to safe and productive work as soon as medically possible. Successful programs share certain features:

• Partnerships: work with WSIB to manage individual claims, and work with your trusted source of health and safety solutions, WSPS, to access advice, half-day workshops, e-learning modules, and free tools and templates, that will help you get started.
• Buy-in and support of workers: involve workers in designing your program. Seek participation from across the organization and with your Joint Health and Safety Committee, or Health and Safety Representative.
• Transparent communication: share your goals and timelines. Workers are more likely to support your efforts if they understand it will prevent the re-injury of a co-worker.
• Compassion: open a dialogue with workers about how they would want to be supported in similar circumstances.

6. Play an active role in getting people back to work
Employers tend to be diligent about managing cases involving workers who are away from work for two days or two weeks, but when the person has been away for many weeks or months, the work has been reassigned, and day-to-day business is ticking along, complacency can set in. Collaborate with the WSIB and stay on top of all your claims, especially long-term claims, and take advantage of resources available to you.

For example, as part of its action plan to address its financial challenges, the WSIB has made a commitment to improve several of its business practices related to customer service. It intends to:

• Increase its focus on case management to reduce claim duration.
• What you can do: establish relationships with WSIB case managers to help your injured worker return to safe and productive work as quickly as possible.
• Launch specialized teams to manage long-term cases.
• What you can do: actively engage with these teams, no matter how long your employee has been off work. Workers who have been on disability for three or more years may no longer show on your firm's experience rating, but they still represent a cost to your industry group and are therefore contributing to the increase in your premiums.
• Introduce a New Work Reintegration program addressing return to work and labour market re-entry.
• What you can do: if your employee can no longer return to the original job, work with this WSIB program to help find more suitable work.

7. Take a personal approach
Often it's the psychological barriers--the stigma, the anxiety, the lost habit of going to work--that interfere most with people's desire to return to work. You can help smooth the way by staying connected and setting a positive tone:

• Talk openly with injured workers about the limitations and challenges of coming back.
• Reassure them that they are missed and are still part of the team.
• Explain that your goal is to modify their jobs so it doesn't aggravate their injury.
• Remind them that staying active and productive is the best path to healing and recovery.
• Ask staff to help you plan a warm and respectful welcome back.

8. Get involved: accept the WSIB's invitation to provide input
You will have several opportunities to share your views on how to improve the WSIB's financial future over the coming year. President and CEO David Marshall has indicated that the WSIB's goal is to give workers, employers and representative groups a voice at public meetings, at in-person consultations and on its website.

Where to find more information
You'll find extensive information about premium rates and funding review on the WSIB website:

• An overview, including a table showing the premium rate increase for the various industry sub-sectors; and a link to a comprehensive list of questions and answers, including how premium rates are set.
• A video of David Marshall, president and CEO of WSIB, sharing his goal for long-term financial sustainability, and setting the stage for stakeholder consultations and online engagement.

You can find help here
Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) provides industry-specific health and safety products, training and consulting services to 154,000 businesses and 3.8 million employees in Ontario's agricultural, manufacturing and service sectors.

As one of four health and safety associations operating under the Health & Safety Ontario banner, WSPS is a trusted advisor to businesses, large and small, seeking to boost productivity and profitability by reaching zero work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

Previously, you knew us as Farm Safety Association (FSA), Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA) and Ontario Service Safety Alliance (OSSA).

Contact WSPS at 1-800-406-6772, customercare@iapa.ca. Visit Health & Safety Ontario at www.healthandsafetyontario.ca.

• Workers pinned between trucks and docks, trucks and trailers; and by powered vehicles and fork lifts
• Workers struck by moving vehicles and falling items, including dock plates
• Workers falling from loading docks during material-handling activities

"Loading docks and shipping areas can be like Union Station at rush hour," says John Aird, manager of industry relations at Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS). "With their bursts of intense activity involving people, motorized equipment and goods, they can be an area of concentrated risk. Ontario's top four hazards regularly occur on loading docks and in shipping areas: contact with machinery, motor vehicle incidents, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), and slips, trips and falls."

What inspectors will look for
Ministry of Labour (MOL) inspectors will be looking for these and other potential hazards:

• Vehicles unsecured against accidental movement (O. Reg. 851, section 57)
• An absence of signalers, or signalers who are not fulfilling their duties (O. Reg. 851, section 56)
• Pedestrian traffic hazards, with the movement of vehicles in and out, and other mobile equipment; this would include clearances, lighting, barriers, warning sign
• Floor and ground surfaces, making sure there is no accumulation of garbage, no tripping hazards, ice, snow, uneven surfaces
• Related hazards, such as falls, lifting devices and forklifts, conveyors, material handling from heights, hazardous chemicals, flammable and explosive substances, personal protective equipment, guarding, lockouts
• Items unsecured against tipping or falling (O. Reg. 851, section 46)

Inspectors will also want to know if workers are aware of workplace hazards, and have been trained in appropriate measures and procedures. Also, workers at the facility may be exposed to hazards introduced by carriers, and carriers may be exposed to hazards they're not familiar with in the workplace: employers will also need to demonstrate that they have a plan to address these realities (Occupational Health and Safety Act, section 25 (2)(a)).

