SCIP: Free health and safety training for small business
April 11, 2011
Ninety-eight percent of employers in Ontario operate businesses with fewer than 100 employees. These small and micro-businesses often have limited internal resources to build an effective internal responsibility system for health and safety. They are also generally more vulnerable than larger businesses to the physical, administrative and financial costs of a workplace injury or illness.
Among the 46 recommendations of the Expert Advisory Panel on Occupational Health and Safety that were adopted by the Ontario government in December 2010 was the creation of a small business advisory committee. This committee will help Ontario’s prevention system act on the unique health and safety issues faced by small and micro-businesses.
Various support programs and incentives already exist to help Ontario’s small businesses improve health and safety. All four health and safety associations offer consulting and training services that are geared to small business. For its part, The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) offers a free small business health and safety course called Safe Communities Incentive Program (SCIP). By completing the SCIP training requirements, a company can receive a five per cent rebate on its WSIB premiums. (WSIB defines a small business as any firm that pays less than $90,000 in annual WSIB premiums.)
SCIP’s two-part training incentive process starts by helping owners and senior managers of firms that have been registered with WSIB for 12 months or less acquire an understanding of their legal obligations under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act. A firm that completes two sessions of two-hour classroom training and creates a health and safety action plan is eligible for a 5% rebate on their WSIB premiums.
“Most of the time, firms are not aware of all the available resources or where to get them,” says Joanne Gordon, Manager of SCIP. “We’ve been focusing on small business for a long time – we know what they need and they quickly see the advantages of partnering with us.”
The second part of SCIP training is geared to more established small businesses. It enhances a company’s health and safety awareness by providing four sessions of four-hour classroom training that helps a company develop and manage an effective health and safety program and policy, and create a return-to-work program for an employee who has suffered a workplace injury or illness.
“Between the two parts of the program we do an on-site visit to determine if the company would be a good fit for the second part,” Gordon explains. “The size of the business often dictates whether Part 2 is appropriate. We don’t want them to be scared or overwhelmed by health and safety. It’s all about building a relationship of honesty and trust.”
A company that successfully completes the second part of SCIP is eligible for an additional 5% rebate on its WSIB premiums. Firms are not eligible to receive both rebates in the same calendar year, and members of WSIB’s Safety Groups incentive program are not eligible for SCIP rebates.
In addition to training sessions in a number of southern locations, Gordon says planning is currently underway with Workplace Safety North to provide access to the program in northern communities. More information on SCIP and schedules for upcoming training sessions of Part 1 and Part 2 are posted on the WSIB website. You can also call 1-800-663-6639 or email prevention@wsib.on.ca for more details.