WorkSafe Saskatchewan drops Mission Zero branding

Mission Zero may be ending, but Saskatchewan officials say the mission behind it is far from complete.

WorkSafe Saskatchewan unveiled a new strategic framework Wednesday aimed at reducing serious workplace injuries and fatalities by broadening its focus on worker health, psychological safety and well-being.

“Slogans don’t save lives, but they get people thinking in the right direction,” Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said during the announcement in Regina.

“They get people focused in thinking about safety first.”

The updated strategy comes as Saskatchewan reports some of the lowest workplace injury incidents, while fatalities continue to remain stubbornly high.

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According to WorkSafe Saskatchewan, 89 per cent of workplaces in the province reported zero injuries or fatalities in 2025. Since the partnership launched in 2002, Saskatchewan’s total injury rate and time-loss injury rate both dropped by 67 per cent.

But approximately 2,500 workers in Saskatchewan still suffer serious injuries every year.

“There’s a great deal to celebrate,” Cheveldayoff said. “But that number is still too high. Those statistics represent people who didn’t come home safely from work.”

Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board CEO Phillip Germain speaks with reporters following Wednesday’s WorkSafe Saskatchewan rebrand announcement in Regina. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)

WorkSafe Saskatchewan is a partnership between the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety and the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board.

The new framework expands the province’s prevention focus beyond physical hazards to include psychological health, workplace violence, fatigue, recovery and return-to-work supports.

WCB chair Gord Dobrowolsky said workplace safety has evolved significantly over the past two decades.

“Safety is no longer just about guarding a machine or putting on protective equipment,” Dobrowolsky said.

“It’s also about ergonomics in health care, it’s about psychological safety. It’s about fatigue, exposure, violence, recovery and return to work.”

The province says serious injury claims currently account for between 11 and 15 percent of all claims in Saskatchewan, but make up roughly 80 percent of compensation costs.

There were 27 workplace fatalities recorded in both 2024 and 2025.

WCB CEO Phillip Germain said one of the biggest changes moving forward will be a more targeted, collaborative approach with employers.

“We have developed something called learning collaborative, where we bring employers together to focus on a very specific issue,” Germain said.

“We’re bringing experts into those groups, and we are working specifically with those employers to tackle those specific issues in those specific workplaces.”

The province says the new strategy will place particular attention on health care, transportation and construction sectors that continue to drive a significant portion of serious injuries and fatalities.

Healthcare saw a 12.6 per cent decline in its total injury rate in 2025, while construction saw a three- percent decline. Transportation remained unchanged.

While the familiar Mission Zero branding may gradually disappear, one part of the campaign appears to be sticking around.

During the announcement, WorkSafe Saskatchewan mascot “WorkSafe Bob” made an appearance to applause and jokes from speakers, including Cheveldayoff, who quipped the oversized mascot “steals the show.”

And while the slogan may be changing, officials insisted the province’s goal remains the same: getting every worker home safely.