Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba - WCB Research Grants to help reduce the risk of workplace injury

(WINNIPEG) Ten research and community service projects of benefit to Manitoba's workers and employers will receive funding from the Community Initiatives and Research Program of the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) of Manitoba in 2002. In total, $966,731 is targeted to projects that emphasize reducing the risk or severity of workplace accidents and reducing the impact of injury and disease by returning injured workers to health and work faster.

"Preventing an injury from occurring in the first place is always the best course of action," said WCB Chairperson Wally Fox-Decent in making the announcement. "With occupational health and safety as part of training programs workers will be better able to recognize workplace hazards and avoid getting hurt on the job."

"When an injury does occur, our goal is to support the worker's speedy return to health and work. The projects we are funding will help make that happen through the development of programs that promote safety, health and rehabilitation."

The projects to receive funding in 2002 include:

Approved grants are subject to conditions including achievement of anticipated benefits/outcomes, approved research methods or consultation with key WCB stakeholders.

The Community Initiatives and Research Program, launched by the WCB in 1997, falls within the mandate of The Workers Compensation Act. Through the program, the WCB may fund research and safety programs on accident prevention, safety in the workplace, treatment of workplace injuries and scientific, medical or other issues related to workers' compensation. The goal of the program is to help enhance knowledge and understanding of complex workers' compensation issues and to broaden knowledge of effective strategies to minimize the human and financial impact of occupational injuries and disease.

The Manitoba WCB is a statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors representing employers, the public interest and workers. The WCB is committed to providing superior compensation services to Manitoba workers and employers in a manner that is sensitive, responsive and effective - in order to minimize the impact of workplace injuries. Seventy percent of Manitoba workers are covered by workers' compensation.

Contact:
Don McDonald
Director of Communications
WCB Manitoba
(204) 954-4113
1 800 362-3340
Email: wcb@wcb.mb.ca

The following five Agencies were awarded funding to integrate a workplace health and safety component into their curriculum and into school based work-experience programs.

Agency: Victor Mager Job Re-Entry Program
Approved funding of $31,430

Purpose:
Integration of health and safety education for young workers into the curriculum and work experience of the Victor Mager Job Re-Entry Program (VMJREP). VMJREP is a community based initiative working to meet the employment needs of young people, the underemployed, and new Canadians in Winnipeg. The program offers guidance, support and training to participants, assisting them to make the necessary changes in their lives that will enable them to find and maintain paid work.

Agency: Anokiiwin Training Institute
Approved funding of $105,000

Purpose:
Anokiiwin Training Institute is a private vocational school that designs, develops and delivers a wide range of training programs including diploma courses, workshops, seminars and related activities. It is a leader in providing training to the Aboriginal community in Manitoba. Occupational health and safety modules are currently integrated into their existing programs in varying degrees. This proposal is to better coordinate the training on workplace health and safety through the development of distributed learning curriculum and course materials for a series of seven coordinated workshops.

Agency: Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School
Approved funding of $44,250

Purpose:
To develop a Power Mechanics Vocational Safety Plan, and a 30 to 40 hour course comprised of two units which will be integrated within the existing curriculum. The Power Mechanics Vocational Program Safety Plan and course curriculum will be used in their Power Mechanics program and may be used in other Power Mechanics programs in Manitoba.

Agency: Keewatin Community College (KCC)
Approved funding of $93,000

Purpose:
Basic Industrial Skills Program/Revision of Existing Trades Programs. This project will include the development and delivery of a new industrial skills program, as well as the expansion of existing occupational health and safety curricula at KCC.

Agency: Tec-Voc High School
Approved funding of $118,100

Purpose:
The funding for this project will broaden and deepen the current curriculum related to workplace safety and health and ensure greater consistency in implementation and delivery across the various programs at Tec-Voc.

Addressing Violence in the Mental Health Care Workplace
Agency: Health Sciences Centre
Approved funding of $30,076 for one year

Purpose:
This project involves the development and mapping of a comprehensive system of services to employees, which will include training on early identification of violent behavior, interventions for dealing with potentially dangerous patients and assistance for healthcare workers who have been assaulted.

Foodservice Industry Safety & Health Multimedia Series
Agency: Manitoba Restaurant Association/ Manitoba Restaurant Educational Foundation
Approved funding of $53,750 for one year

Purpose:
This project will develop videos & printed information on occupational health and safety issues that will be distributed to all Manitoba food services to raise hazard awareness. The materials will be translated into a number of languages to help educate this ethnically diverse industry which employs the majority of younger workers.

Health Educator and Outreach
Agency: MFL Occupational Health Centre, Inc.
Approved funding of $61,088 for one year

Purpose:
This project is designed to increase the awareness, knowledge and skill among immigrant, rural/northern workers regarding workplace health and safety.

Building Respectful Workplaces in Manitoba
Agency: United Steelworkers of America
Approved funding of $25,000 for three years

Purpose:
This is a joint union-management approach to provide information to workers about promoting and building respectful workplaces in Manitoba. Materials presented will deal with the human dynamics workers need to respect when building respectful relationships in the workplace. These include race, gender, disability, and other human rights.

Workplace Health & Safety Council "Protecting Preserving Promoting"
Agency: Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA)
Approved funding of $405,037 for two years

Purpose:
The funding for this project will support the early development of the Workplace Health & Safety Council, consisting of the WRHA/Manitoba Council of Health Care Unions. The Council's mandate will be to prevent injury among 27,000 health care workers and to decrease their resulting personal and financial costs.