WINNIPEG - After five years of supporting initiatives to reduce the risk and impact of workplace injuries, the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba (WCB) announced the latest funding recipients of its Community Initiatives and Research Program (CIRP) today. The recipients, who will begin their projects this year, were unveiled at the Victor Mager Adult Education and Job Re-entry Program.

The CIRP provides up to $1 million annually to fund projects focusing on accident and disease prevention, safety in the workplace, treatment of workplace injuries, support for injured workers and their families, and research into scientific, medical or other issues related to workers compensation. Since the inception of the program, approximately 62 percent of all funding has supported workplace safety initiatives.

"The CIRP exists because of the need to reduce workplace injury and disease," says WCB President and CEO Doug Sexsmith, on behalf of Chairperson Wally Fox-Decent. "We have seen our funding support worthy projects for over five years now, and we've seen the benefits in safety initiatives such as the Victor Mager Job Re-Entry Program which focuses on safety for young people, the under-employed and new Canadians, the Workers of Tomorrow program which focuses on safety for high school students, and the Anokiiwin Training Institute, which focuses on safety for aboriginal peoples."

Sexsmith adds that the most effective way to reduce the human and financial toll of workplace injuries is to educate workers before they find themselves in potentially harmful situations.

"I appreciate the role of the WCB in helping myself and others become more aware of safety at the workplace," says J.R. Hwang, a student at Victor Mager. "I came to Winnipeg from Korea 10 months ago, and I find the hard work of the instructors here and the guidance of the WCB to be very helpful in my transition to this workforce."

The priorities for the 2002 funding program centered on prevention, rehabilitation and community support. The WCB also looked at community-based programs that emphasize occupational injury and disease awareness, and workplace health and safety.

The WCB also announced today that it will begin accepting applications for 2003 CIRP funding. For more information, log on to the WCB website at www.wcb.mb.ca.

The CIRP was launched by the WCB at the end of 1997. Through the program, the WCB funds research and safety initiatives on accident prevention, workplace safety, treatment of workplace injuries and scientific, medical or other issues related to workers' compensation. The program hopes to enhance the understanding of workers' compensation issues and to minimize the human and financial impact of occupational injuries and disease. Since the CIRP first began funding workplace safety research and programs, 59 innovative projects have been completed or are still in operation.

The Manitoba WCB is a statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors representing employers, workers and the public interest. The WCB is committed to minimizing the risk of workplace injuries and illnesses, minimizing the impact of workplace injuries and illnesses, meeting the changing needs of Manitoba's workplaces and working with our partners to achieve these goals.

For more information contact:

Warren Preece, Director of Communications
WCB Manitoba (204) 954-4113