WCB partners with Keystone Agricultural Producers in a pilot project to reduce work-related injuries in the agriculture industry

WINNIPEG – The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba (WCB), in its ongoing efforts to make workplaces safer, has awarded Manitoba’s Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) a grant to develop a pilot project that will provide occupational health and safety services to farmers and farm workers. The grant has been awarded via the WCB’s Research and Workplace Innovation Program (RWIP), which makes available $1 million each year to fund high quality scientific research and programs that develop, implement or evaluate innovative, practical, shop-floor solutions for improving workplace health and safety.

“The WCB, through programs like this, helps its partners in the community to create innovative projects that reduce workplace injuries and disease and help workers recover from injuries,” says Alice Sayant, WCB Vice President, Prevention, Assessments and Customer Service. “This project is an extremely timely one, as agriculture is now a WCB covered industry.”

The project will provide occupational health and safety services to individual farmers and farm workers while providing one-on-one safety and health education and health tests. Trained Farm Safety Specialists will conduct on-site farm safety reviews of potential hazards from machinery, livestock facilities and chemical storage and propose measures to mitigate these risks. The pilot is estimated to cost $188,000 and will be undertaken over a two-year period.

“We are excited to be announcing this project during Canadian Agricultural Safety Week,” says Yvonne Rideout, General Manager, KAP. “We believe this project will greatly benefit the agricultural community in Manitoba and complement other government initiatives in the province, such as the Manitoba Safe Farms Check Program.”

The RWIP replaces the Community Initiative and Research Program (CIRP), which had been in operation since 1997. Since that time, more than 65 percent of the funding has supported workplace prevention, education and training initiatives and 136 projects have been completed or are still in progress.

“The RWIP funds workplace safety innovations which will result in gains for Manitoba employers and workers from both a human and financial perspective,” says Sayant. “This helps employers through reduced costs of business associated with workplace injuries. It assists workers by helping them stay safe or, if they do get hurt, recover from their workplace injuries.”

The 2009 RWIP Annual Report, which will provide more information about recently-approved projects and grant recipients, will be released on May 1, 2010.

The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba is a mutual workplace injury and disability insurance agency funded by employer premiums. With a mandate to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses, the WCB is committed to building a culture of health and safety in Manitoba through the SAFE Work program and community partnerships. Workplace injuries and illnesses are preventable but should they occur, the WCB is here to help injured workers, their families and employers.

Contact:

Warren Preece

Director of Communications

Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba

(204)-954-4113

1-800-362-3340

Email: wcb@wcb.mb.ca