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VANCOUVER – Labour and Citizens’ Services Minister Mike de Jong today announced the introduction of the Provincial Council on SafeBC. The government-led council will work with public and private-sector stakeholders and non-profit agencies with the stated goal of making B.C. the safest province in Canada.
“The Province’s commitment to safety, not just in the workplace, but in every aspect of life in B.C., prompted this initiative,” Minister de Jong told the assembled stakeholders at the Canadian kick-off to North American Occupational Safety and Health Week in Vancouver. “We are encouraging every workplace, community and citizen, to take ownership of their health and safety. We want to make every person in B.C. aware of the danger of unhealthy risks and how carelessness can impact their lives, and their loved ones.”
Injuries that occur at home, on the job, on our roads and during leisure activities are, in the overwhelming majority of cases, preventable. The direct costs of injuries are approximately $852 million a year in British Columbia, with indirect costs totalling $1.2 billion.
Minister de Jong further elaborated that stakeholders including business, government and community leaders will be invited to convene and help develop and contribute to a strategy that will bring the program to the public, with a goal of reducing preventable injuries and accidental deaths.
The B.C. government has made public safety a priority. The Provincial Council on SafeBC’s objective is to reduce provincial injury and death rates.
WorkSafeBC has a mandate to work with workers and employers to prevent workplace injury, illness and disease. The SafeBC initiative aims to build on that, to include leisure activities, road safety and injuries in the home.
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Communications Director Ministry of Labour and Citizens’ Services 250 387-2699 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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