January 2024

FRANÇAIS | ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ

SLIPS, TRIPS, AND FALLS

The best way to prevent injuries caused by falling, slipping, or tripping is to take it one step at a time! 

Hazards that may result in a slip, trip, or a fall may exist at your workplace year-round. However, winter weather brings slippery outdoor conditions like ice, uneven ground due to snow cover, and darkness. Low light conditions make it harder to see where you’re going, and can hide trip or slip hazards.

You can avoid winter slip, trip, and fall hazards by:

• Paying attention to your surroundings
• Slowing down 
• Wearing appropriate footwear
• Carrying a load small enough that you can see over it

For more information on preventing injuries caused by slips, trips, and falls, see the latest WSCC Safety Spotlight on our website.

DANGEROUS OCCURRENCES

A Dangerous Occurrence is an incident that could have resulted in a serious injury or worse. 

Employers – do you know that you have a responsibility to report such an incident to the WSCC, even if no workers were injured?

If a Dangerous Occurrence does happen, an employer must:

• Report the incident to the Chief Safety Officer / Chief Mine Inspector as soon as reasonably possible.
• Report the incident to the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (Committee) or OHS Representative (Representative) as soon as reasonably possible.
• Conduct an internal incident investigation in partnership with the Committee, Representative, or with the workers at the worksite.
• Complete a report that identifies the cause(s) of the accident, immediate corrective action(s), and long-term action(s) that will prevent the incident from happening again.

Are you a supervisor? The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulations define a supervisor as a person who is authorized by the employer to oversee or direct workers at a worksite. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that worksites are safe. 

All supervisors in the NWT and Nunavut must complete a training program that is authorized by the WSCC to make sure they are familiar with their legislated responsibilities. 

If you work in mining, you must take a Mine Supervisor Certification Course.

If you work in any other industry, this program is called a Supervisor OHS Familiarization course or Supervisor Safety Training. To see a list of WSCC-approved providers, click here.

Make sure supervisors have the right training. This will help reduce injuries and incidents. 

wscc.nt.ca 1.800.661.0792 | wscc.nu.ca 1.877.404.4407