How much money our members earn makes no difference if they don’t get back home alive, Senior Health and Safety Officer Troy Winters told the H&S Forum.
“If our members’ job takes even one day away from their ability to live life to its fullest, we are not doing our job of keeping our workplaces safe,” Winters said, stressing the importance of health and safety committees in building strong locals.
Those in attendance each received a copy of CUPE’s new health and safety resource kit, created to assist locals in setting up an effective plan to keep their members safe. Reps from the regions ran members through best practices, how to bargain strong health and safety language, and return-to-work protocols.
The need for proper Naloxone training was also highlighted, given the increase in incidental on-the-job opioid exposure that has led to worker overdose and even death in the case of two Calgary paramedics.