Journal of Commerce | Todd McDonald | May 8, 2024 Construction Safety Week is an opportune time to reflect on the evolving landscape of B.C.’s construction industry and the importance of prioritizing occupational health and safety (OHS) amidst its remarkable growth. Over the past decade, the construction industry in B.C. has seen a 40 per cent…
Read MoreConstruction can be kind: Recognizing Mental Health Week
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | May 6, 2024 According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, this year’s Mental Health Week is centered around healing and compassion. Taking place from May 6 to 12, this year kindness is at the forefront and construction is no exception. The Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce…
Read MoreB.C. budget a flop for most construction stakeholders
Journal of Commerce | Warren Frey | February 26, 2024 British Columbia’s new budget is leaving most industry leaders underwhelmed. While the budget, delivered by Finance Minister Katrine Conroy on Feb. 22, focused on individual benefits as the province prepares for an election in October, construction association leaders found little in the way of infrastructure announcements or…
Read MoreBCCA secures workforce development funding from LNG Canada
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | May 8, 2024 VICTORIA – The British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) has announced a two-year extension to its collaboration with LNG Canada to deliver Trades Training Fund (TTF) and CONNECT workforce development programs. The TTF program provides training and support funds for apprentices in high-demand trades in northwestern British Columbia…
Read MoreOversight critical on construction sites when temperatures spike
Journal of Commerce | Jean Sorensen | May 8, 2024 Jim Noon, president of the Vancouver Island Building and Construction Trades Council, knows what heat stress feels like and how it is a slow-creep danger. “I was working in an attic space,” he said, starting in the early morning but as the sun rose the heat intensified…
Read MoreB.C. Day of Mourning a reminder improving workplaces is a job that’s never done
Journal of Commerce | Warren Frey | April 30, 2024 Provincial politicians, labour organizations, business associations and workers all gathered at Day of Mourning events across B.C. on April 28 to pay tribute to those who died or were injured due to workplace injuries over the last year and to sound the alarm that more must…
Read MoreWorkSafeBC announces 2024 approach to inspections
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | April 24, 2024 RICHMOND, B.C. – WorkSafeBC is indicating an emphasis on inspections in 2024 as time-loss claims rise in British Columbia’s construction sector. The province’s time-loss claims rate was 24 per cent higher in the construction sector than the provincial average for all other sectors, according to…
Read MoreWorkSafeBC reports 175 workers died in 2023
Of that number, 93 died from work-related disease including 48 from asbestos exposure Vancouver Sun | David Carrigg | Published Apr 28, 2024 WorkSafeBC says 175 workers died in the province in 2023. Just over half died from occupational disease, while the others suffered fatal workplace injuries. The numbers were released Sunday as part of…
Read MoreMay 2024 public hearing on proposed regulatory amendments
WorkSafeBC will be holding a virtual public hearing on proposed amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. The virtual public hearing will be streamed live on May 14, 2024, in two sessions. The first will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the second from 3 to 5 p.m. View the public hearing live from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. View the public hearing live from…
Read MoreAmendment to BC Labour Relations Code Increases Risks for Supply Chain and Businesses in BC during Federal Work Stoppages
RoperGreyell Under the unassuming title – Bill 9, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 – the BC government has introduced a set of small but significant changes (the “Amendment”) to the BC Labour Relations Code (the “Code”). Specifically, it has amended the definition of “strike” and “person” under the Code so that, as explained in the information bulletin published on March…
Read MoreBudget 2024 is ‘a lot of prose and very little substance,’ says MHCA president
Journal of Commerce | Warren Frey | April 19, 2024 While the budget committed billions to new housing initiatives and to streamlining the impact assessment process, many western Canadian construction leaders saw little movement on infrastructure and no solutions for falling productivity and weak economic growth. Manitoba Heavy Construction Association president Chris Lorenc expressed “profound disappointment” and…
Read MoreIndustry Perspectives Op-Ed: Trudeau government doubles down on missing the mark
Journal of Commerce | Chris Gardner | April 18, 2024 Earlier this year, public opinion research company Leger published the results of a nationwide poll. One result stood out. Seventy per cent of Canadians agreed with the statement: “It feels like everything is broken in this country right now.” To young people, families and business owners…
Read MoreRecent work-related incidents reported to WorkSafeBC
WorkSafeBC | April 16, 2024 Incident summaries are based on information obtained as soon as possible after the incidents: they are preliminary and subject to change. Details have been edited to protect workers’ privacy. See additional summaries online. Injury Type: Undetermined injury (1 worker) Core Activity: Low slope roofing / Crane operation Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C. Date of Incident: 2024-Apr…
Read MoreMay 2024 public hearing on proposed regulatory amendments
WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC is holding a virtual public hearing on proposed amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. The virtual public hearing will be streamed live on May 14, 2024, in two sessions. The first will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the second from 3 to 5 p.m. Further information on how to view or participate in the virtual…
Read More2024 New or Revised ACGIH Threshold Limit Values and B.C. Exposure Limits
WorkSafeBC The Occupational Health and Safety Regulation provides that, except as otherwise determined by WorkSafeBC, an employer must ensure no worker is exposed to a substance exceeding the Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) prescribed by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). Twice a year, the ACGIH publishes a list of substances for which they have set…
Read MoreVRCA launches committee to strengthen EDI in construction
Journal of Commerce | Warren Frey | April 10, 2024 The Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) is launching a new committee focused on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). VRCA president Jeannine Martin said members showed enthusiasm for the committee and its goals from the start. “The goal for the EDI committee was to get good representation across…
Read MoreNew BCCSA workplace mental health training program now live
Journal of Commerce | Peter Caulfield | April 8, 2024 The BC Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA) has launched a workplace mental health training program. The program has two parts to it. Part One, called Every Mind Matters at Work – For Construction, is a six-module overview of workplace mental health. It is online and can be taken at…
Read MoreUpdate on Regulatory Changes to Plumbed Washrooms on Construction Sites
WorkSafeBC held a virtual public hearing in January to discuss proposed changes to Part 20 – Washroom Facilities on Construction Sites. This proposal would amend the Regulation to require the provision of flush toilets on construction sites with 25 or more workers. The Board of Directors requested changes to the draft regulation, and these changes require…
Read MoreAssociations mark B.C.’s Construction Month with events and advocacy
Journal of Commerce | Warren Frey | April 3, 2024 British Columbia’s construction associations have big plans this month. April 2024 is the seventh annual BC Construction Month and provincial stakeholders are gearing up to both celebrate the industry and advocate at a policy and collaborative level. “What started seven years ago as a challenge accepted…
Read MoreRecognizing Global Asbestos Awareness Week
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | April 3, 2024 REGINA, SASK. – This week, until April 7, marks Global Asbestos Awareness Week, providing an opportunity to raise awareness about asbestos hazards in the workplace. Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous material that was regularly used in buildings until the late 1990s. If products containing…
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