The Safety Groups Program is designed to promote health and safety in the workplace. This is accomplished through mentoring, pooling of resources and sharing of best practices between member firms, their sponsor and the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB). In addition to improved safety records, member firms can receive financial benefits, in the form of rebates from the WSIB. This program was first implemented in 2000 and has received high approval ratings from participating members.
HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS
At the start of the year, from a list provided by the WSIB, member firms select five (5) safety elements they will initiate or improve upon during that calendar year. Firms attend meetings, share ideas and pool resources; learning from each other how to put these initiatives into place. At the end of the year, the safety group can receive a rebate, based on the entire group’s success in the program. For example, if the firms collectively implement, on average, 60% of their initiatives, then the group will receive 60% of the monies available to them for potential rebate.