NEW: Safe Workplace Program |
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Beginning this year, WSCC will recognize employers that demonstrate a commitment to workplace health and safety through the new Safe Workplace program.
Participating in the Safe Workplace program shows your workers, your industry, and the community you serve that safety is a core value in your organization.
What does this mean for employers?
Starting in January 2022, all employers will have access to program information through the new Safe Workplace service, available on WSCC Connect.
To receive a Safe Workplace status, employers must meet a set of criteria based on legal responsibilities under the Workers' Compensation Acts, Safety Acts, Explosives Use Acts and the Mine Health and Safety Acts. All employers who meet the criteria will receive a printable certificate and digital badge to display at their worksite or on their website and print materials.
Safe Workplace AND the Advanced Safe Workplace status criteria:
- Your business/organization has an active safety program. You must submit this information in the OHS Questionnaire while completing the WSCC Annual Payroll Report (APR). Ensure that you connect with the person responsible for reporting payroll in your organization to prepare your answers. The deadline for APR is February 28. Has your information changed mid-year? Don’t worry! The OHS Questionnaire can be updated as your company makes improvements to their safety program.
- You are in good standing with WSCC accounts and assessment payments.
- You are in compliance with WSCC prevention directions.
- Time loss claims are below the employer’s class average. You can find your class average here.
- Employer has no convictions under the Safety Act(s), or workplace fatalities in the past 12 months.
Advanced Safe Workplace status only:
The WSCC is excited to launch this program for employers and to work together towards safer workplaces. To learn more, visit the Safe Workplace program page of our website. |
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TOOLS AND SAFETY INFORMATION FOR YOUR WORKPLACE |
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The WSCC has developed materials to help employers to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in their workplaces. If there is a tool that you are interested in, you can find it on our COVID-19 Resource Page.
Remember that your employees should take part in exposure control planning for your workplace, so show them what resources are available. It is important that your employees are involved and aware.
If you have any questions about exposure control planning, contact the WSCC today. In Nunavut, contact Covid-19@wscc.nu.ca, and for the Northwest Territories, contact Covid-19@wscc.nt.ca, or you can call 1 (800) 661-0792 to speak with a Safety Inspector. |
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A helping hand never goes amiss when it comes to workplace safety, but how do we protect the hands that help us every day?
In 2021, 19.2 % of accepted claims were related to hand injuries. Hand injuries come from many sources: frost bite, broken bones, cuts, crush injuries, needle sticks, rashes, and irritated skin are just some examples. Depending on the task being done, there are several preventative tools and techniques. Follow these three steps to find the best protection for your hands.
Hand Injury prevention
- Start by identifying all of the risks of hand injury in your workplace.
- Identify what you need to do to prevent these risks from happening. This might be guards on equipment, training your workers to use tools effectively, the correct PPE for the job, or simply cleaning up to avoid leaving unnecessary sharp objects where someone could accidentally hit them (tools, stray nails sticking out from walls, etc.).
- Make sure your workers are trained to recognize hazards, and understand how to prevent them from causing injury.
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START 2022 ON THE RIGHT FOOTING |
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2022 is here, and we still have several months of snow and ice ahead of us. Slips, trips, and falls continue to be one of the most common causes of incidents in the NWT and Nunavut, so it is always good to discuss workplace safety during icy conditions. Remind workers to slow down, wear proper footwear, and keep an eye out for icy patches.
Good practices for employers
Ensure you have highly visible signage to remind employees about slippery conditions and that proper footwear is required.
Take care of icy patches as soon as they are found or reported. When possible, have a bag of sand safely stored by entrances and exits so it is easy, quick, and convenient to remove patches of ice.
Foster a strong safety culture in your workplace. Be understanding when a worker might be running a few minutes late due to slippery conditions, encourage employees to participate in creating a safer workplace by identifying and taking care of icy patches quickly (if it is safe for them to do so), and recognize workers who consistently make an effort to make safe choices.
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Submissions are Open on WSCC Connect
You can now start submitting your Annual Payroll Report (APR) through WSCC Connect. The deadline is February 28, 2022. Remember, you must submit an APR even if you are reporting zero (0) payroll. The penalty for late submission is 15% of your previous year’s employer payroll assessment.
See the article above on the Safe Workplace program to find important information on the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) questions that appear in section 4 of the APR.
We’re here to help! If you need assistance with APR submissions, visit the WSCC Connect Help page, or contact an employer services member in your territory at:
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Changes to Assessment Payment Due Dates |
Starting in 2022, assessment payments are due one day earlier than in previous years. If you are paying by installments and make payments by pre-authorized credit card debits or post-dated cheques, please review your payment method to ensure it is up-to-date. Payments can be submitted through WSCC Connect.
Assessment Payment Due Dates beginning in 2022:
- March 31 (Previously April 1)
- May 31 (Previously June 1)
- July 31 (Previously August 1)
- September 30 (Previously October 1)
For more information about employer assessments, see Policy 02.01: Employer Assessments available at wscc.nt.ca or wscc.nu.ca. |
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Reminder: First Aid Legislation Changes |
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NWT Employers should now be in compliance with the updated First Aid Legislation requirements that came into effect in January 1, 2021. The legislation changes impacted the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulations, Part 5 – First Aid.
Nunavut Employers have until February 12, 2022 to meet the updated legislative requirements.
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Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut,
5022 49th Street, 5th Floor, Centre Square Tower, Box 8888, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2R3 Canada
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