Sask. manufacturers say funding for workplace safety programs cut off [Video]

Saskatchewan manufacturers say funding for workplace safety programs has been cut off by the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB). The Manufacturers’ Safety Group believes it’s in retribution for not fully cooperating with a WCB audit.

Saskatchewan’s manufacturing sector has experienced a dramatic decrease in workplace injuries through workplace safety training. That effort received $1.4 million in annual funding from the Workers’ Compensation Board. The funding has been cut off in a dispute over a program audit.

Desira Rostad, the executive director for the Safety Association of Saskatchewan Manufacturers, said it will impact employees, employers, and their families because injury prevention is on hold with manufacturing in the four sectors.

The WCB wanted an accounting of how its $1.4 million in annual funding had been spent. Manufacturers claim they complied. They say problems arose when WCB also wanted to audit workplace safety programs that it had not paid for.

“We know that …