Working in the North can be full of danger. Its immense size alone poses hazards for the worker, whether travelling long distances on winter roads or flying in small bush planes to remote locations – often in inclement weather.
And though certain job sites play a large role in these dangers, so too can training, or lack thereof.
"When it comes to workplace safety, employers have certain responsibilities to their workers," says the Worker's Safety and Compensation Commission. "Properly training your workers is the right thing to do. Financially it reduces the potential for costly losses in time and productivity and it is the law."
Complacency is often the number one enemy. We have seen this scenario play out many times before, and it's not just the private sector that shoulders the blame.
In 2015, the territorial government was fined $100,000 for violating its own occupational health and safety regulations when a project manager with the Department of Public Works failed to prevent the release of asbestos while removing a chimney at the Prince of Wales Heritage Centre. Contract workers were exposed when the asbestos was released into the facility's boiler room.
Asbestos, an insulation material well-known for its carcinogenic effects, is reportedly the greatest on-the-job killer in Canada. In 2013 there were 368 deaths related to asbestos, according to data obtained by the Globe and Mail.
During sentencing, territorial court heard the project manager had no education or training with respect to workplace safety nor handling asbestos.
According to the Worker's Safety and Compensation Commission, 40 people have died on the job in the NWT and Nunavut between 2011 and 2015.
But things have improved – at least slightly.
In 2008 there were 3,706 claims reported in Nunavut and the NWT and six work-related fatalities. In the safety commission's most recent report from 2016 there were 3,567 claims made and of the 2,168 that were accepted claims, there was only one work-related fatality.
Workplace safety has gained more and more importance over the past decade and injury-free days are celebrated and rewarded, especially by government and industry leaders with big budgets and staff dedicated to ensuring safety practices are taking place. Large companies know that instituting a safety culture is far cheaper than having to pay big fines and multi-million dollar lawsuits.
But safety needs to be a priority throughout the employment spectrum – from major employers with hundreds of employees right down to the single-person contractor.
That means providing adequate training for workers involved with any potential hazards that might occur in any workplace and on-the-job equipment in good working order.
Safety training is an important part of obtaining better workplace safety and should include managers and employees under their supervision. Preventative safety training should hit at an even younger age if brought into the classroom to be included into classes such as industrial education or theatre arts.
The scores are getting better with more employers including occupational health and safety into its office culture, but its up to every employer out there to ensure the number of accidents continue to drop.
Even one workplace death is a tragedy beyond compare to the families and friends who have suffer through it.