“Laws which provide for the taxing of industry to furnish compensation for the victims of industrial accidents irrespective of fault are commendable and desirable, but laws which will prevent the happening of such accidents are of more vital importance.” - Avard Pineo et al, Province of British Columbia, Report of the Committee of Investigation on Workmen’s Compensation Laws, March 1st, 1916
As workers’ compensation systems were being established, the linkage between prevention and compensation was a given. Then as now, administering medical aid and compensation necessarily involves investigation and, if pursued vigorously, such inquiry arrives at causes and remedies to prevent repeat or recurrence. The boundaries of organizational mandates, the vagaries of administrivia and the imperatives of privacy-while individually justifiable-often blunt the power of analysis to refine and fundamentally change untamed hazards into managed risks.
Never accept any work-related injury as an inevitable consequence of commerce, a mere cost of doing business. Each incident carries with it the essence of prevention-an essence obtained at human cost, too easily lost if not actively applied to that purpose. Honour that cost. Apply the knowledge gained from each workers’ compensation case to creating workplaces safe and secure from injury, illness and disease.
- Mr. Terrance J. Bogyo, Director Corporate Planning and Development, WorkSafeBC.
Pingback: What happened at the IAIABC’s Convention-Part 1? « Workers' Comp Perspectives