WorkSafeNB is proud to support Candace Carnahan’s Step Up Your Safety e-learning program, an initiative designed to help New Brunswick high school students enter the workforce with a strong and lasting safety mindset. Launched in September, the program is an engaging digital learning experience that builds awareness and encourages safe choices at work and in everyday life.
Each year, approximately 750 young workers are injured on the job in New Brunswick; injuries that are often preventable with the right education. Offered to New Brunswick high schools in collaboration with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Step Up Your Safety helps students see how physical and psychological safety connects to their everyday experiences and future workplaces.
“Helping young workers understand that safety is personal is critical to building a strong safety mindset,” said Tim Petersen, President and CEO of WorkSafeNB. “Programs like Step Up Your Safety and listening to Candace’s story encourages youth to think differently about risk and responsibility. Our hope is that this awareness, and the importance of safety leadership, stays with them as they move into the workforce and throughout their lives.”
A program shaped by lived experience
At the age of 21, Carnahan’s life changed forever when she lost her leg from a preventable workplace incident. That experience shaped her life and career, and she has spent more than 25 years advocating for injury prevention and the importance of speaking up. Through her program, Step Up Your Safety, Carnahan aims to help young workers recognize that workplace injuries are preventable and their choices and conversations can make a lasting difference.
“When young people are educated, they become empowered. When they are empowered, they become inspired. Step Up Your Safety is about equipping young people with the knowledge and awareness they need to protect themselves—and each other,” said Carnahan. “When we know better, we can do better. That understanding gives youth the confidence to speak up, make safer choices and help shape a culture of care wherever their journey takes them.”
Available to New Brunswick high schools
Step Up Your Safety supports WorkSafeNB’s vision of making New Brunswick the safest place to work and recognizes the important role education plays in shaping how young people understand and apply safety. WorkSafeNB is funding this course during the 2025-2026 school year and encourages educators to explore the program and use its resources to support meaningful classroom learning and discussion. The program includes four modules designed to help students uncover their own personal reason why safety truly matters to them.
High school teachers in Anglophone districts can access Step Up Your Safety through the curriculum website under Skilled Trades, Career and Occupational Learning and Wellness and Physical Education. Teachers do not need to be teaching in these areas to access the program. High school teachers in Francophone districts will receive internal communication on how to access the courses.
WorkSafeNB also offers other interactive e-learning modules specifically designed for young workers, using real life examples and engaging activities to build a strong foundation in workplace safety, where participants receive a certificate upon completion. Learn more at worksafenb.ca/youthmodules.
For more information about Candace Carnahan and Step Up Your Safety, educators are encouraged to visit candacecarnahan.com.