Dancing for workers’ safety

The organization responsible for workplace safety in Nunavut is rolling out a new campaign at this year’s Nunavut Trade Show in Iqaluit.

The campaign is called, Work Safely. It’s Everybody’s Job.

“It’s really an encouragement to have the rights of workers top of mind,” said Matthew Clark, manager for Nunavut operations at the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission.

The three main tenets of worker safety are: the right to know how to do your job safely; the right to participate and be involved in safety planning; and the right to refuse or say no to work or tasks that feel unsafe.

The safety and compensation commission has accepted about 5,000 injury claims since 2020, Clark said.

“If people know about their job and how to do their job safely, the hope is that there would be less accidents and less injuries,” he said.

Clark pointed to a 2021 incident in which a summer student working for the City of Iqaluit was struck in the face and arm when an overinflated wheelbarrow tire ruptured.

“It was the lack of training, it was a lack of supervision, that resulted in that injury,” he said.

“That injury had a lasting impact still to this day for that worker.”

The City of Iqaluit was fined $50,000 after pleading guilty to violating Nunavut’s Safety Act in connection with the 2021 incident.

As part of the Work Safely. It’s Everybody’s Job campaign, the organization is holding a “Safety Dance” contest.

The safety and compensation commission released an Inuktitut version of the Men Without Hats’ 1980s hit of the same name, sung by Juno-nominated musician Terry Uyarak with Inuktitut lyrics woven in with the three workers’ safety principles.

“We wanted to create a campaign for Nunavut, that’s been built by Nunavummiut,” Clark said, adding he hopes his organization can reach workers in the territory’s smaller communities where the majority of the population is Inuit.

Nunavummiut are invited to submit videos of themselves performing their own safety dance and demonstrating tips for safety in the workplace to the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission website. Entrants are asked to send 30-to-60 second videos using the song.

The grand prize is a $1,000 Visa gift card. There will be four weekly drawings as well, with the winner receiving a $250 gift card. The contest opened Sept. 15 and ends at midnight on Oct. 24.

Clark said the trade show was the perfect time to launch the contest, with employers as well as many members on hand. A second release for the campaign is planned for the Kivalliq Trade Show in Rankin Inlet, from Sept. 22 to 25.