March 25, 2024 Construction 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: Close call Core Activity: Excavator operation / Paving services or asphalt manufacture Location: Lower Mainland Date of Incident: 2024-Mar ID Number: 2024165370012…
Read MoreBCCWITT Updates
Sent on behalf of BC Centre for Women in the Trades BCCWITT Events: BCCWITT Be More Than A Bystander training sessions We have an upcoming train-the-trainer scheduled at the BCFED Health & Safety Centre (120-4259 Canada Way, Burnaby) from April 10-12, 2024 (9am to 4:30pm) Here is the cohort information with application. April is Construction Month! Save the date: In…
Read MoreDelay in Washroom Facility Regulation Changes
WorkSafeBC | March 21, 2024 Proposed OHS Regulation amendments to Part 20 – Washroom Facilities on Construction Sites, discussed at a public hearing in January, resulted in requested changes. As such, the regulation will not take effect on May 1, 2024. Timing for public consultation will be shared as soon as available.
OHS Guidelines to support first aid regulation change
Changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation for occupational first aid come into effect on November 1. To help employers interpret and apply the new requirements, WorkSafeBC has drafted OHS Guidelines. Public feedback on the draft guidelines will be accepted until April 2. Learn more »
Western Conference on Safety – April 18-19
Held in Vancouver, the 26th running of this conference focuses on current safety issues. It will feature speakers and seminars presented by experts from across North America, including WorkSafeBC staff. Learn more and register »
Day of Mourning – April 28
Join WorkSafeBC in remembering workers in British Columbia who lost their lives as a result of work-related injury or disease. Order free decals or posters for your workplace Day of Mourning ceremony and show your renewed commitment to creating healthy and safe workplaces. Learn more and order »
Women have low injury and death rates in construction sector
Journal of Commerce | Jean Sorensen | March 22, 2024 Despite the recent B.C. fatality of a female construction worker at Vancouver’s Oakridge site, statistics indicate Canadian women are following the U.S. trend of being involved in low percentages of claim incidents and fatalities based upon their representation within the construction sector. Depending on who does…
Read MoreLetter to the Editor: Granting Building Trades Unions a monopoly is blatant favouritism
Journal of Commerce | Paul de Jong | March 18, 2024 To the Editor: It’s understandable why the Building Trades Unions (BTU) would support a return to a dated labour policy in Manitoba. After all, BTUS are the only ones who stand to benefit. Manitoba plans to revert back to the days of old, when only companies affiliated with…
Read MoreF.A.S.T. launching new women’s high-vis line as demand grows
Journal of Commerce | Jean Sorensen | March 18, 2024 No more boxy pants, droopy elephant rears, turtle-shell jackets and hand-devouring sleeves. F.A.S.T., a B.C. company known for safety clothing and survival gear, is launching a dedicated line of women’s high visibility safety clothing April 1 with the design fitted to a woman’s body, said company president…
Read MoreA tale of two provinces – One leading canada, the other lagging
Journal of Commerce | Chris Gardner and Mike Martens | March 15, 2024 British Columbia and Alberta have some things in common. Both are unusually dependent on natural resource-based industries to drive their economies and supply the exports that are vital to sustaining prosperity. Both have been experiencing robust population growth over the last few years….
Read MoreVaughn Palmer: B.C. NDP’s ‘minor’ change to Labour Code actually a sneaky significant move
Opinion: The New Democrats are rewriting the Labour Code to reverse a decision by the independent labour board and doing so in the midst of a supposedly independent review of the Code itself Vancouver Sun | Vaughn Palmer | Published Mar 14, 2024 VICTORIA — Earlier this year, the New Democrats launched an independent review…
Read MoreWorkSafeBC’s Policy, Regulation and Research Department Announcement
WorkSafeBC At the February 6, 2024, Board of Directors meeting, the following items were approved: Section 151 – Time limits for filing a mental disorder claim On February 6, 2024, the Board of Directors approved amendments to policy on time limits for filing a mental disorder claim. The amended policies apply to all decisions, including…
Read MoreOccupational First Aid Regulatory Change
WorkSafeBC March 2024 Update On November 1, 2024, amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation relating to occupational first aid will come into effect. The changes mean employers across the province will need to review their current first aid plans, supplies, and equipment and make adjustments. Below is an update on our implementation…
Read MoreCIRP, BC Build Together release mental health survey for women in construction
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | February 28, 2024 VANCOUVER – The Construction Industry Rehabilitation Plan (CIRP) and BC Build Together have released a new confidential survey to gauge the mental health needs of women in the province’s construction industry. The survey has been released to “help us better understand your challenges and needs” according to the …
Read More‘We just have to step in there and make our way,’ says Deltek panellist
Journal of Commerce | Angela Gismondi | March 8, 2024 One of the biggest challenges in the construction industry is hiring and retaining women and although all the women on a recent panel had different ideas on the matter there was a common thread: Education. Deltek hosted a webinar in honour of Women in Construction Week…
Read MoreFourth B.C. crane incident spurs critical WorkSafeBC stakeholder meeting
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | March 5, 2024 VANCOUVER – A fourth mishap involving a crane has occurred in Vancouver, adding to a recent string of worksite crane incidents. At approximately 12:40 p.m. on March 4 WorkSafeBC was notified of a workplace incident involving a crane at the 2600 block of Victoria Drive in Vancouver….
Read MorePermanent Disability Evaluation Schedule — Range of Motion Method and Disabilities of the Spine
WorkSafeBC The WorkSafeBC Policy, Regulation and Research Department (PRRD) is releasing a discussion paper on the Permanent Disability Evaluation Schedule — Range of Motion Method and Disabilities of the Spine to stakeholders for comment. Following concerns raised by stakeholders regarding the reliability and validity of the range of motion (ROM) method for measuring permanent disabilities involving…
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 MoreFamily of crane incident victim creates fundraiser to send her home
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | February 25, 2024 VANCOUVER – The family of a construction worker killed by a falling crane load has started a fundraiser to send her body home. On Feb 21. construction worker Yuridia Flores was killed after a crane’s load fell at a construction site located on Oakridge and…
Read MoreVaughn Palmer: B.C. Budget 2024 bleeds red ink, with no cure in sight
Vancouver Sun | Vaughn Palmer | February 22, 2024 Opinion: Finance minister says balanced budget is the NDP goal, but no hint of when that might be achieved. Not soon, for sure VICTORIA — Finance Minister Katrine Conroy made no apologies Thursday for bringing in a three-year budget and fiscal plan that was awash in an…
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