Workplace deaths are the "tragic and predictable result" of under-funding and lack of political will, says AFL
EDMONTON - The Alberta government is not doing nearly enough to promote and enforce adequate health and safety standards on work sites across the province, says the Secretary Treasurer of Alberta's largest labour organization.
In a letter to provincial Human Resources Minister Clint Dunford, AFL Secretary Treasurer Les Steel criticized the government's track record on health and safety. He also accused Dunford of callously shrugging off the case of 14-year-old Shane Stecyk, who died last week while working at an Edmonton construction site.
Steel says accidents like the one leading to Stecyk's death can never be entirely eliminated. But he says they would happen much less frequently if the government put a higher priority on promoting and enforcing basic health and safety standards.
"I think most Albertans would be appalled if they knew how little money this government spends on things like workplace health and safety inspections," says Steel. "They would also be appalled if they knew how soft the government is on employers who break the rules and put their workers at risk."
In his letter to the Minister, Steel points out that the Alberta government now spends only $4.61 per worker each year on occupational health and safety programs - down from $10.61 per worker in 1993. As a result, there are fewer inspectors, doing fewer work site inspections - even though the Alberta workforce has been growing dramatically.
"Here in Alberta, we now have about 1.6 million people working in nearly 70,000 work sites across the province," says Steel. "Yet we only have 58 inspectors - down from 69 in 1993. It's like trying to mop up an ocean with a sponge and a pail."
To make matters worse, Steel says that companies are rarely prosecuted for contravening health and safety rules - and even when they are, the fines are too small to act as an effective deterrent.
To illustrate this point, Steel referred to the government's own figures showing that only 6 companies have been fined for health and safety violations since 1996 - and the fines have averaged just $19,750 (all for incidents involving fatalities). This compares to the situation in Ontario, where General Motors was recently fined $325,000 in relation to a worker fatality at one of its auto plants.
"All of this leaves me deeply troubled," says Steel. "We have a Minister who shrugs off the death of a 14-year-old worker, by saying "accidents happen." And we have a government that seems content to let employers regulate themselves. In this environment, it's no surprise that workplace fatalities are on the rise. It's the tragic and predictable result of under-funding and a lack of political will."
If the Alberta government really wants to bring down the soaring rates of worker injuries and fatalities, Steel says it needs to take the following steps: 1) increase funding for inspections 2) adopt a much more aggressive approach to enforcement 3) levy much stiffer fines 4) place tighter restrictions on the work that children under 16 can do; and 5) require mandatory health and safety training for new workers (especially in hazardous industries such as construction.)
"In relation to the Shane Stecyk's death, the last two points are most important," says Steel. "As adults, we have a responsibility to protect children from harm - and that means keeping kids under 16 away from dangerous places like construction sites. And for workers between 16 and 24, we need legislation ensuring that they get safety training before they start a new job. If we take these steps then we might be able to avoid mourning the loss of another teenager at the beginning of next year's construction season."
For more information call:
Les Steel, Secretary Treasurer @ 483-3021(wk)/499-4135(cell)
Attachment to follow
Alberta Health and Safety Facts |
I. Work-Related Deaths (Alberta)
1999 | 114 |
1998 | 105 |
1997 | 120 |
1996 | 91 |
1995 | 93 |
1994 | 74 |
1993 | 77 |
Source: Alberta Workers' Compensation Board
II. Alberta Government OH&S Investigations and Prosecutions
Investigations | Comply Orders | Convictions(involving fatalities) | Convictions(no fatality) | Average Fine | |
1999 | 2,769 | 975 | 1 | 0 | $21,500 |
1998 | 2,198 | 446 | 1 | 0 | $42,500 |
1997 | 2,315 | 127 | 2 | 0 | $7,500 |
1996 | N/A | N/A | 1 | 0 | $7,500 |
Source: Alberta Human Resources and Employment
(Note: There has not been a successful prosecution involving a non-fatal workplace injury since 1994. The average penalty for non-fatality cases in that year was $3,800.)
III. OH&S Budget ($000s)
1991/92 | $12,198 |
1992/93 | $12,331 |
1993/94 | $11,300 |
1994/95 | $10,405 |
1995/96 | $9,581 |
1996/97 | $6,716 |
1997/98 | $6,123 |
1998/99 | $6,345 |
1999/00 | $6,770 |
2000/01 | $7,206 |
(Note: The amount the Alberta government spends on occupational health and safety programs has plummeted from $10.61 per worker per year in 1991/92 to $4.36 per worker per year in 2000/01 - all figures adjusted for inflation and presented in 2000 dollars.)
Day of Mourning Is a Day to Remember and Make Change Happen
Friday April 28 will mark the 5th International Day of Mourning. Commemorated around the world, the Day of Mourning highlights the loss of thousands of workers every year to fatal accidents and occupational disease. In Alberta, Day of Mourning is expected to be the largest since its inception, with tens of thousands of workers participating in events around the province.
"People should not have to live with the fear that they or their loved one may not arrive back home at the end of the work day," says Audrey Cormack, President of the Alberta Federation of Labour. "We mark April 28 to remind our community that working shouldn't be a cause of death."
"Day of Mourning is partly about remembrance and partly about making change happen," says Cormack. "We do not want the workers who we have lost at work to be forgotten. We want their memory to carry us forward to prevent anyone else from losing their life at work."
Tens of thousands of workers in Alberta will be commemorating the day at their worksite with a minute of silence, black armbands, flags at half-mast or some other form of small ceremony. There will also be larger events open to the public in most centres around the province.
"Very few people know that at least 2 workers in Alberta are killed at work every week. Around the world, a worker is killed every 30 seconds," says Cormack. "Last year 114 Alberta workers were killed. Each one of those workers had a family and friends who now mourn them. Their deaths were all preventable."
Day of Mourning has its origins in Canada. It was first proclaimed in Parliament in 1986. Since then it has become an international event, with over 70 countries marking the day as the time to remember workers killed on the job.
"My hope is that Day of Mourning can act as the catalyst to change attitudes and policies around workplace safety, so that one day, no one has to die because they worked for a living."
For more information contact:
Audrey M. Cormack, President at (780) 499-6530 (cell)
Double the Workplace Deaths, Half the Government Funding
On the eve of the 5th International Day of Mourning, the Alberta Federation of Labour released calculations showing that government funding for Occupational Health and Safety enforcement is a fraction what it was ten years ago. They also highlighted that the number of fatal accidents on the job has doubled since this time last year.
As we commemorate another Day of Mourning, it saddens me to observe that workplace death in Alberta is the worst it has been in decades," says AFL President Audrey Cormack. "This government is not taking the safety of workers in Alberta seriously."
Cormack observes that there have been 19 fatal accidents on Alberta worksites so far in 2000. At this time last year, there were only 10. In recent years, worksite fatalities have been at record highs. During the past three years 339 workers were killed due to fatal accidents and occupational diseases. "I fear that the year 2000 will bring more worker deaths than ever. It is a tragic way to begin a new century," notes Cormack.
Cormack states the cause of the increase in workplace deaths is the failure of the Alberta government to enforce health and safety laws. "There is no political will on the part of this government to make sure workers are safe. They would rather let employers police themselves."
The AFL released calculations, based upon government figures, showing that during the past ten years, Occupational Health and Safety has been cut dramatically by the government. Ten years ago, the government spent $10.61 per worker (in 2000 dollars) on health and safety. This year, this amount is only $4.36.
In ten years the government health and safety budget dropped from $12.2 million, to only $7.2 million currently. This amounts to a 42% budget cut in ten years.
"When you factor in inflation and growth in the labour force, the Alberta government is spending a fraction of what it did in 1991," observes Cormack. "Less than $5 per worker is allocated to keeping workplaces safe and workers alive."
An indication of the problems is that there is inadequate staff to handle the workload. There are 58 Health and Safety Officers to handle every workplace in the province. "The department has a policy of assigning two officers to investigate every fatality," observes Cormack. "With the current number of fatalities, almost every officer is investigating a fatality, leaving virtually nobody to do inspections or less serious investigations."
"It should be no surprise to us that we are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of worker deaths and other serious workplace accidents," concludes Cormack.
Alberta Government Health and Safety Spending Per Worker (Year 2000$)
Source: Alberta Public Accounts, Government Estimates, Labour Force Statistics, Consumer Price Index
Fiscal Year | Occupational Health and Safety Budget ($000s) |
1990-91 | $12,015 |
1991-92 | $12,198 |
1992-93 | $12,331 |
1993-94 | $11,300 |
1994-95 | $10,405 |
1995-96 | $9,581 |
1996-97 | $6,716 |
1997-98 | $6,123 |
1998-99 | $6,345 |
1999-00 | $6,770 |
2000-01 | $7,206 |
Source: Alberta Public Accounts, Government Estimates
For more information call:
Audrey M. Cormack, President @ (780)499-6530 (cell) 483-3021 (wk)
Jason Foster, AFL @483-3021
City Hall Ceremony Highlights Day of Mourning
Friday, April 28 will mark the fifth International Day of Mourning. Begun in Canada in the mid-1980s, the Day of Mourning is a day to remember those people killed at or because of work.
One of the highlights of the day is an evening candle ceremony at Edmonton City Hall organized by the Alberta Federation of Labour, Edmonton and District Labour Council, Alberta Building Trades Council and the United Nurses of Alberta.
Friday, April 28 - 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
City Hall (1 Sir Winston Churchill Square)
The event mixes cultural performances with speakers and a candle lighting to commemorate the Day of Mourning. Evocative visual images make up an important piece of the ceremony. Also, the City of Edmonton proclamation of the day will be presented.
"Day of Mourning is partly about remembrance and partly about making change happen," says Audrey Cormack, President of the Alberta Federation of Labour. "We do not want the workers who we have lost at work to be forgotten. We want their memory to carry us forward to prevent anyone else from losing their life at work."
Tens of thousands of workers will be commemorating the day at their worksite with a minute of silence, black armbands, flags at half-mast or some other form of small ceremony.
Day of Mourning has its origins in Canada. It was first proclaimed in Parliament in 1986. Since then it has become an international event, with over 70 countries marking the day as the time to remember workers killed on the job.
In Alberta, more than 2 workers are killed every week. A worker is killed every 30 seconds around the world. The purpose of Day of Mourning is to find ways to bring those numbers down.
For more information call:
Audrey M. Cormack, President @ (780) 499-6530 (cell)
How Many Worker Deaths Are Too Many?
The tragic wave of workers killed on the job in the past six days is a marker that the Alberta government is not doing enough to protect worker safety, says the Alberta Federation of Labour. In the wake of these avoidable tragedies, the AFL is calling for stronger health and safety legislation, including a ban on working alone.
The AFL's call comes after three deaths in less than a week, including the murder of a young woman working alone in a Calgary Subway store. One worker was killed on the Suncor site in Fort McMurray. A third worker was killed in Northeast Edmonton on Tuesday.
"How many worker deaths will it take for this government to act," asks AFL President Audrey Cormack. "Every one of those deaths was preventable. They shouldn't have happened. There are too many holes in Alberta's health and safety legislation," observes Cormack. "And what is worse is that the Conservative government refuses to enforce what rules that do exist."
"The tragedy of the young woman killed at the Subway store is made worse by the fact that if she wasn't working alone, the whole horrible incident could have been avoided."
Cormack is calling for toughened health and safety legislation, including renewing her call for a ban on working alone. The AFL will be writing the Premier and the Minister of Human Resources and Employment urging them to pass legislation during the spring sitting.
The AFL reminds Albertans that two years ago, an Edmonton custodial worker was sexually assaulting while working alone in a school at night. "Being by yourself leaves you far more vulnerable to attacks, and for that reason it should be banned," says Cormack.
"These deaths also show that the government's strategy of 'self-enforcement' is a failure," says Cormack. Self-enforcement is a policy where employers voluntarily enforce health and safety legislation themselves through their own associations.
"The fact is the past three years have been the most deadly in history," Cormack points out. In three years, 339 workers were killed on the job or due to occupational disease. This is the highest cumulative figure in Alberta history. In 1997, 120 workers were killed. In 1998, 105 were lost. The preliminary figures for 1999 are 114 deaths.
Something is going horribly wrong in this province, and I fear it is the result of bad government policy. The government's inaction proves they are putting profit margins ahead of human life, and I find that immoral," Cormack concludes.
For more information call:
Audrey Cormack, President: @ 483-3021(wk) 499-6530 (cell) 428-9367 (hm)
Confidential Document Reveals WCB Attempting Power Grab, Says AFL
The Alberta Federation of Labour has obtained a copy of a confidential WCB Board of Directors document outlining a list of 40 amendments to the WCB Act and Regulation the WCB wants made in the spring session of the Legislature. The list includes changes that will give the WCB power to punish workers and will lower the WCB's level of accountability to Albertans.
"I can't believe with all the controversy surrounding the WCB these days, the Board has the gall to propose even less accountability for their actions," says AFL President Audrey Cormack. "The amendments do two things: give the Board more power to punish workers arbitrarily and restrict the Auditor General and government from overseeing the activities of the Board. In short, they want more power and less accountability."
