It is important to consider and plan for what you will do if an accident happens at your workplace that results in a worker being injured or off work for recovery. Research shows that helping injured workers get back to work as soon and as safely as possible increases their recovery outcomes. This, in turn, helps your workplace retain experienced, valued workers.

Remember: A worker may return to work before they are able to perform full duties by providing other suitable work.

A Return to Work program:

If an incident happens at your workplace, it is important to investigate what caused it. The investigation will help you take corrective actions to prevent a similar incident from happening again.

After an incident happens, workers need to report it to the employer. The employer may need to report the incident to the WSCC.

What is an “Incident”? When it comes to Occupational Health and Safety, an incident is something that happened during work or because of a work task, which resulted in, or could have resulted in, any of the following:

An inspection is a proactive tool used to protect workers and to determine if there are any unsafe work procedures or working conditions. 

Inspections are a standard part of maintaining workplace health and safety, occur on a regular basis, and are performed by a specific person or position. Each inspection should include the following:

Site-specific emergency response planning is vital to ensure every person in the workplace understands what they must do in case of an emergency. 

In general, everyone at your workplace must know:

A hazard assessment is the process that supervisors and workers use to identify and control workplace hazards. Workers and supervisors should assess hazards together before beginning a new task, working at a new job site, or if the work environment changes for any reason (e.g. seasonal change, new equipment, new procedures).

Worker Orientation

Workers that are: new to your workplace, returning after a long absence, who have changed where they work at your site, or have changed their assigned tasks must all receive a safety orientation. The orientation must include a review of: