FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
St. John’s, NL – In 2016, 95 per cent of workers in an Early and Safe Return to Work Program returned to sustainable work in Newfoundland and Labrador. Staying connected to the people, routines and stimulation of the workplace is a meaningful part of the recovery process for workers injured on the job.
“A workplace injury or illness can have a significant physical, emotional and financial toll on a worker, and on their families, employers and communities,” said Dennis Hogan, CEO, WorkplaceNL. “Following a workplace injury, it takes the support of the injured worker’s employer, health care provider, family and WorkplaceNL to help most injured workers return to sustainable employment.”
In an effort to further assist workers as they recover from workplace injury, Atlantic Canada’s workers’ compensation organizations have teamed up to launch a region-wide program.
Working to Well is one of several shared initiatives produced over the past decade by WorkplaceNL, WCB Nova Scotia, WorkSafeNB, and the Workers Compensation Board of PEI. The goal of the program is to keep people connected to their workplace, whenever possible, following an injury or illness.
The partners are using the program as a key tool in their efforts to reduce the human and financial toll of injury. At its core are four powerful stories of Atlantic Canadians who overcame challenging and life-changing workplace injuries.
Custodian Jeff Wilcox hurt his back working at the St. John’s Citadel; Registered Nurse Denise Cann suffered a serious shoulder strain while moving a patient at Cape Breton Regional Hospital; Mechanic Robert Gunn broke all four limbs while working on tire reassembly service call near Charlottetown; and Fredericton carpenter Darren Shaw suffered serious injuries to his arm during a drywall installation. All four workers made a successful return to work and their stories form the centerpiece of the Working to Well program.
WorkplaceNL reaches out to injured workers to help facilitate their recovery at work. WorkplaceNL also helps employers directly by providing hands-on, step-by-step guidance in implementing an effective return-to-work program for injured workers.
How long an injured worker remains on a workers’ compensation claim depends on many factors, including the severity of the injury or illness. For all injured workers, the first priority is on ensuring proper medical care is provided.
About WorkplaceNL
Serving approximately 13,000 injured workers and 19,000 employers, WorkplaceNL administers an employer-funded, no-fault insurance system that promotes safe and healthy workplaces, provides return-to-work programs and offers fair compensation to injured workers and their dependents.
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Media contact:
Carla Riggs, Director of Communications
709.778.1590 or carla.riggs@workplacenl.ca