The benefits of an effective occupational health and safety system can feel a little abstract at times. Due to the very nature of prevention, It can be difficult to appreciate the number of injuries that didn’t occur in any given year.
We’re going to change that. Through our partnership with the Manitoba Workers Compensation Board, RPM has access to a wealth of occupational injury data. By studying numerical trends, we’ve noticed some significant changes to the industry which illustrate the impact our program has had on the world of trucking.
In 2021, occupational safety in trucking made great strides. The trucking industry in Manitoba saw 12,356 fewer days lost in 2021 than it did in 2020, an enormous feat. If we were to use all those days lost to travel back in time, we would arrive close to when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. It’s the equivalent of 33 years’ worth of labour time saved in only a single year.
A major factor in this shift was the substantial decline in days lost from slips and falls, which are the primary cause of time-loss in the trucking industry. By helping to slash the number of days lost due to slips and falls by over a third, RPM has helped drivers stay on the road and continue to do the work which is so vital to the economy of our province.This decline in days lost has coincided with a larger decline in the number of WCB claims since RPM began awarding companies with the Trucking Certificate of Recognition in 2017. From then to 2021, the number of time-loss WCB claims in trucking has gone down by 17%, along with 20% reductions in severe, musculoskeletal, and non time-loss claims.
SAFE Work Certification and RPM has done more for trucking than just reduce WCB claims however. Through working with our advisors SAFE Work Certified companies save an estimated total of $750,000 per year in WCB premium rebates. On top of that, certified companies save even more money through lower WCB premiums… reducing them as much as 61%!
There are, unfortunately, some statistics that we don’t have access to which are worth mentioning. The WCB does not keep records of the number of near-misses workers experience on the job each year. This is a missed opportunity as studying near-misses is incredibly important when it comes to preventing workplace injuries. One should also keep in mind that companies engaging in claims suppression also skew how many injuries are reported to the WCB.
The numbers don’t lie. By working with RPM to develop their safety programs and achieve SAFE Work Certification, trucking companies have saved themselves time, money and labour.
Do you need more information? RPM can help!
If you’d like to learn more about incident reporting requirements and the importance of studying near misses consider taking RPM’s Incident Reporting and Investigations course.
Please note RPM courses are offered to RPM registered companies only. Your company must be registered with RPM and be in the process of working towards certification or must have achieved the SAFE Work Manitoba Trucking Certificate of Recognition. Not yet registered in the RPM program? Today is a great day to get started!
Please contact RPM by emailing [email protected] or calling 204-632-6600, or by visiting our website www.rpmsafety.ca