The health, safety, and well-being of residents and our employees is our top priority. It is important to us to have a positive, respectful, safe, and healthy work environment.
More than 10,000 employees make up our workforce, in a wide range of roles. Each role poses its own unique safety risks.
“Our leaders, employees, and safety and health committees work hard every day to keep our workplace safe,” said Kent Blackmon, Manager of Organizational Safety Services.
With such a diverse workforce, we know how important it is to continue to learn and grow to keep everyone safe.
Maintaining SAFE Work Certification
In 2023, we became the largest organization to achieve SAFE Work Certification. It involved examining all our safety plans to ensure effective systems are in place to prevent hazards. Since then, we have maintained this certification.
“We are encouraged that all departments have maintained this important designation,” said Kent.
SAFE Work sets the standard for safety and health certification. It ensures that safety and health management practices are applied consistently and effectively.
Our commitment to certification began in 2018 on the National Day of Mourning. It is held annually on April 28 to formally recognize workers who have been injured or killed in the workplace. It also recognizes those who have become ill as a result of their work.
On this day, we hold ceremonies to honor these workers. We also share our commitment to end workplace illness and injury.
More than just physical safety
Well-being in the workplace is important, and goes beyond just physical safety. From time to time, everyone faces challenges at work. To help protect and promote mental health, we adopted a Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace administrative standard in 2024. It is our commitment to addressing the factors that affect mental health in the workplace.
“Mental health is just as important as physical health,” said Blackmon. “We want all employees to feel safe and supported.”
We encourage employees who need support to reach out to their peers, supervisor, or our Employee Assistance Program.
Our commitment to continuous improvement
While we have maintained SAFE Work Certification, we know there is always room to learn and grow. This year, we launched Learn Winnipeg for employees. This digital training platform offers more than 140 safety, health, and wellness courses. It provides thousands of learning hours for both employees and leaders to learn and grow together.
We also continuously review our existing safety programs. This helps us find ways to improve and keep everyone healthy.
Thank you to the over 400 members of our 37 Safety and Health Committees. Your important work promotes safety, health, and wellness in the workplace every day.