Worker injuries are not uncommon in the trucking industry. In such a physical sector, where drivers find themselves on all kinds of terrain, moving up and down trailers and working with heavy loads, there is always risk for injury.
One Winnipeg company has found a way to reduce worker injuries and implement a return to work program that gets good reviews from drivers and managers alike.
Searcy Trucking began creating its return to work program during the COVID outbreak. It all started with a call from a return to work specialist at the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) of Manitoba. It was the spark for positive changes in the business as it was struggling to keep drivers healthy.
“With drivers needing to be up securing freight, there always will be the risk of injuries,” said Norm Blagden, Searcy’s president and CEO. “If a driver takes a fall, there can be debilitating injuries, with surgeries involved. It’s serious.”
The Searcy team worked with the WCB over six months to ultimately create a successful program that allows injured workers to remain an active and important part of the workplace. Blagden says the experience made him realize that drivers can continue to work as they recover. For example, the business has had injured drivers audit driver logs – a huge help with a task that is a legislated requirement of trucking companies.
“It really opened our eyes to the fact that there are light duties here, things I hadn’t thought about, and there are the benefits of still contributing,” said Blagden.
Rachelle Baker, the director of culture and driver services at Searcy, recalled a half-day session with the WCB specialist during which they learned how much help the WCB could provide. “Jennifer handed us a USB stick with everything we needed—return to work injury packets, forms, letters to physicians … everything was done for us. And she was always there if we had questions.”
Jennifer Willems, a longtime return to work specialist with the WCB, encourages any organization that needs assistance to reach out. “Preventing workplace injury and illness is the best way to look after your workers, but if an injury does occur, a solid return to work program is critical to support workers with recovery.”
Kelly Birrell, the return to work consultant assigned to Searcy, identified some critical actions that Searcy was able to bring in. “When an organization is this committed to supporting their workers, they are going to be successful. The WCB is here to help achieve that success.”
With a renewed focus on preventing injuries, including the hiring of a dedicated safety and health officer, and the return to work plan, Searcy is witnessing a clear improvement in workplace safety and health. Annual injury numbers have been trending downward, from being in the 20s when their efforts got underway, to 14 in 2023 and six through the first eight months of 2024. As Blagden says, they are now “benchmarking with the best.”
Also playing a key role in this success story is RPM, the industry-based safety program for trucking in Manitoba, as well as the Manitoba Trucking Association. They were part of a collaborative effort that included SAFE Work Manitoba (a division of the WCB) coming together with representatives of various industries to create programs that would offer the very specific kinds of training needed by industry members. Blagden and Baker say that although the creation of these programs came with some costs (all local and long-haul transport companies contribute toward the funding of RPM), the provided services more than make up for it.
“The RPM team held our hand. We basically started from scratch,” said Blagden. Searcy Trucking became SAFE Work Certified in March 2023, a proud achievement for the company. “It really has worked out so well for us.”
Baker said open communication with workers about the changes has played an important role, as has support from the top down. While some employees initially resisted, most have come to see the value. There have even been profuse thanks from drivers who appreciate the chance to recover while working on different duties from home, including one who relished the chance to spend extra time with his grandkids.
What advice would Blagden and Baker give other businesses looking to enhance their return to work program? “Definitely reach out to the WCB. We needed help. We just didn’t know to ask.”