The Signal: WorkplaceNL's Health and Safety Podcast

Safety leadership and commitment is critical to the success of safety in the workplace.   In 2022, WorkplaceNL introduced the annual Safety Leadership Awards for Employers and Employees.  The Safety Leadership Awards recognize employers and workers who demonstrate leadership and a visible commitment to health and safety in workplaces in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Labatt Brewery NL was the inaugural winner of WorkplaceNL’s Safety Leadership Award for Employers, presented at our Learning Symposium in 2022.  Using a collaborative and cooperative approach to safety, Labatt Brewery NL uses workforce teamwork to keep everyone safe. Through hard work and innovation, they empower their workers to address safety issues, and have implemented programs and procedures that have positively resulted in a lost-time incidence rate well below the industry rate.

Join us as we discuss Safety Leadership and the success that Labatt Brewery is seeing.

The foundation of a psychologically healthy and safe workplace is respectful and clear communication that builds trust and meaningful interactions between employees. Workplaces should create a culture where everyone can feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns, including mental health in the workplace. The way we talk about mental health is powerful and can either prevent someone from talking about their mental health or prevent them from helping others. Let's make sure we use language that is based on respect, builds trust and collaboration, and enables positive interactions and relationships.

Employers, supervisors, and workers must understand their respective roles and responsibilities to create a healthy and safe workplace.  Join Sheri Philpott and DeeAnne Feltham-Scott as they discuss Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) responsibilities, the internal responsibility system, and due diligence.  

Move Well – Work Well Week is an annual event in Newfoundland and Labrador to raise awareness of MSIs and find practical solutions for prevention in workplaces.

Musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) are painful disorders of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, spinal discs, and related soft tissues. MSIs include repetitive strain and overexertion injuries like sprains, strains, and inflammation.

Move Well – Work Well reminds us that when we move often, rather than being sedentary or staying in one position too long, and when we move well, using good body mechanics, it results in us being well and working well – we are productive, comfortable, healthy, and our risk for MSI is reduced. Essentially, when we move well, we work well.

Chris Denine was 31 years old and working in building maintenance in Labrador in 2017 when he suffered a workplace injury. Since that time Chris has not been able to return to his pre-injury position, pre-injury employer, or pre-injury region. Following extensive rehabilitation, Chris participated in a Labour Market Re-entry screening, and eventually a full Labour Market Re-entry assessment. Chris successfully completed retraining in the Supply Chain Logistics program and is now employed full-time as a Supply Chain Coordinator in St. John’s. Chris and his wife, Heather share their powerful journey of living life to the fullest after a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

Mental health is a concern for working Canadians. 70% report that work impacts their mental health, and 78% report that poor mental health is the primary reason for missing work. Canadian employees report workplace stress as the leading cause of their mental health concerns. Burnout is described as emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and being ineffective and unproductive in the workplace caused by prolonged negative responses to stressful workplace conditions. There are various coping strategies that individuals can use to help manage daily stress in the workplace and at home.

Occupational health and safety committees (OHSC) are a group of employer and worker representatives who monitor worker health and safety in consultation with the employer. Join Jo-Ann Woodland and Valerie Ducey as they discuss practical ways to effectively engage members of the OHSC and the workplace to create a healthy and safe workplace. 

Serious injuries and fatalities are devastating to employees and workplaces and can have long-lasting effects. The Newfoundland and Labrador Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations require employers to report serious injuries and fatalities to the OHS Division. Employers, supervisors, and workers must understand their respective roles and responsibilities to prevent serious injuries and fatalities.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is the support provided to a person who may be experiencing a decline in their mental well-being or a mental health crisis. The Mental Health Commission of Canada reports that one in every five Canadians experiences a mental health problem in any given year. We tend to know more about physical illness than we do about mental health or substance use problems.

This lack of understanding leads to negative attitudes of stigma toward people who live with these problems. It stops people from seeking help for themselves. When we don’t know that someone is having difficulty with their mental health, then that prevents us from being able to support them with what they need.

John Dinn is a certified Mental Health First Aid trainer in Newfoundland and Labrador. He is also employed by the Canadian Mental Health Association as the Workplace Mental Health Coordinator. He brings many years of experience in helping workplaces to develop into psychologically healthy and safe spaces for everyone.

Marked annually in Canada on April 28, the National Day of Mourning is dedicated to remembering those who have lost their lives or suffered injury or illness on the job or due to a work-related tragedy. The National Day of Mourning is not only a day to remember and honour those lives lost or injured due to a workplace tragedy, but also a day to collectively renew our commitment to improve health and safety in the workplace and prevent further injuries, illnesses and deaths.