SASKATOON, Sask. – Workplace safety research is going mobile in Saskatchewan.
The Sask. Work mobile research lab, described as an innovative initiative designed to help employers better understand workplace demands, exposures and injury risk factors through real-world, field-based research, was launched at the ISSA Mining Safety Conference in Saskatoon today.
The lab has been developed by WorkSafe Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Workers' Compensation Board (WCB), in partnership with the Canadian Institute for Safety, Wellness and Performance (CISWP).
According to the WCB, the five-year project aims to bring advanced assessment technology directly to workplaces across Saskatchewan, giving participating employers access to research-grade tools and expertise at no cost.
“The Sask. Work initiative represents an important investment in workplace injury and illness prevention,” said Minister Responsible for the Workers’ Compensation Board Ken Cheveldayoff.
“By collecting objective data in real working environments, we can help employers better understand workplace demands and identify practical opportunities to improve worker health and safety.”
The mobile research lab is a fully equipped research unit capable of travelling anywhere in Saskatchewan. Operating from its home base in Saskatoon, the lab allows researchers to collect data where work actually occurs, capturing the real-world complexity and conditions that cannot be replicated in traditional laboratory settings, explains the WCB.
“Using wearable technology, sensors, observation tools and environmental monitoring equipment, researchers can measure a range of workplace factors, including physical demands, fatigue, posture and movement patterns, vibration exposure, cognitive workload, physiological strain, noise, temperature and other workplace exposures,” explained Kevin Mooney, the WCB’s vice-president of prevention and employer services.
Participating employers will receive a customized report that includes job-specific findings, identified risk factors, evidence-informed recommendations and opportunities to strengthen workplace safety and prevention efforts, the WCB says.
The initial focus will be on employers operating in the construction, transportation and health-care sectors, primarily targeting tradespeople, labourers, truck drivers and health-care providers.
“This initiative will contribute to Saskatchewan-specific applied research that supports the development of future prevention resources, best practices and evidence-informed health and safety strategies across the province,” said Amin Yazdani, president and CEO of the CISWP.
“The research gathered will be used solely for research and prevention purposes and is not connected to regulatory inspections, compliance activities or enforcement actions.”
“The International Minerals Innovation Institute (IMII) is excited to see this initiative taking shape and we look forward to opportunities to work collaboratively, leveraging insights from the mobile lab’s activities to pursue innovations to improve workplace safety in the minerals sector,” said IMII executive director Lesley McGilp.
Worker participation in the research is entirely voluntary and privacy protections are a foundational element of the program. Individual worker data is anonymized and never shared with employers.
Employers interested in participating can work with their WorkSafe contact to complete a Sask. Work initiative intake form.
For more information or to express interest in participating, contact mobileresearchlab@wcbsask.com.
Learn more about the Sask. Work initiative mobile lab at youtu.be/HZbFpHpqK5M.
