SAFETY MOMENT
Every year we invite a dedicated group of leaders to become change-makers in Saskatchewan. Once each year, on the second Thursday in June, a group of Saskatchewan’s top business leaders gather to learn, share and motivate one another to change the safety culture in our province.
This is the Saskatchewan Health and Safety Leadership Charter signatory group. Founded in 2010 by WorkSafe Saskatchewan and Safe Saskatchewan, a non-profit injury-prevention organization, the charter initiative asks leaders to sign the Saskatchewan Health and Safety Leadership Charter supporting seven principles for health and safety, and then uphold and promote them in their workplaces and communities.
Since 2010, 600 companies have signed the charter at the annual June event. Companies do not need a perfect safety record to sign the charter. For some, signing the charter validated the safety journey they were already on. For others, signing the charter and becoming part of the leadership community encouraged them to begin tracking their incidents and injuries. Other leaders found that signing the charter pushed them into taking an active role in communicating safety values with management and staff.
This year the event took place June 8 at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon. The morning featured guest speakers, an employer best-practices panel and networking time for those in attendance. The highlight of the event includes welcoming new signatories.
Jason Hrywkiw, general manager, R.H. Electric Ltd., and 2015 WorkSafe Safe Employer says signing the charter and meeting the other leaders taught him to take a more “coaching” approach to safety: rather than pushing safety policies on employees, he made safety a two-way dialogue.
The charter signatory group has seen great success. Their time loss injury rates have dropped 43.11 per cent since 2010.
To learn more about the Health and Safety Leadership Charter event and become a part of this community of safety leaders, contact Safe Saskatchewan at 306.352.3810 or email: info@safesask.com.
