OHS Video Available for Hearing Impaired

A new educational tool has been developed to help the hearing impaired understand the province's Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The Department of Environment and Labour has produced an open- captioned version of the video Taking Responsibility, an overview of Nova Scotia's Occupational Health and Safety Act. Open captioning provides a visible text version of what the people on screen are saying. Unlike closed captioning, the text cannot be turned off.

The Department of Environment and Labour continues to provide educational tools to reduce occupational injury and illness. In Nova Scotia, about 55,000 people have some form of hearing impairment. The addition of the video gives more people equal access to information regarding the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

"Education is the key to preventing injuries in the workplace," said David Morse, Minister of Environment and Labour. "Making this video more accessible is just one way the department supports the efforts of employers, and others, who are training Nova Scotia's workforce in occupational health and safety."

The decision to create an open-captioned format of the video was made as representatives of the department and the Workers' Compensation Board discussed how to make educational tools more accessible to Nova Scotians.

"A client suggested an open-captioned version of the Occupational Health and Safety Act video would be helpful to them," said Linda Corkum, coordinator--Communications Programs, Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia.

The Occupational Health and Safety Division were able to open- caption the video within days and to make it available on the Internet.

"This video has opened doors for the deaf community, as an instrumental piece for understanding the Occupational Health and Safety Act," said Ms. Corkum.

Copies of the Taking Responsibility video can be ordered on the Internet at www.gov.ns.ca/enla/ohs , or borrowed by contacting the library at the Department of Environment and Labour or regional library systems across the province. Videos are also available for purchase from the Occupational Health and Safety Division. The cost of the video is $25 plus tax.