Employers have a higher confidence level when it comes to workers’ ability to comprehend health and safety policies, than the workers themselves, and this is creating a gap that can increase the risk for workplace injuries.

ABC Life Literacy Canada recently launched a new workplace literacy website, developed to raise awareness of the importance of literacy and essential skills in the workplace. The website, complemented by a new national print and online advertising campaign entitled, “Are you prepared?” emphasizes the impact of workplace education on Canada’s economy.

“We encourage employers to take a leadership role in preparing their workers through workplace education for the competitive challenges ahead,” says Margaret Eaton, president of ABC Life Literacy Canada (formerly ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation).

Four out of 10 Canadian adults ages 16 to 65 continue to struggle with low literacy levels, and of those, approximately 72 per cent are employed.

“Ensuring that employees have the skills they need to be successful individuals promotes the overall success of the organization and has a clear impact on the bottom line,” says Eaton. Several success stories are featured in the new advertising campaign.

The C. D. Howe Institute reports that a one per cent rise in a country’s literacy level, relative to the international average, is associated with an eventual 2.5 per cent rise in labour productivity and a 1.5 per cent rise in the per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This one per cent increase in literacy rates would boost the national income by as much as $32 billion.

To learn more about workplace education and how to get a program started, please visit www.workplaceeducation.ca.

ABC Life Literacy Canada is a non-profit organization that inspires Canadians to increase their literacy skills. We mobilize business, government and communities to support lifelong learning and achieve our goals through leadership in programs, communications and partnerships. ABC Life Literacy Canada envisions a Canada where everyone has the skills they need to live a fully engaged life. For the latest news and information on adult literacy please visit www.abclifeliteracy.ca, follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook  page. 

October 2008 - Canadian organizations invest heavily in occupational health and safety training and new equipment to protect employees, yet they spend little on upgrading the basic skills and literacy of their workers, according to a new Conference Board report examining literacy’s impact on workplace health and safety.

Conference board survey data has shown that employers spent 10 per cent of their training budgets on occupational health and safety training. But respondents said they spent just two per cent of the budget for organizational training, learning, and development on literacy and basic skills upgrading.

“Low literacy skills in the workplace do more than just threaten an organization’s productivity and competitiveness - they also put workers’ health and safety at risk,” says Alison Campbell, senior research associate, organizational effectiveness and learning, for the conference board.

“If workers can’t understand health and safety regulations provided to them, or if they can’t understand their rights to a safe workplace, there is an increased risk of incidents and injury.”

International survey results show that more than four in 10 Canadians in the working-age population do not have the literacy skills needed to perform most jobs well.

The conference board’s survey research also reveals an inverse relationship between industries requiring a high level of health and safety and investment in literacy skills. With the exception of the wholesale and retail industries, the primary and construction industries spend the least amount per employee on developing literacy and basic skills. Transportation and utility sector spending on literacy and basic skills training ($4 per employee in 2006) is also a fraction of that spent in industries such as information and communications technology ($32 per employee) and financial services ($13 per employee).

Some sectors are trying to raise literacy levels - the Construction Sector Council, Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council and the Wood Manufacturing Council have initiated programs to ensure that workers thoroughly understand common job hazards and basic safety practices.

This report, All Signs Point to Yes: Literacy’s Impact on Workplace Health and Safety, outlines the preliminary results of a two-year Conference Board research project, “What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You”, supported by Human Resources and Social Development Canada.

For more details about the report, visit www.conferenceboard.ca/documents.asp?rnext=2713.