Among some housekeeping amendments, the document lists a number of changes to lower accountability, including:
- "Removing the ability of the Auditor General to oversee WCB financial affairs
- "Removing the WCB from the Financial Administration Act and the Government Accountability Act
- "Permit the WCB to 'construct, equip, maintain and operate hospitals, clinics and residence facilities' without permission from cabinet
- "Permit the WCB to set its own terms of remuneration for Directors and Board members
Other amendments give the WCB new power to cut off claimants and interfere with the independence of the appeal process:
- "Allows the 'reduction or suspension of compensation' to a worker who refuses retraining or vocational rehabilitation services
- "Gives the WCB 'the ability to obtain a judgement against a worker' for defaulted payments
- "Eliminates the ability of appeal panels to waive the 1-year limitation period when warranted
- "Introduces a new 1-year time limitation for last chance appeals to the Board of Directors
- "Allows the WCB to name itself as an 'interested party' at any appeal at the Appeals Commission
"These proposed amendments are a slap in the face to Albertans," observes Cormack. "Albertans are calling for more accountability from the Worker's Compensation system, and this Board goes in the opposite direction."
"They are also interfering with the independence of the WCB appeal system and asking for permission to bully workers even more than before by cutting off their benefits and harassing them for overpayments," Cormack adds.
"They obviously feel they are superior to any other public entity."
Oversight by the Auditor General and application of the Government Accountability Act ensure the WCB is accountable to Albertans for how it raises and spends money, notes Cormack. "The WCB wants to be answerable to no one about how it spends Albertan's money."
Cormack is also troubled by the inclusion of a section permitting WCB to build and operate its own hospitals and clinics. "This feels uneasily like WCB trying to set up its own health system outside the public Medicare system."
Cormack called on the Minister Responsible for WCB, Clint Dunford, to immediately reject the WCB's requests, and instead review what steps should be taken to make the WCB more accountable to Albertans. She has written a letter to the Minister making this request.
"The arrogance of the WCB is paralleled only by their drive to prevent any fairness or justice from entering their hallways," concludes Cormack.
NOTE: Copies of the obtained document listing the amendments are available to media by calling the AFL at (780)483-3021.
For More Information:
Audrey Cormack, President @ 483-3021(wk) 428-9367 (hm) 499-6530 (cell)
Government contradicted by new work absence statistics
New figures acquired by the Alberta Federation of Labour show that in 1998, work absence due to illness, injury and disability were at their highest level in a decade. This contradicts the Alberta government and WCB claim that Alberta workplaces are safer than ever. The statistics released by the AFL today suggest that many Alberta workers are getting injured at work but not receiving WCB benefits they deserve.
The AFL requested Statistics Canada to calculate the 1998 "Work Absence Rate" for Alberta, a measurement of how many workers are missing work due to injury, illness or disability. The StatsCan numbers show that the absence rate because of injury is the highest in almost a decade.
In 1998, the Alberta work absence rate (illness and disability) was 4.0. This is up slightly from 3.9 in 1997 and substantially higher than recent years, when the rate hovered below 3.5. It is the highest figure since 1989.
Workers are also missing more days due to injury. In 1998 an Alberta worker missed an average of 5.5 days due to injury or illness. This is up significantly from 1997 when an average of 5.1 days were missed. It is also the highest rate since 1989.
"Workers are getting hurt more now than at anytime during the past ten years. More workers are getting hurt and they are missing more days," says AFL President Audrey Cormack.
"What this tells us is that WCB's boast about record low time-loss claims need to be viewed with suspicion," adds Cormack. "They have a credibility gap."
In its Annual Report for 1998/99, Alberta Labour states that "lost-time claims" are at their lowest level in history, reaching 3.3 claims per 100 person-years. This is down from 4.9 in 1990. They attribute this drop to the government's policy of self-enforcement and financial "incentives" to employers.
The real reason for the discrepancy, suggests Cormack, is that government and WCB policy hasn't improved safety in workplaces, but has instead discouraged the reporting of accidents to the WCB. "Employers now have a built in motivation to hide WCB claims. And with self-regulation, there is no one in the field making sure employers obey the law," notes Cormack
The AFL also points out that WCB's own statistics show that workplace injuries are at record highs. The total number of claims involving injuries was 126,420 in 1998, the highest level ever recorded and double the number recorded in 1990. "You don't read that side of the equation in government press releases," says Cormack.
The statistics suggest workers are injured at work as frequently as before, but they are not receiving the WCB benefits to which they are entitled. "WCB has balanced its books by lowering the number of legitimate injured workers who receive compensation."
