Construction Industry Safety Partnership
Return to Work
Background Information
In 2017 – in Nova Scotia alone – there were 537 time-loss injuries in the construction industry. Time-loss injuries have a significant financial, physical, and emotional impact on injured workers and their families, construction industry employers, as well as the industry as a whole.
Stay at Work/Early Return to Work programming proactively helps a worker; who as a result of an occupational injury/illness return to productive employment in a timely and safe manner. Effective Stay at Work/Early Return to Work programs have been shown to:
- Reduce or eliminate lost wages
- Reduce or eliminate lost time claims
- Reduce the costs of finding and retaining new workers
- Reduce workers’ compensation premiums
- Keep loss of productivity to a minimum
The Construction Industry Safety Partnership (CISP) has developed a Return to Work Toolkit to support construction industry employers in adopting Stay at Work/Return to Work programs and policies.
Click HERE to access the Return to Work Toolkit.
How To Use
The Return to Work Toolkit is intended to be used as a guide/resource for employers to put a plan in place to keep workers safe on the job, and to help them return to work in a safe and timely manner following an injury. Click HERE to access the Return to Work Toolkit.
“A Business Case for Having a RTW Program” – McCarthy’s Roofing
Learn how one Nova Scotia construction industry employer experienced a reduction of approximately $293,000.00 in time-loss claims after only six years of adopting a Stay at Work/Early Return to Work program.
Click HERE read about the business case for having a Return to Work program.
Return to Work Resources
Job Demand Analysis (JDA) – Primarily used as a precursor in developing return-to-work programs. Click HERE to access the JDA for the role of Carpenter. Click HERE to access the JDA for the role of Labourer.
Preferred Service Providers – This online directory provides injured workers and employers the ability to search for the appropriate service provider(s) in their area. Click HERE to see a list of service providers.
Additional Links – Additional links for WCB websites and safety training providers. Click HERE for more information.
For more information:
Alain Lefebvre
Manager, Industry Education & Workforce Development
Construction Association of Nova Scotia
alefebvre@cans.ns.ca