Annual Report 2016 CASE STUDY 2 KITCHENER-WILMOT Study Participation Leads to Large Reduction HYDRO INC
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C H A N SUPPORTING CHANGE IN WORKPLACES E ANNUAL REPORT 2016 G COVER PHOTO, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Co-chairs of Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro Inc.’s Ergonomics Wellness Team: Tim Beyer, Power Line Technician Brian Hollatz, Distribution Foreman with George Minow, Manager of Health, Safety and Wellness (see case study on page 6) 02 Supporting Change in Workplaces: Five Case Studies 14 Workplace-Based and Other Projects in 2016 16 The Year in Numbers 17 A Message from the Chair and the President 18 Auditors’ Report and Financial Statements 24 Governance Promote, protect and improve the health and safety of working people —this mission guides the research of the Institute for Work & Healt h (IWH). To accomplish this, our evidence must contribute to more effective injury, illness and disability prevention practices in workplaces. Sometimes that route is indirect: our findings inform the policies and regulations governing workplaces. And sometimes our findings are taken up directly by the workplace parties themselves. Workplaces incorporate IWH research in any number of ways. They adopt our evidence-based tools. They integrate research findings into their policies and procedures. They take part in studies and realize benefits for years to come. In this annual report, we introduce you to five workplaces that have used IWH research to better their occupational health and safety (OHS) or return-to-work (RTW) programming, and describe other IWH research in 2016 designed to support workplace change. CASE STUDY 1 BGIS Adoption of IWH leading indicators improves subcontractor health and safety BGIS, a global real estate management services With over 7,000 team members globally, BGIS company based in Markham, Ont., is using an (the new name for Brookfield Global Integrated Institute for Work & Health leading indicators survey Solutions) provides services through its own to monitor and improve its workplace health and technical workforce and a supplier network of 3,500 safety programs, and those of its subcontractors. subcontracting companies employing their own Leading indicators of work injury and illness staff. Up until a few years ago, the company had been are characteristics of workplaces that precede using mostly lagging indicators to track the success occupational health and safety outcomes. They can of its health and safety program. help workplaces identify and address factors “We measured lost-time and no-lost-time injury rates affecting the risk of injury before injuries occur. and other indicators that measure after the fact,” says Rich Coleman, the company’s former director for business continuity and quality, health, safety and security. He and colleagues realized that those were not the best measures of safety and began a transition to using leading indicator information. 04 Supporting Change in Workplaces MARY LOU SINCLAIR Director, Health, Safety and Environment BGIS, Markham, Ont. THE BENCHMARKS HELPED US UNDER STAND IFOUR STRUGG LES WE RETHE S AME STRUGGLES ASTHE INDUSTRY OVERALL. ’’ In 2013, BGIS participated in the Ontario Leading “Our prequalification audits for subcontractors Indicators Project (OLIP), a research program by primarily measure compliance and lagging IWH to determine the best, most practical leading indicators,” says Mary Lou Sinclair, BGIS’s Director, indicators for assessing and supporting OHS program Health, Safety and Environment —North America, improvements. Coleman completed an online survey who took over from Cole man in 2015. “But going about the company’s processes and practices. He forward, our strategy will consider some of the later received a benchmarking report outlining where OLIP questions to audit existing and potential the company was performing well in OHS and where contractors.” improvements could be made. The company also found the sector benchmarks The report prompted the company to take a closer provided in the OLIP report useful. “It’s often look at its OHS programs with assistance from difficult to directly ask competitors for data,” says Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS), Sinclair. “So the nice thing about participating one of Ontario’s four sector-based health and in OLIP [was getting] some of that industry data. safety associations and a partner with IWH on the The benchmarks helped us understand if our struggles OLIP project. were the same struggles as the industry overall.” The company’s OLIP report identified potential improve ments that could be made in communicating, monitoring and reviewing internal OHS programs. But the biggest opportunity lay in the use of OLIP to improve its processes for choosing subcontractors. 