WORKPLACENL ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT 2015
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Opportunities & Challenges
WorkplaceNL will support injured workers and their employers by creating awareness and managing policies to address complex injuries and illnesses, including occupational disease, and to focus on facilitating the workers’ early and safe return to work.
1.8
{ 1.6
RATE PLATEAU
1.6
1.6
on a provincial scale. Our province’s safety culture will benefit from new approaches, innovation and continuous monitoring and identification of risk areas.
}1.5
per 100 workers
232K
241K 243K 239K 236K
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Annual Average Employment (thousands)
Lost-time incidence rate
Reducing injuries and illnesses The lost-time incidence rate decreased to an all-time low of 1.5 per 100 workers in 2015, after remaining stagnant at 1.6 for three years prior. WorkplaceNL recognizes that further reductions in the injury rate will be increasingly challenging to achieve. The extent to which the injury rate can be reduced, or to avoid an upward swing, depends on WorkplaceNL refreshing its focus on educating and creating awareness of how to prevent workplace injuries by targeting areas of greatest risk. We will emphasize our safety culture for ongoing reductions in soft-tissue injuries, injuries from assaults and violent acts, and occupational illnesses. There remains opportunity for WorkplaceNL to engage workplace parties through partnerships with safety associations, employers and workers to improve safety performance at workplaces, within an industry and
Return to work WorkplaceNL recognizes that early intervention on an injured worker’s claim contributes to their recovery and supports planning for early and safe return to work (ESRTW). It also helps manage claims costs while maintaining benefits to which injured workers are entitled. Ultimately, early intervention reduces the amount of time a worker is away from his/her workplace. Success in ESRTW depends on the worker, the employer and the health care provider. WorkplaceNL sees opportunity to engage all parties early in the process to help them understand their roles and responsibilities, with a focus on the workers’ return to work as soon as it is safe to do so.
Mental health in the workplace There is a growing awareness of mental health and wellness in society and in the workplace. Recent province-wide awareness campaigns have been aimed at improving knowledge of the continuum of mental health and reducing the stigma associated with mental illnesses and addictions.
