Vancouver Coastal Health has scheduled the COVID-19 Rapid Testing Information Session on Wednesday, June 2, from 4:00 – 5:00 PM. Please share this Zoom registration link with your prime contractors. You are invited to a Zoom meeting: COVID-19 Rapid Testing in Construction Sector Hosted by Vancouver Coastal Health in partnership with the Provincial Health Services…
Read MoreCOVID-19 and responsibilities of prime contractors on construction sites
Prime contractors are responsible for ensuring work activities are coordinated to create a healthy and safe worksite. We answer common questions from prime contractors about COVID-19 responsibilities. See the resource » This information sheet outlines COVID-19 responsibilities of prime contractors on construction sites. It answers common questions that prime contractors might have when coordinating activities…
Read MorePreventing lifting point failures in construction
A lifting point connects rigging to a load, and if lifting point failure occurs, it can result in a serious injury or fatality. This bulletin provides best practices to employers, suppliers, manufacturers, crane operators, riggers, and prime contractors for preventing such failures. See the bulletin »
Recent work-related incidents reported to WorkSafeBC
May 21, 2021 Incident summaries are based on information obtained as soon as possible after the Construction related incidents: they are preliminary and subject to change. Details have been edited to protect workers’ privacy. See additional summaries online. Injury Type: Multiple fractures Core Activity: Industrial, commercial, institutional, or highrise residential contracting or construction Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C. Date of…
Read MoreIndustry Special: Building health and safety programs on a foundation of research – for the BCCSA, a data-driven strategy delivers best results
Journal of Commerce | BCCSA | May 14, 2021 Years ago, improvements in construction worker health and safety often relied on simple solutions — wear a hard hat, use work gloves, pull on your safety boots. Today, improvements in worker safety are increasingly achieved in hard-won increments, underscored by data. It’s an approach that’s resulted in…
Read MoreWorkSafeBC increasing workplace COVID-19 inspections during May long weekend
Focus of inspections will be on restaurants, pubs and breweries with patios Richmond, B.C. (May 20, 2021) — WorkSafeBC will be stepping up inspections at workplaces located in potential COVID-19 hotspots over the May long weekend. The purpose of the inspection initiative is to remind businesses they must have measures and controls in place to prevent the…
Read MoreIndustry Special: Building health and safety programs on a foundation of research – for the BCCSA, a data-driven strategy delivers best results
Journal of Commerce | BCCSA | May 14, 2021 Years ago, improvements in construction worker health and safety often relied on simple solutions — wear a hard hat, use work gloves, pull on your safety boots. Today, improvements in worker safety are increasingly achieved in hard-won increments, underscored by data. It’s an approach that’s resulted in…
Read MoreCAF FCA Releases 2021 Apprentice Demand Reports
Source: Canadian Apprenticeship Forum — May 12, 2021 The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum has released its latest labour market information report, Apprentice Demand in Red Seal Trades, which draws together apprenticeship trends data and projections to provide a forward-looking assessment of the country’s demand and supply for trade certifications. This unique analysis takes into consideration key apprenticeship system characteristics…
Read MoreUPDATE: COVID-19 and BC’S Construction Industry
CONSTRUCTION WORKERS PRIORITIZED FOR COVID-19 VACCINEWorkers in BC’s construction industry are now being prioritized to receive their COVID-19 vaccination regardless of age (18 or older are eligible). Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health are the first Health Authorities to officially provide an invitation to the construction industry with information on how to register. FRASER HEALTHFor…
Read MoreCOVID-19 Paid Sick Leave
Province of BC Website Workers can take 3 days of paid sick leave if they need to stay home because of COVID-19. The program is in place until December 31, 2021. I’m an employer You are required to offer employees 3 days of paid sick leave if they need to stay home as a result of circumstances related to COVID-19….
Read MoreB.C. to give workers 3 paid days off for absences related to COVID-19
New program includes part- and full-time workers, offers reimbursement for employers CBC News | Posted: May 11, 2021 B.C. is going to start giving all workers in the province up to three days of paid sick leave if they have to miss work due to COVID-19, the province has announced. The new program includes part- and…
Read MoreWorkSafeBC and PHO: Important Distinction Regarding Site Closures
WorkSafeBC cannot close or open a site without direction from a medical health officer. The role of WorkSafeBC prevention officers regarding COVID-19 is to help monitor safety plans, conduct inspections, and provide enforcement support to industry and the Health Authorities. The Health Authorities can and will act without the knowledge or input of WorkSafeBC to…
Read MoreRecent work-related incidents reported to WorkSafeBC
May 6, 2021 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: Electrical burn Core Activity: Electrical work Location: Lower Mainland Date of Incident: 2021-Apr A worker replacing a warehouse light fixture contacted…
Read MoreConcrete Pump Annual Inspection
On March 16, 2021, two workers on Gabriola Island died when the boom of a concrete pump truck fell and fatally injured them. While an investigation is currently underway to identify the definitive causes of this incident, all employers can benefit from understanding the risks posed by concrete pumping and the importance of conducting appropriate,…
Read MoreExpedited workplace closures – what employers can expect
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…
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