Workplace Safety and the Modern Workforce There is a growing concern in Canada that workplace safety does not meet the needs of all workers. Workplaces and working hours have changed over the years but the rules for who qualifies for compensation has not. Therefore, many people who get hurt or injured on the job are not adequately compensated. A CBC documentary called Out of Syncthat aired on Jan 17, 2007 concluded that workplace inspections in Canada are not up to the standard necessary for a modern work environment. There found that there are more ten times more inspections of traditional workplaces compared to non -traditional workplaces. They defined traditional workplaces as construction sites, forestry and mining. Whereas, non-traditional sites such as hospitals are not inspected as often even though there have been an increase in violence resulting in injury to nurses and care workers. For example, 32% of the people involved in the heath care profession reported an incident of assault in 2005. Claims to workers’ compensation boards are more likely to be turned down in non-traditional settings. Another problem uncovered in the documentary was the tendency for inspections to take place from 9 to 5 even though many people work on evening shifts and accidents are more likely to occur at that time. Outdated Regulations a Poor Fit for Today’s Workplace addresses the present state of workplace safety in Canada. It looks at workplace safety from the viewpoint of a workers advocacy group. It notes that April 28 is set aside as a National Day of Mourning to remember people who have died as a result of workplace injuries and while the number of workplace deaths have decreased, there are still too many people dying from work related injuries. The Employees Forum of the Workman’s Compensation Board wants the regulations to change to reflect the modern workplace. In Canada, 165, 000 workplace injuries are reported annually and an average of 156 deaths occur each year....