Kitchener takes zero path to safety

The City of Kitchener was recently added to the growing list of municipal supporters of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s Road to Zero program.
The City of Kitchener was recently added to the growing list of municipal supporters of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s Road to Zero program.

City of Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr signed on to the WSIB’s Community Workplace Health and Safety Charter this week at City of Kitchener Council Chamber, committing the city to eliminating workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

"We know that successful workplace safety begins at the top," said WSIB chair Steve Mahoney. "That's why I'm thrilled that Mayor Zehr and his council have endorsed the charter and committed to serve as role models for all employers in their community. Together, we need to build a culture of workplace health and safety in every Ontario municipality where the only acceptable number of workplace injuries and illnesses is zero."

On its "Road to Zero," the WSIB runs high-profile and striking public awareness campaigns to help eliminate workplace injuries and fatalities in Ontario. The charter is the WSIB's latest tool for increasing awareness of the importance of workplace safety.

By signing the charter with the WSIB, the City of Kitchener has made a public commitment to actively participate in eliminating workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities in their community.

Over the coming weeks and months, municipalities across Ontario will add their names to the growing list of Ontario cities and towns committed to safer workplaces and communities. That list already includes Mississauga, Brampton, Sudbury, Guelph, Halton, Niagara Falls and Windsor.

"The estimated direct and indirect costs of workplace injuries across Ontario cost about $15 billion per year," says Mahoney. "That's money that could be invested in communities; instead, that money is taken out of the economy by workplace injuries - injuries that are 100% preventable."

Ontario's WSIB plays a key role in the province's occupational health and safety system. The WSIB administers no-fault workplace insurance for employers and their workers and is committed to the prevention of workplace injuries and illnesses. The WSIB provides disability benefits, monitors the quality of healthcare, and assists in early and safe return to work for workers who are injured on the job or contract an occupational disease.