The Safety Association of Saskatchewan Manufacturers (SASM) is calling on the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) to cease all actions against SASM that are interfering with its ability to provide safety training and services to the industry.In 2021, SASM and the WCB entered into an agreement that allowed SASM to create an income stream separate from the WCB. The agreement gives SASM the ability to provide safety services to a broad range of employers beyond rate code manufacturers. This separate income stream is unique to SASM.The WCB has demanded SASM provide more information on its clients than in the past, which SASM believes is private and confidential. Mediation failed to work out the differences. The disagreement has left SASM without the funding WCB collects and disperses to safety associations, an arrangement unique to Saskatchewan.“SASM has built decades of trust with the clients that we serve. The employers who purchase these services do so on the basis that their information is confidential. However, the WCB has demanded that the information be provided to them which would be a breach of trust on our behalf” said Desira Rostad, CEO of SASM.“These employers have informed SASM that this action will damage or end their relationship with SASM and may result in legal action against us. This will have a negative impact in our sector on injury rates as those firms who have used our services for years will no longer do so."SASM has offered to provide the financial information to the WCB with minimal redactions and to hire a third party to review that information on behalf of both SASM and the WCB. Additionally, SASM offered to fully partition itself into two distinct corporations. SASM offered to engage in arbitration to achieve a binding answer to the scope of disclosure it was obligated to provide. These compromises put forward by SASM were rejected by the WCB.“Previously in 2021, the WCB had stated in a document that was used to create SASMs agreement, that the external revenue can be verified by an external financial auditor. The WCB would outline the scope of the audit which would be paid for by the safety association,” said Rostad. "This offer no longer appears to be on the table. The WCB continues to move the goal posts and in our opinion has no interest in being a trusted partner with our association now or in the future.”The Safety Association of Saskatchewan Manufacturers, Inc. (SASM) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the prevention of injuries in the manufacturing sector. SASM has a wide range of safety courses.The Western Standard contacted SASM for further comment but was asked to email questions to the board. A request for comment from WCB did not get a response before publication time.Read more: Sask safety associations in four year fight with WCB (Dec. 8)Saskatchewan safety associations protest workers comp demands (Dec. 6)
