'Respect Matters' tour

Safety Services Nova Scotia as well as workplace safety and respect expert Paul Kells, with the support of the Canadian Red Cross (CRC), are pleased to announce the provincial Respect Matters Tour. A new topic for health and safety professionals and joint health and safety committee members, “Respect Matters” presents a new way of thinking about safety.

“There is a higher risk of injury, both mental and physical, when people are exposed to inappropriate behaviours and other risks but are reluctant to say anything about them,” said Kells. “Often, they make a choice to be a bystander because they perceive a power imbalance between themselves and their co-workers or supervisors. Managers, supervisors and peers need to understand and recognize these imbalances in order to reduce the risks of injury from distraction and un-reported risks.”

This time of year is the ideal time to talk to businesses about safety and respect, said Jackie Norman, president of CEO of Safety Services Nova Scotia.

“This announcement comes just days after Canadians recognized those lost in workplace injuries during the National Day of Mourning on April 28. This is also the time of year when a number of young people enter the workforce. Injury risks attached to power imbalances are particularly significant for this group and we are very pleased to be able to offer this kind of support to our employers,” she said.

Kells has a history of making meaningful impact in the workplace safety field. After losing his son, Sean, to a workplace explosion in 1994, he took on a mission to support and build safer workplace cultures, reducing risk, saving lives and diminishing the ripple effects of devastating workplace injuries on everyone.

The tour will begin at the end of May and continue through June (dates listed below). The content of the sessions will help supervisors, managers, JOSH committee members and small business owners generate greater respect and less divisiveness in their workplaces. The cost is $250 per person and includes access to a cutting edge pre-workshop online program called “Respect in the Workplace.” A portion of the proceeds from this program fund CRC bullying prevention activity in schools and workplaces.

Safety Services is also able to arrange special private sessions for organizations that want a number of employees to benefit from the workshops in a group setting. More information about private sessions and the tour is available online at www.paulkells.com/RespectMattersTour.

Tour dates (across Nova Scotia)

• Yarmouth – May 27

• Kentville/the Valley – May 29

• Bridgewater – May 30

• Truro – June 3

• New Glasgow – June 4

• Sydney – June 6

• Dartmouth – June 10