Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m alarmed to hear about the apparently huge issue of health and safety performance in the GNWT workplace. Information received from the Minister of Human Resources describes GNWT performance under the Safe Advantage program created by the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission in 2007. It says that employers with proven safety and return-to-work practices receive a refund and employers with poor safety and return-to-work practices pay a penalty.
Since the program was created in 2007, the GNWT has never received a good performance refund. In fact, over the past four years we’ve paid $255,000 in penalties, rising to a peak this year. During that time, claims experience costs topped $2 million. This is not good, and I will be asking the Minister how our workplace injury rates and costs compare to other workplace categories.
There are also confusing results of management practice questionnaires completed by GNWT to report on its performance. Managers describe their performance in such areas as inspections, hazard management, and Occupational Health and Safety Program evaluation. Survey results have given steadily improving ratings, from 17 percent in return-to-work practices and zero percent on safety in 2007-2008, to 100 percent in return-to-work practices and 86 percent on safety in 2010-2011. Contrast this to the dramatic growth in penalties from zero four years ago to a quarter million-plus this most recent year and claims costs peaking at another three-quarters of a million dollars in 2010-2011 and it’s hard to understand how the survey ratings could be improving when claims and penalties are skyrocketing.
Incredibly, the GNWT does not have health and safety committees intended under the act. According to the Minister’s explanation, the GNWT will establish a health and safety committee structure, which will require departments to have occupational health and safety committees and an overall committee, it will meet the legislated requirements of the act by the end of 2011-2012. We’re talking “will,” four years into the introduction of the program.
What are these injuries and what are we doing to avoid them? Information I’ve gathered indicates health and safety committees are a rarity. I will be asking the Minister how rare and how it’s possible that our penalties and costs continue to go up while our ratings appear to improve, all in the absence of government-wide health and safety committee structure that meets the requirement of the act.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on the statement made by my colleague Mr. Bromley.
I was disappointed last week when Mr. Bromley shared the GNWT results of the Safe Advantage program with me. For the 2010-2011 year, the GNWT received a penalty of $243,583.37. I understand that this is the largest penalty issued by the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission during the 2010-2011 fiscal year. In fact, it may be the largest penalty issued in the life of the Safe Advantage program.
According to the Safe Advantage program guidelines that I found on the WSCC website, prevention programs are essential in creating a safe workplace. Further, it is important that both the employer and workers support and follow procedures outlined in the program and work to keep those programs up to date.
The penalties occur when claim costs are above experience-incentive ranges. Claim costs include all of the costs directed to an employer, such as medical aid, compensation, vocational rehabilitation, and pensions. Experience-incentive ranges are based on average assessments of individual employers. So, basically, penalties occur when the costs of workplace injuries to an employer is higher than the average cost of similar costs throughout the Northwest Territories. In short, this current penalty suggests that the GNWT has a worse than average record of workplace safety and prevention.
The Safe Advantage program has only existed for four years. In that time, as Mr. Bromley indicated in his statement, the GNWT has experienced a total claim cost in excess of $2 million. This is embarrassing. It’s my understanding that the Department of Human Resources is working to address the requirements set out in the Safe Advantage program. To this end, the Department of Human Resources is apparently working on a government-wide Occupational Health and Safety Program which will help to meet the legislative requirements set out in the Safety Act. Yet a review of the GNWT phone directory shows the only occupational health and safety position in the GNWT is at Stanton Territorial Health Authority. After four years, only one position.
There are also five health and wellness positions at the Department of Human Resources. One is a consultant and four are officers. I’m assuming the consultant is the one position in the GNWT working on the government-wide health and safety programs.
The GNWT must lead by example. We must strive for the safest workplaces in the Northwest Territories. We must stop being assessed these significant fines.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
All the Members in this House have talked about using public money wisely. Having to pay these fines is not wise use of money.
Workplace incidents are completely avoidable. As leaders we must promote behavioural changes within the GNWT that will increase workplace safety and incident prevention, and work with our injured staff to encourage early and safe return to work.
Let’s stop paying these unnecessary and avoidable fines and let’s use our money to provide quality services and programs for our residents, programs that help our residents, Mr. Speaker. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