"The reality in Alberta workplaces is that more workers are getting injured than ever before, and that time loss rates are on the increase, just that workers aren't getting their fair shake from the system," says Cormack.
Cormack says these figures demonstrate that it is time to re-think the government's policy of self-regulation and incentive-based occupational safety.
"Sometimes you need the government to act like a government to get things done. In this case, that means enforcing our health and safety laws," Cormack concludes.
Statistics Canada and WCB Compared
AFL Backgrounder -- January 13, 2000
Alberta Work Absence Rates
Statistics Canada Work Absence Rate
Statistics Canada measures in its annual Labour Force Survey the incidence of work absences in Canada. They recently released the figures for Canada for 1998. No Alberta numbers were available. The AFL commissioned StatsCan to produce the 1998 figures for Alberta, the latest year for which data is available.
The "Work Absence Rate" measures the number of workers reporting an absence from work during the week they are surveyed. It is recorded as a percentage of the workforce. The AFL is releasing the percentage of workers who reported missing work "due to own illness or disability", which means only those workers who were sick or injured. Work absences for other reasons were not included. The Survey does not distinguish between work-related and non-work-related illness.
The "Days lost per worker" is the average number of days a worker is absent from work during the calendar year for illness or disability.
Alberta Work Absence Rate (Disability/Illness), Statistics Canada
Absence Rate (%) Days Lost Per Worker (# of days)
1990 3.9 5.1
1991 3.8 5.2
1992 3.5 5.0
1993 3.6 5.1
1994 3.4 4.8
1995 3.3 5.0
1996 3.0 4.3
1997 3.9 5.1
1998 4.0 5.5
WCB Claim Rate
Alberta WCB uses a different rate to measure workplace safety. It utilized the "Lost Time Claim Rate", which is the number of new claims filed with WCB which result in a worker missing time at work. WCB uses this rate to set individual employer premium rates. It is measured as the number of claims per 100 workers.
The "Total Claims" is the total number of new claims opened at WCB during the year, including claims involving no missed time from work.
WCB Claim Rates
Lost Time Claim Rate Total Claims
1990 4.9 64,503
1991 4.3 55,162
1992 3.7 75,835
1993 3.5 92,025
1994 3.5 93,187
1995 3.4 91,349
1996 3.4 98,303
1997 3.4 118,121
1998 3.3 126,420
Alberta to form farm safety advisory body
A provincially-backed farm safety council is expected to find ways to reduce the number of on-farm injuries in Alberta without adding more rules or more costs.
The Alberta government on Tuesday announced it will name a farm safety advisory council in the new year, to be co-chaired by "government and industry" with members from farmer, farm worker and farm safety groups and Alberta municipalities.
"This council will bring industry and government together to find ways to reduce farm injuries without increasing the regulatory and financial burden on our producers," Agriculture Minister Jack Hayden said in a release. "We need to work together to find solutions."
Once it's set up, the province said, the council is expected to develop a "joint industry-government action plan" on farm safety for submission to Hayden and the government, addressing the "co-ordination and communication needs" that the ag industry noted in recent consultations.
That's a reference to consultations by the province's ag and employment departments in 2009 and 2010 with stakeholder groups, including "all of the major commodity groups," on ways to enhance health and safety for people working on farms and ranches.
A report on those consultations put forward a number of recommendations for the province to consider -- such as incentives for farms through lower Workers' Compensation or crop insurance premiums, or increased grants to agricultural societies that undertake health and safety activities.
In Alberta, the report noted, most farming- and ranching-related operations are exempt from the province's Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, meaning there's no formal OHS investigation of a farm fatality and no government investigation of on-farm injuries for purposes of improved safety practice or third-party reports for insurance claims.
Farming and ranching are also exempt from the Workers' Compensation Act, and while Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) coverage for disability and insurance is available to farmers and ranchers for their employees on a voluntary basis, "costs limit subscriptions," the report noted.
"Empty gesture"
Also, the report noted, the province's Employment Standards Code exempts farm workers from standards on hours of work, overtime, general holiday pay and vacation pay. Farm workers are also excluded from the Labour Relations Code.
The Alberta Federation of Labour on Tuesday criticized the province's proposal for an advisory council as an "empty gesture," with AFL president Gil McGowan predicting the council "will be an industry-dominated joke."
"In the nine years the Alberta government has said it is consulting on how to improve safety for agricultural workers, 160 people have died on farm worksites," the AFL said.
