The current publicity about the extensive use of cell phones and the possible link to brain tumors is another concern. Increasingly, the rate groups in this sub-sector are aware of ergonomics, but even if they have the best equipment, their advantages are lost if workers do not know how to use them to maximize health and safety. We need to develop a stronger presence in this sub-sector. We have to change the perception that health and safety associations are dictatorial by showing how we can work together. And we have to replace the perception that health and safety and profits do not work well with a holistic view in which health and safety are incorporated into good business practices.
Seasonal fluctuation is a feature of the entertainment industry.
Some theatre companies, for example, operate only in the summer when the number of their employees and contractors swells, creating many health and safety challenges. Education about best practices is required. The live performance rate group has formed an advisory council composed of occupational health and safety professionals and prevention partner representatives from OSSA, Ministry of Labour, and the Electrical and Utilities Safety Association. This type of partnership can raise the profile of health and safety. There are a variety of professional groups and associations that encompass the rate groups in this sector.