February 24, 2017 - The Union has learned members are being instructed and pressured by Telus management to complete the Job Assessment Risk Review (JARR) training and forms on an ongoing basis.
In the Union’s February 17, Safety Bulletin we advised members not to sign any JARR documents as this new Telus safety program may negatively affect worker safety rights.
Telus did not consult the Union or the Telus Policy Health and Safety Committee as outlined in the Canada Labour Code and Part XIX Hazard Prevention Program prior to implementing their new JARR safety program.
The Union has serious concerns about the negative impacts and future implications this new Telus ‘blame-the-worker’ or behavior-based safety policy will have on our members.
A behavior-based safety program focuses on worker behavior instead of workplace hazards as the cause of injuries. This takes attention away from workplace hazards and reinforces the myth that injuries result from bad behaviour rather than hazardous conditions.
It seems Telus is shifting the safety liability from them (the employer) to you (the employee) with their new JARR safety program.
Because of the recent Telus decision to implement a new ‘blame-the-worker’ safety policy without Union or Policy Health and Safety Committee consultation or participation, members should add the following text into the workers limitations section of the JARR form:
The Union and the Policy Health and Safety Committee were not consulted on the Job Assessment Risk Review (JARR) program and this is a contravention of the Canada Labour Code Section 125(1)(z.03).
Due to the importance of our member’s safety at work, an Our Safety Creed message has been included on the back of every Telus/TWU collective agreement for more than 40 years. It outlines the importance of worker safety and states:
The demands of the service or the importance of the job are never so great that we cannot do the job safely.
In light of this, and the importance of workplace safety, every member should take all the necessary time required to assess, test, document and complete each daily work assignment regardless of the Standard Work Time (SWT) assigned by Telus.
This will ensure our members can safely complete their work and go home safe at the end of each workday.
Any member attending a meeting where Telus management instructs or pressures employees to complete the JARR training or forms should document the meeting. Record any Telus management statements and forward that information to a unit shop steward or the Union office for information.
In Solidarity,
The Telecommunications Workers Union, United Steelworkers National Local 1944