The vaccines are phenomenal. Belaboring their imperfections—and telling people who receive them never to let down their guard—carries its own risks. JANUARY 27, 2021 | Julia Marcus | The Atlantic When Americans began receiving coronavirus vaccines last month, people started fantasizing about the first thing they’d do when the pandemic ends: go back to work, visit family,…
Read MorePrivate sector and unions filling B.C. void in asbestos training
Journal of Commerce | Jean Sorensen | January 29, 2021 Unions, training institutes and private companies in B.C. are stepping in to fill the void created by the lack of any provincial sanctioned training programs for those that work in the asbestos abatement industry as companies are required to meet WorkSafeBC standards and qualifications. “We are…
Read MoreHas technology and innovation in construction made sites safer?
Journal of Commerce | Peter Caulfield | January 29, 2021 Everyone in construction knows that digital communication devices, and machinery that uses digital technology, are being used more and more in the industry. It’s also old news that they are affecting, directly and indirectly, the way buildings are designed and constructed. Often overlooked, however, is that…
Read MoreMandatory COVID-19 vaccination a prickly subject
Journal of Commerce | Shannon Moneo | January 29, 2021 With at least two COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in Canada, debate about whether employers can force employees to get a needle could become a prickly topic. Unlike health-care workers, construction industry employees work in a far different environment, a factor that will likely influence decisions…
Read MoreB.C. construction workers face complex COVID-19 risks
Journal of Commerce | Peter Caulfield | January 29, 2021 An economic model created by the University of British Columbia (UBC) says construction workers face an additional risk of contracting the coronavirus because of who they live with. According to the Vancouver School of Economics COVID Risk/Reward Assessment Tool (RRAT), construction workers, along with couriers and…
Read MoreBCICA is looking for an Executive Director
BC Insulation Contractors Association is looking for an Executive Director. As the principal salaried executive officer of the BCICA, the Executive Director serves as the primary liaison for the Association with all external partners. The Executive Director is responsible for the effective operation of the Association and for providing oversight of the administrative functions of…
Read MoreB.C. Court of Appeal upholds decision barring Vancouver man from asbestos removal industry
Vancouver Sun | Gordon Hoekstra | Jan 17, 2021 The B.C. Court of Appeal has upheld a lower-court ruling that prohibits Mike Singh and Seattle Environmental Consulting from working in the asbestos removal industry. In the lower court ruling, a 2019 B.C. Supreme Court decision, Singh and Seattle Environmental were found in contempt of an…
Read MoreMarch 2021 public hearing on proposed regulatory amendments
WorkSafeBC will be holding a public hearing on proposed amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be holding the public hearing virtually. The virtual public hearing will be streamed live on March 3, 2021, 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…
Read MoreIndustry Special: Virtual shift: BCCSA’s online training capability builds in response to COVID-19 limitations
Journal of Commerce | BCCSA | January 14, 2021 Sometimes revolutions in education take years. For the BC Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA), a shift to offering its in-person education programming online was completed in only months. While the Alliance looks forward to the day when it can again offer education programming in person, this new versatility…
Read MoreStay vigilant amid rising COVID-19 cases, CCA advises
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | January 13, 2021 OTTAWA — It is essential to remain vigilant and follow worksite health and safety protocols and general public health measures as COVID-19 cases rise, new strains of the virus emerge and because the vaccine rollout is slower than anticipated, states a Jan. 13 message from the Canadian Construction Association (CCA). The construction industry has already implemented highly disciplined health…
Read MoreRecent work-related incidents reported to WorkSafeBC
January 13, 2021 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 / Building demolition Location: Lower Mainland Date of Incident: 2020-Dec A tree was being pushed over…
Read MoreStudy finds workplace levels of COVID-19 protection directly linked to mental health
Journal of Commerce | Angela Gismondi | January 12, 2021 Providing adequate COVID-19 protection in the workplace not only helps prevent transmission of the virus but it’s also linked to better mental health among workers, says Dr. Peter Smith, the lead author of a new study and senior scientist at the Institute for Work and Health…
Read MoreB.C. leaders reviewing report on status of Site C in latest development on project’s obstacles
Journal of Commerce | Russell Hixson | January 13, 2021 British Columbia’s Energy Minister Bruce Ralston is passing along an independent report on the status of the Site C Dam project to cabinet for review. The report was prepared by Peter Milburn, a former deputy finance minister who was appointed by the province as a special…
Read MoreSite C dam construction takes staged return to work while cabinet ponders project fate
Vancouver Sun | Derrick Penner | Publishing date:Jan 10, 2021 Provincial health orders aimed at controlling COVID-19 slowed work on dam, but it does continue as cabinet reviews independent assessment of its future. Construction crews are making a staged return to work on B.C. Hydro’s Site C dam project in accordance with provincial health orders…
Read MoreConsultations relating to the Workers Compensation Amendment Act, 2020 (Bill 23)
Policy, Regulation and Research DivisionWorkSafeBC On August 14, 2020, the Workers Compensation Amendment Act, 2020 (Bill 23) came into effect. Under Bill 23, 34 legislative amendments were made to the Workers Compensation Act (Act). The amendments concerning permanent partial disability benefits and retirement age determinations came into effect on January 1, 2021. Permanent partial disability benefits On November 18, 2020, our…
Read MoreConstruction advocates urge industry to stay vigilant until the ‘finish line’ of COVID-19
Journal of Commerce | Russell Hixson | January 8, 2021 s B.C. officials introduce new health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on large industrial jobsites in the north, construction and labour advocates are encouraging the industry to stay the course. Late last month, Dr. Bonnie Henry, the province’s public health officer, ordered five industrial…
Read MoreSafety stand down remains in place for Trans Mountain
Journal of Commerce | Russell Hixson | January 7, 2021 The Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project’s safety stand down remains in place after its initial Jan. 4 cutoff, a project spokesperson confirmed. “We are in the final stages of our restart planning and anticipate that we will be providing further details on restart dates in the…
Read MoreBentall memorial moves online to honour fallen workers
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | January 6, 2021 VANCOUVER, B.C. – BC Building Trades Council’s annual memorial to remember those killed in the Bentall Tower IV tragedy is going digital. “It’s the 40th anniversary of the Bentall Tower IV construction tragedy, and while COVID-19 prevents us from coming together to honour the lives…
Read MoreB.C. health order restricts number of workers at large industrial work sites
Chad Pawson | CBC News | Jan 03, 2021 Dr. Bonnie Henry says projects such as Site C threaten rapid spread of COVID-19 in northern B.C. British Columbia’s public health officer has ordered five major industrial projects in the north of the province to reduce the size of their workforces in an attempt to ensure the northern health…
Read More2021 Preview: Stakeholders ruminate on COVID’s future impact on Canada’s construction sector
Journal of Commerce | Don Wall | January 4, 2021 The coronavirus pandemic dramatically transformed the Canadian construction landscape in 2020 with more disruption clearly to come in the new year. The Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce invited stakeholders to assess COVID’s continuing impacts for 2021 through the lenses of leadership, health and safety,…
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