May 2022
Safety & Health Week: May 1 - 7 
THERE’S STILL TIME TO MARK THE WEEK
Safety and Health Week is a week-long event celebrated across North America that highlights the importance of preventing injury and illness in the workplace and communities. To mark this year’s Safety and Health Week, WSCC is focussing on how to prepare young workers to safely enter the workforce.

WSCC Safety Professionals have been out and about all week visiting schools and businesses across the NWT and Nunavut, and are hosting industry-specific Zoom sessions for employers who frequently hire young workers. Thanks to everyone who participated in the sessions or checked out our online Young Worker resources.

There’s still an opportunity for all employers tomorrow, Friday May 6, 2022 to finish the week with a focus on safety. See below for your opportunity to join in! All Zoom sessions start at 1:00 pm MT/3:00 pm ET.

• Friday, May 6 – All Employers

To register for this Zoom session, click on the link above, or email us here.
Construction Season Reminders
INFORMATION TO HELP YOU PREPARE
At this time of year many employers take on new work, new employees, new work conditions, and entirely new work sites.

High hazard work notification

It is a legal requirement for all employers to give notice to the Chief Safety Officer of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories a reasonable amount of time before high hazard work starts. High hazard work includes:

  • Beginning a new operation in construction, manufacturing, or processing with 20 or more workers who will be working for six months or more;
  • Digging an excavation, trench, or excavating a shaft that is more than 5 feet (1.52 meters), or that a worker will need to enter;
  • Digging a tunnel that a worker will be required or permitted to enter.

If your business is taking on any high hazard work over the summer, contact the Chief Safety Officer today.

Clearance letter request

Did you know that under the Workers’ Compensation Act(s), you can be held liable for any unpaid assessments of contractors that you hire? The Act(s) state that you are both jointly and individually liable to pay the WSCC any assessment relating to their contracts. On WSCC Connect, you can obtain a Letter of Good Standing before you start work, and a Final Clearance when the work is finished to protect yourself from the liability of having to pay your contractors’ assessments.

If you are putting in a proposal for work that your company hopes to take on, you can request a Bidding Clearance letter to prove that your business is registered with the WSCC.

Have a safe construction season 

Remember that any time the work changes or the work site changes, your workers need to be trained to do their work safely. The WSCC has some tools and resources available that can help you keep safety top of mind on your construction sites:

  • Codes of Practice will help employers, supervisors, and workers understand what is required by the legislation.
  • Safety Bulletins are subject overviews that can be posted around your office.
  • Safety Talks are outlines for safety talks that you can have with employees. 
  • The OHS App is safety legislation at your fingertips! Once downloaded, the app works regardless of whether you have internet access, so it is perfect for anyone working off-site, on the land, or simply a worker or supervisor who needs fast and easy access to essential safety information. 

Contact the WSCC if you have any questions about the work you are taking on this summer, or your responsibilities under the Workers’ Compensation Act(s) and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. All workplace safety-related legislation can be found on our website. The WSCC is here to support you in creating a safer workplace.
Safety Spotlight
STRUCK BY OBJECTS 
Struck-by injuries are a cause for concern in all industries, but particularly high among construction workers, and are a leading cause of injury for new, young and casual workers.

Struck-by is the term used in workplace safety for different types of injuries that can happen when a worker is hit—or struck—by any falling, flying, rolling or stationary object. For example, a worker being hit by a falling tool, injured in the eye by a sliver of wood, or caught in a piece of equipment.

Visit our Safety Spotlight feature page for more information and safety resources to help employers prevent injuries caused by contact with an object at their workplaces. Also available are demonstration and discussion resources for instructors or supervisors of young workers on topics such as eye protection for woodworking and Auto lifts or hoists.
Stakeholder Engagement
Closing Soon
Funding of Training Organizations

WSCC is seeking feedback on how we provide funding to workplace health and safety training organizations to help employers meet their training obligations under NWT and NU safety legislation.

This engagement is open until May 6, 2022. You can visit our webpage for more information and to read the Discussion Paper and Summary.

Contact us if you have questions or would like to schedule a one-on-one conversation to provide your feedback
WSCC Office Closures
WSCC Offices are closed for Victoria Day on Monday, May 23, and will reopen on Tuesday, May 24, at 8:30 am.

To report a serious workplace injury or incident, call 1-800-661-0792.

To report unsafe work, use our online Report Unsafe Work service on WSCC Connect.
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