More than 2,000 Nova Scotia workers suffered serious back injuries in 2011
HALIFAX, NS –May 7, 2012 – The Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia (WCB) and the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education are asking Nova Scotians to have each other’s backs in the workplace.
A new social marketing campaign launching today recruits Back Protection Agents to join in a mission to prevent back injuries – the most common workplace injury in Nova Scotia.
Last year, more than 2,000 Nova Scotia workers suffered a serious back injury that resulted in time lost from work, and reduced quality of life. Back injuries account for 30 per cent of all time-loss injuries in Nova Scotia.
“Every single back injury is preventable. But it takes leadership, focus and discipline to change the way we work to avoid those injuries,” said Stuart MacLean, CEO of the WCB. “Safety is everyone’s responsibility and we’re asking all Nova Scotians to become ‘Back Protection Agents’ to take the message of back safety deeper into Nova Scotia’s workplaces.”
Back injuries don’t just hurt people. They also hurt productivity and profits. Collectively they cost the province’s workplace insurance system millions annually, a cost that is borne by Nova Scotia employers in the form of higher workplace insurance rates.
Like other musculoskeletal injuries, back injuries can often be avoided through better design of workplaces, safer lifting practices, use of tools like lifts, carts and dollies, or simply by asking for help if something seems unsafe to move on your own.
"Safety is everyone's responsibility and it is the day-to-day choices we all make as employees and employers that contribute to a safe work environment," said Minister More. "Doing things the right way, making smart decisions, and following a few simple tips can save yourself, and your coworkers, from a painful back injury."
The Back Protection Agent concept builds on previous social marketing efforts designed to create awareness of workplace safety issues and change behavior to reduce the frequency of injuries. The campaign includes online advertising, traditional marketing and safety tools and resources for workers and employers. It was developed in a cost-sharing partnership with workers’ compensation organizations in Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island.
Print advertisements share real-world stories of back protection, profiling real Nova Scotia workplaces where change has been made to protect backs from workplace injury.
“Overall, workplace injuries are down in Nova Scotia, but there is still a lot of work to do to make them a thing of the past,” said MacLean. “With back injuries representing such a large percentage of workplace injuries, tackling them directly will help us build on our progress and bring us closer to establishing a true culture of safety in Nova Scotia.”
To find out more about becoming a Back Protection Agent, visit www.worksafeforlife.ca
For more information, please contact:
Julie Trites
902.491.8110
Julie.trites@wcb.ns.ca
Brian Taylor
Labour and Advanced Education
902-424-0281
taylorbk@gov.ns.ca