Launched in early July, the new Saskatchewan First Nation Safety Association aims to develop and implement strategies to support First Nations workers, communities and businesses achieve the highest standard of QHSE and occupational health and safety.
Founded with the central mission of empowering First Nation communities with the resources and training to work safely and injury-free, the SFNSA’s priority is to significantly reduce workplace injuries and fatalities, through spreading awareness to the public; including workers, employers, and respected leadership within the communities. Their goal is to ensure companies operating on First Nation’s land are accountable and have safety programs that meet and exceed safety compliance, and to develop a competent and confident workforce where workers are well trained and empowered to complete work in asafe and healthy manner, ensuring First Nations workers’ safety in the workplace, as they are not included in WCB health and safety codes.
Because the SNFSA is a non-profit organization, their competency training programs are provided directly to First Nations at cost. While able to provide certified training to First Nations, the SNFSA is also there to answer questions and provide advice regarding QHSE practices and occupational health and safety.
A similar organization already exists in BC, and SFNSA founder Toby Desnomie is confident that the launch and implementation of these strategies and programs will inspire other provinces and First Nations communities across Canada to set up similar programs.
While the organization is still in it’s infancy, SNFSA founder Toby Desnomie has begun reaching out to First Nation communities to assess their safety needs and concerns, and actively working to increase its membership by seeking affiliations with other organizations, including the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association. Establishing relationships with associations, government, industries, and educational institutions, will help the SFNSA gain support and put strategies into action to address First Nations OHS concerns.
As health and safety culture becomes increasingly centered around accountability and sustaining injury-free workplaces, taking a proactive approach to training programs, safety awareness, and implementing safety programs that meet and exceed compliance has become essential, as opposed to taking a reactive approach. The positive reception we have had around iTrak QHSE software has followed these same core values, and as workplace safety regulations grow increasingly strict, it has become critical that organizations look to follow this example, and use some form of health and safety software to manage their QHSE processes .
Read more at: http://www.ohscanada.com/health-safety/workplace-safety-association-saskatchewans-first-nations-founded/1003350661/