05 IWH Annual Report 2016 CASE STUDY 2 KITCHENER-WILMOT Study participation leads to large reduction HYDRO INC. in soft-tissue injuries In 2005, Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro Inc. joined The project set out to examine the implementation five other utilities to take part in a research project of participatory ergonomics programs in small and on preventing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). medium-sized utilities. Participatory ergonomics “At that time, soft-tissue injuries were regularly the is an MSD prevention approach that involves active number-one or number-two cause of injury,” participation of employees in developing solutions says George Minow, Manager of Health, Safety and and implementing change. The research was Wellness at Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro. The electrical conducted by a team from IWH, along with the utility today employs about 185 people and serves Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of 91,000 homes and businesses in southwestern Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Electrical Ontario. & Utilities Safety Association, which has since become part of the Infrastructure Health & Safety Association (IHSA), one of Ontario’s sector-based health and safety associations. Ten years after the project concluded, it continues to have a lasting effect: participatory ergonomics is still going strong at Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro. “We have sustained a 30-per-cent reduction in soft-tissue injuries over the years, even with an increase 06 Supporting Change in Workplaces GEORGE MINOW Manager of Health, Safety and Wellness Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro Inc. Kitchener, Ont. ERGONOMI CS IS NOW CO NSI DER ED IN A LL THATWE DO, BYTEAM MEMBERS A ND NON-TEAM MEMBERS ALIK E.’’ in staff, and in 2016 that reduction hit 50 per cent,” of new tools, as well as to the specification and says Minow. “The severity of MSDs has also customization of new trucks, and a stretching program decreased, as staff report symptoms earlier and was introduced. so are helped faster.” Today, it’s not just Ergonomics Wellness Team At the outset of the project, the participating utilities members who look out for and take steps to reduce each created an ergonomics change team made MSD hazards. “Having the team helped highlight up of staff from different departments. All members the importance of ergonomics issues throughout the of the team, called the Ergonomics Wellness Team workforce,” says Minow. “Ergonomics is now at Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro, received training. “They considered in all that we do, by team members and learned about soft-tissue injuries, how to fit work non-team members alike.” to the worker, how to get the most bang for the buck Minow credits the research project for introducing from an ergonomics program by making good participatory ergonomics to Kitchener-Wilmot purchases on new equipment, and how to choose Hydro. “It led to the creation of a team that works cost-effective changes,” says Minow. well and attracts those who are interested in helping The ergonomics team helped bring in significant others take steps to reduce hazards,” he says. “Our changes in how work was done. For example, company has won safety and wellness awards, and this job procedures were changed to reduce injury risk, team is a jewel in the organization. It’s one of the ergonomics principles were applied to the purchase most proactive things we do.” 07 IWH Annual Report 2016 CASE STUDY 3 CARILLION Use of IWH’s vulnerability measure informs program changes Carillion has a strong record on health and safety, But employers with good health and safety records so much so that it won a Canada’s Safest Employers know continuous improvement is essential. So when award from Canadian Occupational Safety magazine Lyon-Bartley learned of IWH’s OHS Vulnerability two years in a row, 2014 and 2015. “Health and Measure in June 2015, she wanted to find out more. safety is really at the forefront of everything,” says The OHS Vulnerability Measure is a 27-item Lee-Anne Lyon-Bartley, Vice-President, Health employee survey that assesses vulnerability to risk and Safety, at Carillion in Canada, an infrastructure of work injury. It considers workers vulnerable support services and facilities management company when they are exposed to hazards and not aware of headquartered in North Toronto and employing health and safety issues, or not empowered to speak more than 9,000 people in the country. up or refuse work, or not adequately protected by the organization’s OHS practices and policies. Lyon-Bartley heard about the measure when she was approached by Workplace Safety & Prevention Services to take part in research. WSPS was helping IWH recruit workplaces for a study on the application and feasibil ity of the measure, and Carillion agreed to take part. 08 Supporting Change in Workplaces LEE-ANNE LYON-BARTLEY PHOTO, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Vice-President, Health and Safety Lyon-Bartley with Andy Jones Carillion in Canada President and CEO Concord, Ont. Carillion in Canada and the Caribbean THE I DEA OF LOOKING AT V ULNERAB ILITY BEYONDT HE I NDIV IDUAL ISW HAT I APPRECIAT E.’’ “We’re interested in being engaged and involved in These findings helped inform recent changes in research—in providing real-life, on-site opportunities Carillion’s policies and procedures, Lyon-Bartley says. for research,” she says. “We also know we might benefit “For example, we’re already thinking differently from the information we get, and others as well.” about how we communicate our training, and whether our messages get to all employees effectively.” Although based on a relatively small sample size, the study results at Carillion confirmed some positives.