In his 2008 inquiry into a farm worker's death in 2006 in a silo at a High River-area feedlot, Provincial Court Judge Peter Barley recommended the province lift its exemption excluding farms' paid workers from workplace safety regulations.
"Rather than take that obvious and simple step, we have an industry-dominated advisory body looking at education measures," McGowan said Tuesday. "This is what you get when governments talk only to the business community and not to workers."
The labour group also scoffed at the notion that protections such as employment standards and OHS rules would punish family farms.
"Large agribusiness" dominates the industry, the AFL said Tuesday, with farms of over $250,000 in income accounting for three-quarters of farm cash receipts in 2007.
Country Guide, Wed Nov 24 2010
WCB continues to "blame the victim"
EDMONTON - Alberta's Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) is continuing its "long-established practice of blaming the victim" when it comes to issues of workplace health and safety, says the president of the province's largest labour organization.
Audrey Cormack, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, says that the WCB's latest injury-prevention campaign is a bust because it focuses exclusively on workers - and ignores the responsibilities of employers and the government.
"Educating workers about workplace safety is important," says Cormack. "But it's only half of the solution. Employers and government also have an important role to play. More pressure needs to be placed on employers to ensure healthy and safe working conditions. And the government needs to become much more aggressive in finding and punishing employers who fail to observer minimum health standards."
Cormack's comments were made after the WCB released a "safety alert" calling on Albertans to avoid workplace injuries by being careful on the job. The safety alert was the latest component of a WCB campaign launched in the spring aimed at reducing injury rates. The campaign urges Albertans to avoid injuries by "working safe."
"Once again, the WCB is putting the responsibility for workplace safety on the shoulders of working people, when in reality it should be a responsibility that's shared with the employer, the government and the WCB," says Cormack. "Telling people not to hurt themselves is not going to solve the problem. We'll only be able to reduce injury rates if we combine education efforts with higher health and safety standards, more aggressive inspections and stiffer fines and penalties."
"If the WCB is really concerned about reducing injury rates," Cormack says, "they should support the implementation of measures that have worked in other jurisdictions. For example, in places like B.C. and Quebec businesses over a certain size are required to have joint employee-management health and safety committees. Where these committees are in place, injury rates have fallen substantially," says Cormack.
"Instead of wasting their time producing frivolous "safety alerts" calling on people to stretch before lifting heavy objects, the WCB should turn its attention to more serious concerns," says Cormack. "For example, they should be trying to figure out why the number of workplace fatalities in this province has shot up from 74 in 1993 to well over 100 per year in 1997 and 1998. And they should be addressing the serious concerns that have been raised recently about the quality of service available to injured workers. This campaign of blaming workers for their own injuries just doesn't cut it - it does nothing to address the real problems."
For more information call:
Audrey Cormack, AFL President: 483-3021 (wk) 499-6530 (cell) 428-9367 (hm)
AFL raises concerns about WCB satisfaction survey
EDMONTON - The "customer satisfaction" survey that is being used by the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) to defend itself from mounting public criticism is deeply flawed and misleading, says the president of Alberta's largest union organization.
"Over the past few weeks, spokespeople from the WCB have repeatedly trotted out results from their annual client satisfaction survey. They've been using the survey to back up claims that things are running smoothly at the Board and that most people are satisfied with the service they receive," says Audrey Cormack, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour.
"Unfortunately, the survey is deeply flawed. The Board only questioned people whose claims have been settled and whose files have been closed. People who are still waiting for a decision on their claims were excluded - as were people who are still receiving compensation payments or services such as rehabilitation therapy, vocational training, or employment counselling."
As a result of the survey's design, Cormack says the Board has failed to get an accurate picture of how its clients - injured workers and employers - really feel about the service they receive.
"The survey neglects to consider the views of the people who are most likely to be dissatisfied," says Cormack. "Given this situation, it's no wonder the WCB gets such high marks. That's what happens when you only question the people who are least likely to complain."
The WCB's satisfaction survey is conducted every year and the results are published in the Board's annual report. The 1998 survey showed satisfaction rates among the people surveyed were up slightly from 1997.
"I have no problem with surveys - they can be useful tools," says Cormack. "But I'm concerned that be excluding so many people, the survey paints a false picture. I'm also concerned that the Board is hiding behind these numbers and using them as an excuse to not address the pressing concerns about service and accountability that are being raised by workers and employers around the province."
For more information call:
Audrey Cormack, AFL President: 483-3021 (wk) 499-6530 (cell) 428-9367 (hm)