Safety Matters

For the first time since the Greater Halifax Partnership has published the Halifax Index, they’ve included workplace safety as a focus.

This speaks to how workplace safety is increasingly becoming part of the conversation not only in Halifax, but across Nova Scotia. Business leaders understand more than ever that workplace injuries and fatalities not only have a traumatic effect on Nova Scotian families, but also heavily impact our economy.

The Greater Halifax Partnership should be applauded for making this issue a topic for discussion when painting the picture of Halifax’s economy. The section on workplace safety notes, “Workplace safety is important for a variety of reasons. Most obvious is the quality of life and potential loss-of-life impacts that workplace injuries can have on individuals and their families. Beyond this, workplace safety and an early and safe return to work for those who are injured are critical to a highly productive economy. Time lost to injury and absence contributes to lower productivity, affects competitiveness, and, ultimately, pushes wages and salaries down. We all share the responsibility to help ensure the safest work environment possible.”

The report also references the Workplace Safety Strategy making readers aware that, “this five-year plan establishes strong goals for health and safety and a long-term vision to make Nova Scotia the safest place to work in Canada.”

We believe that having workplace safety included in reports such as the Halifax Index helps us to achieve that long-term vision, encouraging more Nova Scotians to understand that we all have a role to play in implementing workplace safety measures at every worksite across the province. Workplace injuries and fatalities not only have a dramatic human impact, but they affect the health and prosperity of our province, something that we all need to care about. 

You can access Greater Halifax Partnership’s 2014 Halifax Index.