A new national report from Threads of Life is calling for a shift from safety awareness to meaningful action in Canadian workplaces.
The annual State of Safety Report, released today on the National Day of Mourning, reveals that while attitudes toward workplace safety remain positive, progress in reducing incidents and fatalities has stalled. The findings point to a clear gap: organizations believe in safety, but too often fail to embed it into everyday practice.
“Awareness is not the issue, execution is,” said Eugene Gutierrez, executive director of Threads of Life. “We see strong belief in safety across Canada, but that belief must be reinforced through training, leadership, and culture if we want to see real change.”
According to the report, 73 per cent of organizations say they have safety training in place, yet fewer consistently build out their health and safety program with regular meetings, emergency procedures or workplace engagement.
Key barriers continue to limit progress, including understaffing, time constraints, and competing operational pressures. These challenges are making it difficult for organizations to prioritize ongoing safety training and culture-building efforts.
The report also highlights emerging pressures, including rising mental health challenges in the workplace, which are increasingly intersecting with overall safety performance.
Threads of Life is urging employers, policymakers, and industry leaders to focus on strengthening safety culture, investing in training, and ensuring accountability at all levels. With the federal government’s push for accelerated projects across many industries, it will be paramount for decision-makers and stakeholders to reflect on the State of Safety Report’s insights as the country races to build the economy of the future.
“Our vision is a future where Threads of Life is no longer needed,” said Gutierrez. “That will only happen when safety is not just something organizations say, it is something they consistently do.”
These findings are from a survey conducted by Threads of Life from Feb. 26 to March 11 among a representative sample of 1,013 online Canadian business owners, hiring managers and decision-makers who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The survey was conducted in English and French. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/-3.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Original Author: OHS Canada
Original Source: https://www.ohscanada.com/new-national-report-stresses-canada-must-move-from-safety-awareness-to-action/
