Formal evaluation must be a required component of any initiative and outcomes should be shared with the appropriate parties. Public and media campaigns are an important part of motivating change in attitudes about the violence and tragedies of workplace illness, injury and death. However, they must be part of a coordinated, long-term, provincial strategy to effect a cultural change. The Ministry of Labour is setting the tone with a strong new message that ill and injured workers can no longer be considered a cost of doing business. OSSA submitted a research proposal to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board to gain a better understanding of small business and how to reduce the risk of youth injury and illness.
Small business is a major employer in Canada.
Some small business concerns include the tax burden, government regulations, and workers compensation. New federal privacy legislation takes effect January 2001. It applies to all personally identifiable information regardless of size. This has implications for OSSA as well as our client base. Provincial partners should continue team-building and developing a provincial strategy, common priorities, and the approach started in 1998.