Asbestos: Danger hiding in plain sight

WorkSafeBC is reaching out to homeowners, who are demolishing or renovating their pre-1990s homes, about the importance of keeping workers safe from asbestos exposure. The fact is, more than 3,000 different building materials manufactured before 1990 can contain asbestos; because it’s found in so many common building products, it can be a danger hiding in…

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November 2016 Work-Related Incidents Reported to WorkSafeBC

Injury Type: Close call Core Activity: Excavation operation Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C. Date of Incident: 2016-Nov ID Number: 2016165560015 The bucket of an excavator ruptured a buried 2-inch natural gas supply line. A construction site and local residences were evacuated. First responders secured the area while utility workers repaired the damaged line. No injuries were…

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Online feedback forms from stakeholders (including Joint Committees)

November 7, 2016 Dear stakeholders: We have been notified of a temporary problem in WorkSafeBC’s online submission system for proposed policy or regulation changes between September 7 and October 7, 2016. If you submitted feedback through the online submission system during the above period, please email ohsregfeedback@worksafebc.com as soon as possible to confirm that your…

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Bulletin ~ Concrete pumper trucks: Recent incident results in one death, one serious injury

This bulletin describes an incident involving the failure of an outrigger assembly on a concrete pumper truck.  To ensure the structural integrity of concrete pumper trucks, it is important that equipment inspections follow legislative requirements. Employers or truck owners should review this bulletin for more information on types of inspections and frequency, as set out…

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Scaffolding Safety Checklist

Use this checklist to help ensure scaffolding has been erected properly, safety requirements are all in place, and workers are using the scaffolding safely. You can either complete the checklist online or print it out and complete it by hand. NOTE: Please ensure the macros are enabled to complete the checklist online.

Asbestos: Be Aware Campaign Continues…

Notice of 2016 Asbestos Inspection: WorkSafeBC’s prevention officers will be conducting planned inspections of worksites from July 1 to December 31, 2016, to ensure all jobsites are properly informed and equipped to safely remove asbestos-containing materials and are in compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. Asbestos exposure remains the number one killer of workers…

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WorkSafeBC warns of dangerous crane defect

Journal of Commerce  |  PROJECTS  |  by JOC NEWS SERVICES  |  Oct 11, 2016 VANCOUVER – WorkSafeBC is warning employers to make sure crane equipment is properly inspected after several close calls due to failing gearboxes. A tower crane operator had just finished hoisting formwork from the upper level of a concrete residential highrise to its…

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Recent Work Related Incidents Reported to WorkSafeBC – September 2016

Injury Type: Temporary loss of consciousness; fractures, lacerations Core Activity: House or other wood frame contracting, construction, or renovation work Location: Lower Mainland Date of Incident: 2016-Sep ID Number: 2016175290016 Framers were installing I-joists on the first floor of a new house. When they returned from a coffee break, they found a young worker lying…

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From Deficits to Possibilities

Safety Differently   |   27 September 2016   |   Daniel Hummerdal There is something disturbingly negative about safety. And I believe there are three main reasons for this. The first reason is that safety is connected to unwanted outcomes. When most people think about safety they think about (the need to prevent) incidents, illnesses, injuries, disasters,…

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More WorkSafe violations, fines for B.C. asbestos contractor

Vancouver Sun  |  JENNIFER SALTMAN  |  Published on: September 26, 2016  A Lower Mainland asbestos-removal contractor said he plans to continue fighting the almost $280,000 in penalties he has been ordered to pay after being found in contravention of health and safety rules. The fines, which were imposed on Seattle Environmental Consulting Ltd. in December…

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Recent Work Related Incidents Reported to WorkSafeBC – August 2016

Injury Type: Fatal Core Activity: Traffic control Location: Northern B.C. Date of Incident: 2016-Aug ID Number: 2016130750023 A traffic control person working at a municipal water main project was struck by a commercial vehicle and suffered fatal injuries. Injury Type: Broken leg Core Activity: Painting or wallpapering Location: Lower Mainland Date of Incident: 2016-Aug ID…

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OH&S Guideline Changes – July to September 2016

Many sections of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation and Workers Compensation Act (“Act“) have associated guidelines. Guidelines are intended to assist with providing ways of complying with the legislation, not to provide exclusive interpretations. Guidelines generally provide information on administrative matters and on technical matters not already addressed by policy. Periodically, guidelines are updated…

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WorkSafeBC updates mobile crane safety checklist

Journal of Commerce  |  OH&S  |  by RICHARD GILBERT  |  Sep 7, 2016 WorkSafeBC recently updated its mobile crane safety checklist that was developed as a tool to help inspectors and operators ensure they are following all of the applicable Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) regulations. “The crane inspection checklist is really an extension of the…

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