Developing a collaborative vision for future incident reduction activities An opportunity currently exists for the collaborative development of a strategic ‘road map’ for the relationship and future activities of the major construction industry associations, the British Columbia Construction Safety Alliance, and WorkSafeBC. The construction sector is faced with a new set of challenges in trying to understand…
Read MoreIndustry Voices: Joint Health and Safety Committee evaluation tool too cumbersome
Journal of Commerce | OH&S | by DAVE BASPALY | Sep 5, 2016 WorkSafeBC is proposing a Joint Health and Safety Committee evaluation tool to assist employers in evaluating their Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) committees. This tool would have to be completed every year. Unfortunately, the proposed tool, in its current form, will get in…
Read MoreProposed Policy Amendments Regarding the Measurement of Earnings Loss
August 30, 2016 At their meeting on May 27, 2015, WorkSafeBCs governing body, the Board of Directors, approved the release of a discussion paper with options and draft policies to stakeholders for comment. To determine a workers loss of earnings, WorkSafeBC compares earnings in the suitable occupation available after the injury as they stood at…
Read MorePublic Hearings on Proposed Regulatory Changes – Additional Changes
There will be additional proposed changes regarding control of environmental tobacco smoke and e-cigarette vapour… The Board of Directors of WorkSafeBC approved public hearings to be held in September and October 2016. These hearings are with regard to the following proposed changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (OHSR), regarding the control of environmental…
Read MoreNatural gas service must be disconnected before demolition
If you’re planning the demolition of a house or other structure, you must ensure the natural gas service is safely disconnected before demolition begins. Not properly disconnecting the gas service could lead to an explosion, threatening the safety of workers and the public. See the full Bulletin.
July 2016 Recent work related incidents reported to WorkSafeBC
Injury Type: Penetrating wound Core Activity: House or other wood frame contracting, construction, or renovation work Location: Lower Mainland Date of Incident: 2016-Jul ID Number: 2016173250045 A worker at a new multi-residential construction site was installing joist hangers with a pneumatic nail gun when a hanger nail was discharged into his body. Injury Type: Soft-tissue…
Read MoreSaskatchewan WCB refunds $281 million to employers despite labour criticism
Journal of Commerce | by RICHARD GILBERT | Aug 8, 2016 Construction contractors in Saskatchewan are applauding a decision by the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) to refund a $281.5 million surplus to employers in 2016, but labour leaders want the funds invested into workplace safety initiatives. “We are definitely one of the proponents…
Read MoreTower Crane Freefall Incident Bulletin
WorkSafeBC recently published a bulletin entitled Tower crane freefall incident: the importance of inspection and preventative maintenance on gear boxes, which is based on a near-miss lifting incident with a tower crane, whose rigging equipment suddenly fell to the ground without warning due to a broken gear in the gear box. Content of the bulletin…
Read MoreJoint Health and Safety Committee Evaluation Tool
August 5, 2016 WorkSafeBCs governing body, the Board of Directors, approved public hearings on proposed regulatory changes, including proposed changes regarding joint health and safety committees. One of the proposed new sections of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation relates to the annual evaluation of joint committees. In preparation for the anticipated regulatory change, WorkSafeBC…
Read MoreCourt ruling on worker designation spurs national changes
Journal of Commerce by PETER CAULFIELD Aug 2, 2016 Employer-employee differences of opinion are a frequent occurrence. A recent trial in Alberta shows how some disagreements can turn nasty — and costly — when they concern the meaning of a work designation. In November 2015, the Provincial Court of Alberta in Edmonton heard a suit brought…
Read MorePublic hearings on proposed regulatory changes including proposed changes regarding joint health and safety committees
July 28, 2016 The Board of Directors of WorkSafeBC approved public hearings to be held in September and October 2016. These hearings are with regard to the following proposed changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (OHSR), including proposed changes regarding joint occupational health and safety committees (joint committees): New sections on joint committees…
Read MoreNew videos: Sun Safety at Work
Outdoor workers are up to 3.5 times more likely than indoor workers to develop skin cancer and are at a higher risk of experincing heat stress. And of the 1.5 million outdoor workers in Canada, about 900,000 are outside at least six hours a day, often when UV radiation is strongest. Two new videos —…
Read More2016 New or Revised ACGIH Threshold Limit Values and B.C. OELs
July 15, 2016 The Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (OHSR) provides that Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) for hazardous chemical substances are generally determined with reference to the Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). Each year, the ACGIH publishes a list of substances for which they have set new…
Read MoreJune 2016 Recent work-related incidents reported to WorkSafeBC
Injury Type: Serious injuries Core Activity: Steep slope roofing Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C. Date of Incident: 2016-Jun ID Number: 2016171900032 A worker transitioned from a rooftop to an extension ladder. While the worker was on the top portion of the extension ladder, the ladder began to retract and the worker fell about 25 feet to…
Read MoreAlberta needs better system to ensure workplace safety orders followed: auditor
Journal of Commerce OH&S | by The Canadian Press | Jul 5, 2016 EDMONTON – Alberta’s auditor general says the provincial government is still not doing enough to enforce compliance with workplace safety orders. Merwan Saher says six years after an audit found problems with occupational health and safety orders, the government can’t show…
Read MoreIndustry Voices: COCA applauds WorkSafeBC asbestos enforcement initiative
Journal of Commerce OH&S | by DAVE BASPALY | Jul 11, 2016 WorkSafeBC recently announced a 2016 Asbestos Enforcement Initiative. Prevention officers will be conducting a province-wide program of worksite inspections until Dec. 31, 2016 to ensure homeowners, contractors and consultants are properly informed and equipped to safely remove asbestos containing materials and are complying with the Occupational…
Read MoreDo you always need to investigate a musculoskeletal injury?
Yes! Heres what you need to know Section 173 of the Workers Compensation Act states that an employer must immediately undertake an investigation into the cause of any incident that meets the following criteria: It resulted in an injury to a worker and required medical treatment It involved a minor worker injury that didnt require…
Read MoreWorkSafeBC 2016 Asbestos Enforcement Initiative
Notice of asbestos inspections and featured resources Asbestos exposure remains the number one killer of workers in B.C. Hundreds of houses are demolished and renovated every month in our province, and as many homes built up until 1990 used products containing asbestos, this poses a potential threat of exposing workers to harmful asbestos fibres. WorkSafeBC…
Read MoreBC Building Trades reports: Asbestos resolution from City of Vancouver
City of Vancouver joins call for mandatory certification and licensing of asbestos contractors Date: Wednesday, June 29, 2016 The BC Building Trades Council and the BC Federation of Labour congratulate Vancouver City Council for passing a critical resolution calling on the province to implement mandatory certification and licensing of asbestos and hazardous material removal contractors. “Many…
Read MoreSupreme Court finds in favour of B.C. medical workers claiming workplace cancer
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled in favour of three British Columbia medical workers who argued they developed breast cancer as a result of their jobs. ADRIAN WYLD / THE CANADIAN PRESS / Published on: June 24, 2016 OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled in favour of three British Columbia medical workers…
Read More