Reboot Alberta

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Workplace Deaths Increasing in Alberta - Improved Literacy is Part of the Solution.

The recent death of two Chinese contract workers at the Canadian National Resource Limited Horizon oil sands project has caused an interesting set of reactions, responses and concerns.

There are calls for an inquiry and threats of work stoppages to review of immigration policy and temporary worker policy. Occupational Health and Safety officials are on the job conducting an investigation. The Chinese Canadian National Council is invoking shades of the Chinese workers and the building of the CPR. Condolences are being expressed and some serious soul searching about the alarming increase in workplace deaths in Alberta. We had 149 work related deaths in Alberta in 2006. There were already 27 such death in the first two months of 2007, putting us on track for our workplace death rate to double in 2007.

All of this is activity, concern and reflection is necessary and expected under the circumstances. There is another significantly related issue that needs to be considered as well. That is the issue of literacy capacity in the context of worker safety. In the case of the Chinese workers what resources did they have in the form of translation services? Did they have safety information and training provided in their own language? These are literary related questions.

Literacy levels are emerging as a major concern in Alberta because every able bodied person is working full tilt. In complex industrial society, having “able bodied” workers is like water is to soup. It is essential but insufficient in and of itself. You also have to have a set of skills and a literacy capability a critical skill to do these jobs these days. This is critical if for no other reason than personal and co-worker safety.

This is a national problem but one that comes into sharp focus in the over heated labour starved economy of Alberta. Our literacy levels in Canada are being taken for granted but that is a luxury we can no longer afford. Studies show that 40% of Canadians don’t have the literacy skills needed to meet the ever-increasing demands of our complex and knowledge-based society.

This translates into growing concerns over reading, numeracy and problem solving skills. As we become more global and interdependent we will become more aware of a need for cultural literacy too. Not everyone can learn to read but we can all do better about improving our skills in the full range of modern literacy demands.

Without adequate literacy capacity individuals are not keeping current on new methods and procedures, operational requirements and safety issues. The very long hours we now see as the new normal increases risk factors. That coupled with the elevated risks inherent in less skilled workers who are being thrust into more complex situations, is a recipe for more disasters like the recent deaths in the oil sands.

There is also a growing gap between the highly literate citizens and the insufficiently literate people in Canada today. It is a serious, social cohesion, citizenship, economic, productivity, and workplace safety issue too. The “fix” for this problem is also low hanging fruit for improving our economic productivity and global competitiveness. Studies show for every 1% increased in literacy rates we get a 1.5% permanent boost in GDP. That is about $3.5B increase in wealth creation just in Alberta. It is now obvious for reasons of personal safety and future prosperity we must improve our literacy rates across the board in Canada.

6 comments:

  1. It is also about using cheap labour and ignoring health and safety on the job. In this case one of the workers killed was a scaffolder. And we have lots of scaffolders in Alberta unemployed.
    The irony is that the oil patch kicks out unilingual Quebecois workers while bringing in Chinese workers.

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  2. Greater literacy is an absolute good.

    I've been a volunteer ESL tutor working with adults from Germany, Asia and Northern Inuit communities. It's a fun way to give something back to your community!

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  3. Whooee! Didn't the HarpoonTossers deep-six a successful literacy program just because it was initiated by 13-years-of-inaction?

    KenFeller, I agree with what yewr sayin'. Poor literacy can translate intoan unsafe workplace and an unsafe workplace can mean death.

    Along with chargin' Harper with war crimes in Afstan, maybe he needs to be accountable for workplace injuries and deaths caused by illiteracy.

    It looks like human life and human rights take a backseat to big oil profits and Kissin' Merkan ass in Afghanland.

    JimBobby

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  4. Anonymous7:17 am

    Given your positive posts on Elizabeth, I hope that you loudly condemn May's recent comments comparing the conservative government to the Nazis: "more culpable in the eyes of history than Neville Chamberlain's attempt to appease the Nazis."

    Most liberals do not want to talk about her comments, likely because they are ashamed their leader's lack of due diligence in creating this formal alliance.

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  5. Anonymous8:49 am

    If there is one province that can shine on education and training, it's Alberta. In my view, and I have written extensively about that, most other government spending could be eliminated if only education (at all levels and in all forms) were made truly open, universal and freely available to all.

    Lack of education is the source of most problems.

    One of our constituents recently wrote a letter to Stelmach about my ideas for open and accessible education (even mentioned me by name in her letter). She received two personal replies, one from Stelmach and another one from Hancock, and Hancock admitted that such a concept was never even discussed -- in fact, he states, no one in this cabinet or any previous cabinet has ever thought of making education freely accessible.

    Sorry, but when it comes to education, Canada is really backward.

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  6. Anonymous3:01 pm

    Ken,
    I want to applaud your comments on literacy and the lack thereof in Alberta. As the Adult Literacy Coordinator in Vulcan, AB I am reminded daily of the needs of our learners. These are not all just immigrant workers, many people have 'slipped through the cracks' and their need is masked by coping mechanisms and layer upon layer of embarrassment. Everywhere I turn there are challenges for those who live with low literacy levels. From our health regions sending out questionnaires with incredibly convoluted language to, as you said, a lack of training or resources available to all workers—both of Canadian decent and those who immigrated from elsewhere in the world.

    Breaking the stigma which is attached to low literacy, in my opinion, is the first step to increasing literacy levels. While North American business is counting profits, it is imperative that they review how those profits come in. Without their workers, big businesses and even small businesses are just good, yet unfullfillable, concepts. Their workers may never admit on their own that they need help with literacy but if resources are made available and offered openly, to all, the likelihood is they will be used. Imagine what kind of difference it would make if everyone who needed help felt confident enough to get it. The translation to dollars as a result of a paradigm shift of that sort would be beyond even most accountant’s imaginations. Breaking the silence and changing our mentality can in fact change the world. Thank you for speaking up.

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