November 26, 2009 – Halifax/Yarmouth, NS – The Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia (WCB) is shining a spotlight on fishing safety as fishermen across South Shore and Southwest Nova Scotia prepare to take to the water on Monday for the start of lobster season.

Workplace injury continues to have a devastating impact on the province’s fishing industry. In 2008, there were 421 fishing industry injuries. Of those, 172 people were injured seriously enough that they lost time from work.  And tragically, eight people died at work in the fishing industry last year.

“Fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations in the province, but that can change if workers and employers take action to prevent injuries,” said Stuart MacLean, the WCB’s Vice President of Service Delivery. “We’re strongly encouraging everyone in the fishing industry to take every precaution to ensure they come home safely.”

While injuries related to weather, conditions at sea and overloaded boats are often serious and tragic, sprains and strains are common and financially costly. These injuries are caused by hazards associated with the way work is designed and carried out such as lifting heavy loads.

The seafood processing sector also had its share of injury, with 445 injuries in 2008, including 105 injuries causing time lost from work.

Efforts are underway to make the fishing industry safer. In 2010 Nova Scotia will become the second Canadian province to form a fishing safety association with a mandate of reducing workplace injuries along with workers’ compensation rates for the fishing industry. 

“Establishing a fishing safety association is an important step towards creating a safety culture in the fishing industry,” said Lisa Anderson, Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Fisheries Sector Council. “By working together we can more effectively promote safe work practices and the business case for safety.”

This fall the WCB and the Nova Scotia Fisheries Sector Council produced an advertising campaign featuring hard-hitting safety messages such as “What’s harder? Telling your crew to put on lifejackets or telling their families they aren’t coming home?”

Premiums paid by fishing industry employers for workplace injury insurance are among the highest in Nova Scotia. The 2010 rate is $7.55 per $100 of payroll, up from $7.48 in 2009.

For seafood processing, the 2010 rate is $4.55, down from $5.19 in 2009. Employers in aquaculture will pay $5.01 per $100 of assessable payroll in 2010, up from $4.18 in 2009.

All sectors are still well above Nova Scotia’s average assessment rate of $2.65 – a direct result of the number and severity of injuries in the fishing sector.

“Safety associations in the forestry and construction industries have been very successful in lowering the rate of workplace injuries, and over time, the WCB premiums paid by employers in those sectors,” said MacLean. “Our goal is for the fishing industry to experience similar improvements in injury prevention so far fewer workers and their families will experience the devastating impact of workplace injury.”

About the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia: The Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia (WCB) is committed to keeping Nova Scotians safe and secure from workplace injury. The WCB provides workplace injury insurance for more than 18,000 employers, representing about 300,000 workers across the province. The WCB sets the standard for workplace injury insurance by informing and inspiring Nova Scotians in the prevention of workplace injury. If an injury occurs, the WCB supports those whose lives it touches by championing a timely return to safe and healthy work.

About the Nova Scotia Fisheries Sector Council: The Nova Scotia Fisheries Sector Council is dedicated to planning and implementing human resource development strategies to attract new entrants to aquaculture, fish harvesting and processing careers, and promoting competitiveness and higher quality standards for seafood products. We want to involve industry stakeholders at all levels in expanding investment and participation in human resource development activities.

For more information, please contact:

Julie Trites, Communications Advisor
Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia
902.491.8103
julie.trites@wcb.gov.ns.ca

Lisa Anderson, Executive Director
NS Fisheries Sector Council
902-742-6167
nsfsc@klis.com