On April 11, 2021, an order of the provincial health officer (PHO) delegated specific powers to WorkSafeBC prevention officers. The order provides WorkSafeBC prevention officers the ability to serve a 10-day closure order on an employer with COVID-19 transmission when directed so by a medical health officer. WorkSafeBC’s role is well defined and narrow in scope, with…
Read MoreB.C. eases requirements for rapid testing, but workplace COVID screening still out of reach
Globe and Mail | Justin Hunter | May 6, 2021 The B.C. government has backed off on a requirement that only registered health professionals can administer rapid tests to screen for COVID-19 in the workplace, but not a single employer has yet qualified for the province’s point-of-care testing program that was promised in early March. Daniel Kelly,…
Read MoreWork at B.C. mixed-use tower project suspended due to COVID-19 cases
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | May 5, 2021 WEST VANCOUVER, B.C. – A construction site in West Vancouver has been shutdown due to COVID-19 cases. Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) confirmed Wednesday that it ordered the closure of a Syncra Construction site at 752 Marine Dr. in West Vancouver on April 29 due to…
Read MoreCOVID-19 and responsibilities of prime contractors on construction sites
Construction employers must take necessary precautions to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission and illness to themselves, workers, and others at the workplace. Prime contractors have specific responsibilities for health and safety on a multiple-employer construction site and must ensure all activities are coordinated. To ensure the health and safety of workers, the prime contractor…
Read MorePermanent Disability Evaluation Schedule Review
On behalf of WorkSafeBC –> Our Policy, Regulation and Research Division is releasing a discussion paper on the Permanent Disability Evaluation Schedule (PDES) Review with options and draft policy to stakeholders for comment. The PDES is a guide set out in policy and is used to assess a worker’s entitlement to permanent partial disability benefits…
Read MoreDay of Mourning honours those lost, acts as reminder to fight for the rights of the living
When Avneet Sidhu was seven years old, her mother was killed in a car wreck while being transported to a farm job in B.C.’s Lower Mainland. Several others died and 14 were left with lifelong injuries. “It wasn’t until I was 13 that I began to piece together why or how this had happened,” said…
Read MoreVIDEO: The 2021 federal budget’s implications for construction
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | April 30, 2021 On April 19 Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland introduced the 2021 federal budget to the House of Commons, the first budget in two years released in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The budget deficit is at a historic high of…
Read MoreIndustry Special: Clarifying the workplace safety responsibilities of prime contractors during COVID-19
Journal of Commerce | WorkSafeBC | April 30, 2021 The construction industry’s collaborative response in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 shows the power of community, while raising important questions about the roles and responsibilities of prime contractors and subcontractors in multi-employer workplaces. “If you’re wondering who’s responsible, it’s you,” says Andrew Kidd, a WorkSafeBC…
Read MoreRapid COVID-19 Point of Care Screening Program
Point-of-care (POC) test kits can be used to rapidly screen people for COVID-19 in select settings to reduce the chances of outbreaks and control the spread of COVID-19. Find more information on the BCCDC website here.
Opinion: We need a post-pandemic vision for investment, jobs and opportunity in British Columbia
Vancouver Sun | Bridgitte Anderson • Bryan Cox | Apr 16, 2021 Opinion: Finance, tax and regulatory reform is needed and must support and encourage economic activity and growth instead of deterring it. B.C. has recently entered the third wave of the pandemic and, with rising cases and an increase in variants, there are significant health challenges,…
Read MoreChris Gardner: Wellness must be key focus of construction industry
Vancouver Sun Op Ed | Chris Gardner | Apr 26, 2021 Opinion: We need to talk about mental wellness more openly and in every part of construction — on our job sites, in our safety briefings, at our tool box talks, and in our offices To say that as a society, we have a challenge…
Read MoreConstruction part of WorkSafeBC three-year high-risk strategy plan
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | April 27, 2021 RICHMOND, B.C. – WorkSafeBC has announced construction will be included in its new high-risk strategies and industry initiatives. The three-year plan will target construction, forestry, health care and social services, and manufacturing, sectors where WorkSafeBC believes the risk of serious injury or death are the…
Read MoreWestern Canada observes Day of Mourning during pandemic
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | April 28, 2021 KAMLOOPS, B.C. — In 2020, 151 B.C. workers died from job-related injuries or illness. In Alberta, 150. On April 28, workers and groups around Western Canada will acknowledge them and the many others who have died in recognition of the Day of Mourning. In B.C.,…
Read MoreBC Covid-19 Travel Restrictions
If you work in BC’s construction industry, here’s what you need to know about the travel restrictions announced today by BC’s Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth. BC’s five Health Authorities have been combined into three. Travel into and out of the regions for non-essential reasons is prohibited by law: Vancouver Island (Vancouver Island Health) Lower…
Read MoreSite C COVID-19 cases on the rise
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | April 21, 2021 FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – A dozen people at the Site C dam project in northern B.C. have tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total number of cases of COVID-19 related to people working on the project up to 82 since March 2020. According…
Read MoreBC Building Trades urges WorkSafeBC to require ‘dignified’ sanitary site bathrooms
Journal of Commerce | Russell Hixson | April 26, 2021 Armed with new research, the BC Building Trades is on a mission to improve bathroom facilities for the province’s construction workers. A comprehensive study produced by Harwood Safety Group for the Building Trades examined current laws and practices around washroom accommodations for construction sites. The report…
Read MoreWestern provinces provide mixed reviews on the federal budget
Journal of Commerce | Russell Hixson | April 21, 2021 As the country begins to digest the recently released federal budget, Alberta and B.C. are looking at how federal spending may help the west recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and historic economic challenges in the energy sector. Alberta Alberta President of Treasury Board and Minister of…
Read MoreB.C. looking to fast-track construction training
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | April 21, 2021 VICTORIA — B.C. is looking to fast-track up to 30 eligible residents who want skills training to prepare them for jobs as construction craft workers and labourers in the Lower Mainland. The new Community and Employer Partnerships (CEP) project from the province will prioritize recruiting…
Read MoreHealth Order Clarification – Essential Travel
On Monday April 19th at 2 pm the Provincial government announced that non-essential travel should be confined to local travel only. On Friday, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth will issue orders under the Emergency Program Act to restrict people’s ability to leave their Health Authority. “This will be conducted through random audits, not unlike…
Read MoreRisky pandemic behaviour off the clock could mean workplace discipline: lawyers
Journal of Commerce | The Canadian Press | April 20, 2021 CALGARY — Employment lawyers say flouting COVID-19 public health orders when off the job or coming into work while knowingly sick could warrant discipline in the workplace — including termination in the most flagrant cases. “There is a shared obligation between employers and employees to…
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