Mandate    Objectives    Functions    Governance/Membership    Structure    Funding    Activities
By-laws of the Fisheries Safety Association

Mandate

The mandate of the safety association would directly relate to enhancing safety, making the industry more attractive for new employees and keeping the existing employees safe and healthy. The association’s work will result in a reduction of accidents/injuries, along with workers compensation rates for the fishing industry.
 

Objectives (back to top)

The objectives of the safety association would be:

• To facilitate a process to create safer workplaces, assisting return to work and injury prevention activities.

• To develop and provide tools to help reduce the number and duration of injuries occurring in the fishing industry.

• To increase awareness of costs associated with workplace injury in the fishing industry.

Functions of the Safety Association (back to top)

The safety association will focus its efforts on prevention education, advocacy, communication and awareness. This will be achieved by the conducting the following
functions:

• Prevention Education

  • Implementation of an accident prevention strategy for the fishing industry. Educate the industry on accident investigation, preventing workplace injuries, ergonomics, etc.

  • Undertake concrete activities that are of direct interest to industry and that have the potential to have a positive effect on rates. This can be achieved by developing educational tools.
     

• Research and Advocacy

  • The association has the capacity to undertake research on causes of escalating rates. Research could also be done on the economic impacts that could result from the continuation of escalating costs that could make the fishing industry in the province less competitive.

  • Continue the dialogue with Workers’ Compensation Board and Government in their efforts to implement improved medical services in a timely fashion – ie: Doctor’s Nova Scotia and the Physiotherapy contract.

  • Work with all stakeholders that have a keen interest in improving workplace safety.
     

• Communication and Awareness

  • Show industry wide leadership on the issue of safety.

  • Increase awareness of safety and celebrate success.

  • Promote a safety culture in the industry.

  • Communicate with industry on causes, and various specific activities that can address these.

Governance/Membership (back to top)

The safety association is governed by a board of directors. This board oversees the activities and staff of the safety association and will meet 4 times a year. This 15 member board host seats for 5 harvesting representatives, 5 processing representatives, 3 representatives from aquaculture and/or services incidental to fishing, and 2 seats for the Nova Scotia Fisheries Sector Council. Ex-officio members (non-voting) have been secured from the NS Department of Labour and Workforce Development, NS Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia. A 4 person executive has been elected by the board of directors. The executive will meet independently of the board, as needed. There is an open membership to the safety association, to those firms/individuals in the harvesting, processing and aquaculture sectors registered with the WCBNS. This membership meets together once a year for an annual general meeting.
 

Structure (back to top)

The safety association is housed within the Nova Scotia Fisheries Sector Council. The safety association will have a dedicated staff person to manage the safety association, and share the office resources of the NSFSC.
 

Funding (back to top)

A membership fee will be charged once a year and will be paid per Standard Industry Classification (SIC) (company/individual). If a company holds more than one division within an SIC they will only pay once (i.e. 2 processing plants within an SIC). If a company has divisions in 2 or more SIC’s they would pay in both SIC’s (i.e. one harvesting, one processing). The WCB is charging this fee on behalf of the safety association to the company/individual, and turns over the revenue to the association. The membership fee will be based on the previous year’s premiums paid. Membership fees are paid based on the following:

• 0-$1000 of premium, $50/year

• $1001-$2000 of premium, $100/year

• $2001 and above of premium, $200/year
  
  New companies entering the system will pay $50 for the first year and subsequent years will be based on past years premiums paid.
   

Activities of the Safety Association (back to top)

• Full time Employee

• Safety Advocate for Industry

• Communication and Awareness

• Programming for employers around Accident Prevention

• Develop industry specific training

• Offer training at a reduced rate