Remembering Westray

May 9, 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the Westray mining disaster where 26 Miners lost their lives.

The disaster left an indelible mark on the province and prompted major changes to workplace health and safety. Today, we have half the number of workplace injuries. We have better awareness, better safety programs, better adherence to safety legislation. A shift in focus that puts safety before profits. If there's a silver lining in Westray it's that it gave us a deeper understanding of what can happen when we don't put safety first.

One of the biggest changes to come from Westray was Bill C 45. It made gross negligence, that leads to grievous bodily harm in the workplace an offense under the Criminal Code, punishable by jail time. In this episode we're going to talk about the legacy of Westray and what we can do to eliminate workplace tragedies.

Danny Cavanagh, President at Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, and Alex Keaveny, Senior Crown Counsel at Public Prosecution Service, join us today to discuss the Westray mining disaster, the changes it brought about and opportunities for continued safety commitment and improvement.

To learn more visit: https://www.worksafeforlife.ca/