The majority of complaints were from the service sector including hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools, gyms and hair salons. Tiffany Crawford | Aug 07, 2020 | Vancouver Sun WorkSafeBC says 420 COVID-19-related work violation orders have been issued to businesses since the provincial state of emergency was declared in mid-March. The agency has received 2,507 reports of…
Read MoreSpecial adviser appointed to Site C as COVID-19 creates ‘significant challenges’
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | August 5, 2020 FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — B.C. officials have appointed a special adviser to assist with the Site C project after reports from BC Hydro show COVID-19 has thrown uncertainty into its completion schedule. “I am very concerned about the latest reports that BC Hydro has…
Read MoreWorkSafeBC announces new residential construction resources
DCN-JOC News Services | August 5, 2020 | Journal of Commerce VANCOUVER — WorkSafeBC has announced updates to its health and safety materials for residential construction. The new material includes a publication titled, Safe Work Practices for Residential Construction, and a Notice of Project (NOP) postcard. The new publication focuses on the planning, site preparation and…
Read MoreCOVID-19: Avoid these hand sanitizers that are recalled in Canada
Not all hand sanitizers are created equal – and some have even been recalled. Here’s a list of all the hand sanitizers that have been recalled in Canada. Stephanie Ip | Aug 06, 2020 | Vancouver Sun When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, it was all hands on deck. That meant many companies and manufacturers…
Read MoreWorkSafe Magazine advance copy: Putting the COVID-19 Safety Plan into action
A message from Al Johnson, Head of Prevention Services, WorkSafeBC: With Phase 3 of the province’s Restart Plan well underway, I’d like to provide you with an update on our work to-date and what you can expect going forward. Prevention Services and COVID-19 Our Prevention Services division has now conducted more than 2,000 stakeholder consultations and 13,000…
Read MoreSafe Work Practices in Residential Construction
Last week WorkSafeBC launched a new publication, ‘Safe Work Practices in Residential Construction’, which is intended to assist those in the residential construction industry to promote safer workplaces. It also marked the beginning of a provincial initiative to create partnerships with associations and other jurisdictions to raise awareness about the requirement to submit a ‘Notice…
Read MoreRe: Safety Issue – Proposed Changes to WSBC Hard Hat Regulation (HSR Part 8) – ACTION REQUIRED
We are reaching out to you to see if you will join our push back on proposed changes to the WorkSafeBC hard hat regulation (HSR Part 8). While we 100% respect religious freedom for all Canadians, changing the hard hat regulation will cause confusion on worksites and will invariably put workers at risk of…
Read MoreWCB presumption decision a step forward; time will tell if it’s a big one — BCFED
For information only and not an endorsement – this information is shared to ensure members have the context and understanding of current issues that impact the Construction Industry. BC Federation of Labour | July 24, 2020 | News Release (Unceded Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam territories — Vancouver, BC) The Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB)’s decision to presume COVID-19-related claims are workplace-related is a…
Read MoreWorkSafeBC Policy, Regulation and Research Division Announcement
Dear Stakeholders: The Policy, Regulation and Research Division would like to thank you all for your submissions on the proposal to add Infections Caused by Communicable Viral Pathogens, Including COVID-19, to Schedule 1 of the Workers Compensation Act (Act). The stakeholder feedback received by the Board of Directors informed its decision-making on the policy changes. Please click here…
Read MoreAdding infections caused by communicable viral pathogens, including COVID-19, to Schedule 1 of the Workers Compensation Act
WorkSafeBC News On July 22, 2020, our Board of Directors approved amendments to Schedule 1 of the Workers Compensation Act (Act) to add a presumption for infections caused by communicable viral pathogens, which are the subject of a B.C.-specific emergency declaration or notice. Consequential amendments were also made to Item C4-28.00, Contagious Diseases, and Appendix 2…
Read MoreChange to Schedule 1 Approved by WorkSafeBC Board of Directors
At the July 22nd WorkSafeBC Board of Director’s meeting, the Board approved amendments to Schedule 1 of the Act to add a presumption for infections caused by communicable viral pathogens which are the subject of a BC-specific emergency declaration or notice. There likely will be a public announcement later today on this matter. These amendments will come…
Read More13 Site C workers isolated after COVID-19 investigation
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | July 22, 2020 FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — More than a dozen people at the Site C dam project near Fort St. John, B.C. are in self-isolation after a worker travelling from Alberta tested positive for COVID-19. Last week, BC Hydro announced that a worker who flew in…
Read MoreB.C. government unveils new tool to extend layoffs due to COVID-19
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | July 23, 2020 VANCOUVER — Officials in B.C. have unveiled a new tool for employers and workers who need to extend temporary layoffs due to COVID-19. The process to apply for a variance can now be done using the Employment Standards Branch’s new online application. In June, the…
Read MoreConstruction sector split on Workers’ Compensation changes in B.C.
Journal of Commerce | Russell Hixson | July 22, 2020 B.C. trade unions are praising proposed changes to the province’s Workers’ Compensation system, which they say restores balance with compromises the whole industry can live with. But many employer groups disagree, calling the changes poorly thought out and badly timed. “I think the system was skewed…
Read MoreLes Leyne: Businesses balk at costs of changes sought by WorkSafe B.C.
Les Leyne / Times Colonist| JULY 22, 2020 06:00 AM A few developments this week bring home the mounting frustration and anxiety the B.C. business world is facing in month five of the pandemic. For all the billions the NDP government has earmarked to cope with COVID-19 and recover from it, the economy is still reeling. Business…
Read MoreB.C. NDP stands by WorkSafeBC changes as business protests
Presuming COVID-19 infection job-related ‘contrary to medical science’ Local Papers | TOM FLETCHER | Jul. 21, 2020 Leading business organizations are calling on the B.C. government to withdraw legislation that allows presumption of viral illness as a workplace injury, changes the determination of retirement age for injured workers and makes other changes to WorkSafeBC’s policies….
Read MoreLetter to the Editor: Cost of CBAs too steep
Journal of Commerce | Paul de Jong | July 21, 2020 To the Editor; RE: BC Building Trades executive director casts doubt on coalition legal appeal, July 17, 2020 No matter how many times the executive director of the Building Trades says it, that doesn’t make it true. Andrew Mercier would be hard pressed to prove that…
Read MoreB.C. boosts benefits for injured workers, but stops short of expensive overhauls
Vancouver Sun | Rob Shaw | Jul 17, 2020 VICTORIA — B.C.’s NDP government is boosting benefits for injured workers, but stopping short of fully implementing recommendations from an expert review that would have cost the workers’ compensation system hundreds of millions of dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic. Labour Minister Harry Bains introduced legislation this…
Read MoreRecent work-related incidents reported to WorkSafeBC
July 13, 2020 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: Injury to head Core Activity: House or other wood frame contracting, construction, or renovation work Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C. Date…
Read MoreKenney charts optimistic pandemic recovery path at ICBA virtual town hall
Journal of Commerce | Russell Hixson | July 17, 2020 Alberta Premier Jason Kenney assured the construction industry he will do everything in his power to bring investment to the province as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. “It is hard to overstate the challenges we are facing, but nevertheless, I am honestly optimistic about the…
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