- Health, Safety and Wellness
Health, Safety and Wellness
We are committed to ensuring the health, safety and wellness of employees across all BCE operations. Bell Canada has made a specific commitment to promote a healthy lifestyle among its employees by providing a broad health and well-being program for the workplace.
The information below applies to Bell Canada. Programs and practices may vary or be customized for individual Bell Canada business units based on their specific needs.
MANAGEMENT
Bell Canada has a formal Health, Safety and Wellness (HSW) policy as well as a formal HSW training program. We track health and wellness data in addition to on-duty accidents and occupational diseases.
Bell Canada's corporate Health and Safety Committees deal with company-wide health and safety issues and any other items that transcend the jurisdiction of the local committees. Local Health and Safety Committees focus on resolving health and safety concerns within their area and identifying issues with wider implications.
ON-DUTY ACCIDENTS AND OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
Our accident prevention process is designed to ensure that all our employees have the necessary training and supervision to work safely. It includes more than 130 Bell Canada-specific training documents with information on specific risks and the protective measures that must be taken for different tasks. Employees are also instructed on the proper use of tools and the completion of work operations. Bell Canada actively monitors and records health and safety training, as well as supervision and observation of work practices.
In 2005, the lost-time injury rates for on-duty accidents and occupational diseases for Bell Canada were:
| Lost-time Injury Rates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2004* | ||
| Frequency (number of LWC / EQE) x 100 | 0.63 | 0.69 | |
| Severity (number of days lost / EQE) x 100 | 17.15 | 23.53 | |
| Days per case | 27.13 | 33.89 | |
LWC= Lost Work Cases: the number of new on-duty accident and occupational disease cases. This excludes relapses.
EQE= Equivalent Employees: the equivalent number of full time employees.
| On-duty Accidents and Occupational Disease Costs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2004* | ||
| Industry benchmark** (% of payroll) | 1.2 | 1.2 | |
| Indicator: Bell Canada (% of payroll) | 0.40 | 0.40 | |
KEY OBJECTIVE: Maintain on-duty accident and occupational disease costs below general industry and telecommunications industry benchmarks in 2006.
NON-OCCUPATIONAL ABSENCES
Bell Canada's Health, Safety and Wellness policies, programs and practices (described below) are designed to achieve best in class absenteeism rates. The table below presents the direct cost of non-occupational absences over the years and in comparison to the industry benchmark:
| Non-Occupational Absences costs - Short-term disability*** | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2004* | ||
| Industry benchmark** (% of payroll) | 1.9 | 1.9 | |
| Indicator: Bell Canada (% of payroll) | 2.1 | 2.4 | |
| Non-Occupational Absences costs - Long-term disability**** | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2004* | ||
| Industry benchmark** (% of payroll) | 1.4 | 1.4 | |
| Indicator: Bell Canada (% of payroll) | 0.9 | 1.0 | |
*2003 consolidated data not available as some subsidiaries did not consolidate company-wide H&S data prior to 2004.
**Watson Wyatt's Canadian 2004/2005 Staying@Work study involved 94 participating organizations across Canada. The survey covered a broad spectrum of industries and geographic regions.
***STD (Short-term disability) includes sickness and off-duty accidents with absences greater than seven consecutive calendar days.
****LTD (Long term disability) occurs after short term disability expires provided that the person is totally disabled.
KEY OBJECTIVE: Maintain or render non-occupational absence costs below general industry benchmarks in 2006.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES
Work Practices
Over the years, Bell Canada has implemented specific practices to ensure the health and safety of field personnel involved in the installation, operation, and maintenance of masts, base stations, laying of cables, and other work-related duties. These practices include directives and recommendations regarding control measures, personal protective equipment, training and validation as well as supervision. They address numerous health & safety risks such as working at heights, electric shock, exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and radio frequency fields, and exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Working in confined spaces is a key Health and Safety risk factor because of Bell Canada's 65,000 manholes. We mitigate this with regular risk assessments, mandatory training, refresher courses, and access to site-specific information.
As an employer representative, Bell Canada plays an active role on many federal government committees and monitors new legislation that could have an impact on the company.
Road Safety
On any given day, Bell Canada has more than 7,300 company vehicles on the road. We have processes and procedures in place to address the safety of employees who drive company vehicles. These include:
- regular preventive maintenance and tracking
- mandatory preventative driving training (2-day course)
- scheduled employee reviews and observations of work methods
- systematic accident review and tracking through a newly developed application.
Workplace Inspection Program
Local Health and Safety Committee members inspect our workplaces regularly and record and track deficiencies, if any. Our program meets the standards set out in legislation. We have also developed and implemented a program and supporting computer application to address this aspect of our business.
Office Ergonomics
In 2005, Bell Canada pursued its excellence in ergonomics through the standardization of ergonomic furniture, training initiatives, refresher sessions and awareness programs launched jointly with our union partners. Internal ergonomic "champions" were trained to provide first-line assistance and we also made provisions for external expertise.
RESPONDING TO EMPLOYEES' NEEDS
Voicing Health and Safety Concerns
Bell Canada employees have access to a mechanized system to facilitate the identification, escalation, resolution, tracking and monitoring of occupational health and safety related non-compliances, risks and dangers.
Employee Assistance Program
Bell Canada employees have access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). A free, confidential, voluntary short-term counselling service, EAP is available to all employees and family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The program offers support to employees dealing with stress, grief, addiction, marital problems or emotional difficulties. It also provides financial planning, legal consultation, childcare and eldercare information and other services.
| Employee Assistance Program | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | |
| Usage Rate (% of eligible employees) | 13.0% | 11.0% | 11.9% |
Wellness CheckpointT & Balancing Act
Bell Canada provided these on-line educational tools to help employees assess and monitor their well-being. They provide helpful hints and resources on stress management skills and how to improve health and wellness.
Training
We offer and track numerous training courses mostly through our Career Development Centre (CDC). Newly developed or revised Bell Canada Health, Safety and Wellness courses available in 2005/2006 include:
- Managing Health and Safety at Bell Canada
- Accident / Incident Investigation at Bell Canada
- Accident Prevention Process, Observations & Inspections
- Refresher defensive driving of lightweight vehicles
- ATV Operations
- LHSC Training
- Pole Top Rescue for Wooden Poles
- Spur course
- Transportation Regulations
- New regulation on Work Area Traffic Control requirement
- Alcohol, Drugs and Medication: an awareness session on risk
- Mental Health at Work: Better Understand to Better Intervene.
| HSW Training Investment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | |
| Development of HSW Training material (000 $) | 214 | 358 | 274 |
*Includes Bell Canada wireline development costs only, not roll-out and attendance costs.