Other signs that loading docks need attention
Alain Langlais, a WSPS regional manager based in Ottawa, has learned to size up a loading dock quickly. "I look for controlled traffic flow and pace of work. If I see a lot of pedestrian traffic or fork lift operators driving in an unsafe way, my first thought is, ‘The person in charge could probably use some help.' Uncontrolled pedestrian or equipment traffic is a recipe for disaster."

Other items on Langlais' visual checklist:

• Loose shrink wrap, tie wrap, strapping, leftover cardboard, and anything else from earlier shipments that should have been removed.
• Material in transit; that is, material to be loaded or unloaded that is stacked in the middle of the loading bay, or at unreasonable heights, so that pedestrians and fork lift operators can't see around, over or through it.
• Poor lighting, including burned-out bulbs.
• Truck drivers wandering around. "They need to be controlled too," says Langlais, "so that when they park their vehicle, they don't become just another pedestrian. Some workplaces strictly control where drivers go: they sign in, they're escorted to a coffee room, and that's where they stay until their truck is ready."

"These are some of the indicators that tell me supervisors may not be inspecting the area closely, or not taking action when they do," says Langlais.

What employers and supervisors can do
The good news is that loading dock hazards are easy to identify and eliminate. Employers and supervisors can:

• Assess risks and evaluate controls. Are they working?.
• Review incidents, and include near hits. They reveal where potential problems might exist.
• Plan improvements and involve staff in the process. They understand the job better than anyone, may already have ideas on how to make it safer, and can tell you what will work and what probably won't.
• Train workers and reinforce safe work practices. This can be a simple as conducting safety talks before shifts begin.
• Continually encourage and provide feedback to staff on what they're doing right.

How we can help
Workplace Safety & Prevention Services provides industry-specific health and safety training on loading dock safety to employers in Ontario's agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors. Contact us at 1-800-406-6772, customercare@iapa.ca.

LEARNING FROM OTHERS

If making a difference in motor vehicle safety is important to you, your people, your company and your community, and if you're interested in contributing your ideas and support, contact Kiran Kapoor at Kiran.Kapoor@wsps.ca for more information.

Sources:

• Ministry of Transportation Ontario Road Safety Annual Report, 2007
• Enterprise Information Warehouse 2005-2009, Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB)

• 9.1% LTI rate reductions, exceeding the target of 7%
• 7.7% total injury rate reductions, exceeding the target of 4%

Credit goes to these firms for their ongoing commitment to injury prevention. Behind the scenes, WSPS and prevention system partners are leading a number of initiatives that provide member firms with resources and expertise on their journey toward health and safety excellence.

WSPS Safety Group: recognizing safety performance with rebates
In 2010, about 917 client firms registered for our Safety Group program: a new record. The program brings firms together in local manufacturing and services chapters to plan injury prevention measures and incorporate them into their daily business.

Firms participating in the Safety Group program achieve a greater degree of injury reduction than their peers. Just-released results for 2009 show that 774 of the 863 registered firms shared a compensation premium rebate of more than $7 million, in part by reducing their LTI rates by 10.53% (manufacturing) and 9.42% (services), and their injury severity rates by 8.90% and 6.01%, respectively.

Offering one-on-one support
In 2010, WSPS consultants established relationships with 500 firms whose WSIB records showed the greatest opportunity for improvement. Among the priorities are addressing Ontario's four leading hazards:

• falls
• machine guarding
• motor vehicle incidents
• musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)

At preliminary meetings with these firms, consultants work towards collaborating on an action plan that will help firms build capacity and close performance gaps. Firms are also encouraged to join the WSPS Safety Group, where they can continue to build and sustain an effective health and safety program.

Creating a system approach to the four leading hazards
Early in 2010, WSPS and other members of Ontario's prevention system made measurable progress towards developing a consistent, cohesive approach to the four hazards. The approach involves establishing priority hazard committees represented by WSPS and the other three health and safety associations that comprise Health & Safety Ontario (HSO), the WSIB, Ministry of Labour (MOL), and Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW).

A WSPS subject-matter expert leads the committee focused on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), while other WSPS subject-matter experts are or will be participating on the other three: falls, machine guarding and motor vehicle incidents.

Each committee is undertaking a similar process to ensure consistent offerings and accessibility to all clients from all sectors. The process involves

• cataloguing existing resources, such as courses, guidelines, consulting services, etc. identifying gaps between the training and products that clients are seeking, and what's currently available
• identifying best practices and concepts applicable to all sectors that could form a common framework for basic awareness training
• developing project plans to design collective and sector-specific solutions, adapting existing solutions where, possible and identifying the additional resources required

Ultimately, the collaborative and strategic approach adopted by the system hazard committees will result in a continuum of training and consulting interventions that address all of Ontario's priority hazards, provided by all system partners. Employers large and small, from all industries, will enter the prevention system through one door, and navigate one straight path to a menu of shared and sector-specific solutions.

Partnering with Canada's largest trade association
WSPS has a long-standing, mutually beneficial relationship with Canada's largest trade association, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME). Members of the association's Ontario Division generate more than 75% of the province's total manufacturing output, and 90% of its exports. In 2010, WSPS and CME advanced their strategic partnership by co-signing a memorandum of understanding that outlines a shared intent to

• explore opportunities for supporting and promoting one another's events, products and services, using their respective communication channels
• support common interests, such as how to engage small and medium-sized enterprises, new and young workers, and literacy

CME's leadership, credibility and engagement with the industry make it a powerful partner for WSPS. The relationship will help WSPS shape the culture and business practices of manufacturing firms, which employ 800,000 Ontario workers and represent a third of the businesses covered by WSPS's mandate.

In May 2010, WSPS and other HSO members held the first Partners in Prevention conference, drawing 1,400 delegates and 3,000 trade show visitors to 50 sessions and workshops, and 400 exhibits.

The event's success sets a strong foundation for future events. WSPS has since played leadership roles in the joint planning and implementation of 10 regional conferences across the province.

Volunteers: extending health and safety into Ontario communities
Hundreds of WSPS volunteers have a long history of helping reduce workplace injuries and illnesses in Ontario workplaces. Their contributions of time, resources and sponsorships have helped instill a health and safety culture in thousands of firms and a prevention mindset in countless individuals.

WSPS's Networking and Knowledge Exchange (NKE) is a volunteer-led, community-based initiative that provides participants with local, peer-centred, professional development sessions on topics of shared interest. NKE has 30 chapters in communities across Ontario. In 2010, NKE sessions drew 13% more participants over 2009.

"WSPS volunteers provide leadership in planning NKE sessions, facilitating them, and ensuring that members have a forum to discuss issues in a safe environment," explains Kathleen Douglass, manager, volunteer and community programs at WSPS. "The sessions draw people from across the whole system, which leads to very rich discussions. They're very productive."

WSPS volunteers also work with other community-oriented organizations to promote health and safety. In June 2010, senior WSPS volunteers participated for the first time in a Ridgetown Progressive Agriculture Safety Day, part of a North America-wide series of days aimed at farm youth. Among the safety issues that brought volunteers and youth together: working safely with hazardous materials (e.g., chemical fertilizers, fuel), and around motorized equipment. Douglass anticipates that WSPS senior volunteers will participate in many Agriculture Safety Days across Ontario in 2011.

Douglass anticipates a lot more opportunities for volunteers ahead. "They will extend the work of WSPS, and partner with more organizations," she said. "For example, next year WSPS volunteers will provide hour-long health and safety orientation to all seven Skills Canada regional trade competitions in Ontario." Skills Canada is a national, not-for-profit organization that actively promotes careers in skilled trades and technologies to youth. This marks the first time the competitions will include a health and safety component. The orientation will be delivered by volunteers who facilitate Young Worker Awareness Program sessions in Ontario schools.

Furthering WSPS's commitment to quality
This year, WSPS received independent validation that efficient and effective practices and processes continue to be the centrepiece of its management strategy and journey of excellence. In 2010, WSPS

• achieved zero non-conformance findings in its annual ISO 9001 Surveillance Audit. The audit recognized WSPS for its design, production and delivery of health and safety information, products and services, including training, conferences, consulting, volunteer and community services in the manufacturing sector
• achieved Level One in the National Quality Institute (NQI) Progressive Excellence Program. NQI commended WSPS for its management commitment to quality, health, safety, and wellness, plus the use of nine sub-sector advisory groups as part of its customer focus

In 2011, WSPS will expand the scope of both its annual ISO registration, and its application for NQI Level 2 in 2012, to embrace all three sectors it serves. To that end, employees have been working to systematically replace legacy policies, procedures and forms with one integrated system that meets the needs of clients in agriculture, manufacturing and service.

A further demonstration of WSPS's commitment to quality and excellence is the appointment of president and CEO Elizabeth Mills to NQI's Board of Governors.