Journal of Commerce | OH&S | by PETER CAULFIELD | Feb 7, 2017 More time-loss work injuries should be covered by workers’ compensation, says a British Columbia researcher and consultant. “Despite the legislative intent of workers’ compensation laws, the reality is that many — perhaps most — of those workers who miss time from work due…
Read MoreProposed policy amendments regarding the Partners in Injury and Disability Prevention Program (Partners Program)
At their meeting on December 14, 2016, WorkSafeBCs Board of Directors (BOD) approved the release of a discussion paper and draft policies regarding the Partners Program for stakeholder review and comment. The Partners Program is a voluntary program designed to encourage employers in B.C. to take a proactive role in occupational health and safety. Employers…
Read More2017–2019 Occupational Health and Safety Regulatory Amendment Workplan approved
Section 228 of the Workers Compensation Act requires that WorkSafeBC regularly review and consult on its regulations to ensure they are consistent with current practices and technological advances. WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors has approved the 2017–2019 Regulatory Amendment Workplan, which will be available in early February. In developing the Workplan, the Policy, Regulation and Research…
Read MoreAmendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation approved – January 2017
At their January 2017 meeting, WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors (BOD) approved 14 amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation. Strikethrough versions of the approved amendments, along with explanatory notes and the related BOD Resolution, will be available for reference in early February. The amendments relate to the following: Section 1.1, Definitions, consequential amendments…
Read MoreWorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors approves consultation on Partners Program policies
About the Partners Program WorkSafeBC’s Partners Program is designed to encourage employers in B.C. to adopt an occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS). An OHSMS is a coordinated and systematic approach to managing health and safety. Effective OHSMSs help make workplaces safer by improving organizations’ ability to address occupational health and safety concerns, and…
Read MoreCourt of Appeal overturns controversial asbestos ruling
Journal of Commerce | OH&S | by RUSSELL HIXSON Feb 1, 2017 The BC Insulators Union and the BC Federation of Labour are celebrating the B.C. Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn a controversial ruling that stated asbestos laws were too difficult to enforce. The union and federation leaders are also calling on government to require…
Read MoreSafe asbestos removal to be an ongoing challenge: Sigurdson
Journal of Commerce | OH&S | by SHANNON MONEO | Jan 25, 2017 Bob Barter has been working with asbestos since 1975 and was one of the first in the Vancouver area to do asbestos removal. Today, the 60-year-old said his health is “fantastic,” a state he credits to his insistence on always wearing protective gear,…
Read MoreDec 2016 & Jan 2017 Recent Work Related Incidents Reported to WorkSafeBC – Construction
Injury Type: Amputated fingers Core Activity: Pile driving Location: Northern B.C. Date of Incident: 2017-Jan ID Number: 2017175160001 While conducting troubleshooting and repair activities on a skid-steer loader, a worker sustained injuries to one hand. Injury Type: Fractured vertebrae, fractured bone in lower body Core Activity: Structural concrete forming Location: Lower Mainland Date of Incident:…
Read MoreNew WorkSafeBC regulations for Joint OH&S Committees – Part 1
Journal of Commerce | OH&S | by DAVE BASPALY | Jan 17, 2017 This Industry Voices column is part one of a two-part series that outlines new WorkSafeBC regulations for Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committees. The changes to the WorkSafeBC (WSBC) regulations that follow are the result of recommendations of a coroner’s inquest into the…
Read MoreExpanding on WorkSafeBC’s new Joint OH&S Committee regulations – Part 2
Journal of Commerce | OH&S | by DAVE BASPALY | Jan 19, 2017 This is the final article of a two-part Industry Voices series explaining new WorkSafeBC regulations for Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committees. WorkSafeBC (WSBC) has announced significant new requirements for Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committees (JOHSC). This column continues with a summary…
Read MoreWorkSafeBC sends some patients to private Calgary clinic because of restrictive B.C. rule
The Vancouver Sun | PAMELA FAYERMAN | Published on: January 22, 2017 Seventy B.C. residents injured on the job were sent to Calgary in the past three years for expedited surgery at a private Calgary facility. Although there are 15 private surgery centres in B.C. to which WorkSafe usually sends clients for rapid treatment, a minority go to Canadian Surgery…
Read MoreNo silver bullet in dealing with asbestos-related cancer
The Vancouver Sun | Owen Munro | Published on: December 28, 2016 New methods are giving doctors a better handle on diagnosing and treating asbestos-related cancers, but no cures are on the horizon. “I think it would be overly optimistic to say it’s going to be cured. I mean we can always…
Read More2016 a Transition Year on Many Fronts for B.C. Construction
Journal of Commerce | by RUSSELL HIXSON | Dec 28, 2016 With such an eventful year, there was little consensus from construction leaders in B.C. on what the biggest construction story of the year was. However, they all concluded that 2016 was just one year in a bigger story arc on various issues. For Jack…
Read MoreB.C. Ferries working with union to deal with asbestos on its ships
The Vancouver Sun | Owen Munro | Published on: December 27, 2016 Asbestos on ships and ferries in domestic waters remains a potential hazard to workers and the public, creating economic and ethical questions about how companies like B.C. Ferries should deal with it, says B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union president Graeme Johnston. “We…
Read MoreClearing Kawkawa Lake’s asbestos — first hand — is a hot and gruelling job
The Vancouver Sun | Owen Munro | Published December 26, 2016 The sun was just beginning to rise above the jagged Coast Mountains when I turned off a virtually empty highway onto an even quieter strip of downtown Hope. I had come to work. It would be my first experience at what’s been described as…
Read MoreAsbestos has a rich history in Canada
The Vancouver Sun | Owen Munro | Published December 25, 2016 Asbestos seemed like a miracle product: It was fire-resistant, an excellent insulator and dirt cheap. Canada’s infrastructure relied heavily on asbestos from the early 1900s until it became clear that the fibrous mineral was killing people at an alarming rate. Even though…
Read MoreB.C. could become national leader in asbestos control
The Vancouver Sun | OWEN MUNRO | Published on: December 25, 2016 The deaths of B.C. workers have long prompted calls for a ban on asbestos and better regulation of its handling in the workplace. Those call are finally being answered. On Dec. 15, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government announced a full asbestos ban…
Read MoreAsbestos ban praised by construction leaders
Journal of Commerce | OH&S | by DON WALL | Dec 23, 2016 The federal government has announced a comprehensive ban on asbestos, promising to create new regulations that will prohibit the manufacture, use, import and export of a mineral that was once commonly used in construction and has ravaged the health of thousands of…
Read MoreNew NCSO designation in effect this month
Journal of Commerce | OH&S | by RUSSELL HIXSON Dec 19, 2016 The National Construction Safety Officer (NCSO) is a new national safety designation designed to replace a number of similar provincial designations and will come into effect at the end of this month. It was approved by the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations after…
Read MoreJoint Health and Safety Committee-related Occupational Health and Safety Regulation Changes
On December 14, 2016, WorkSafeBCs Board of Directors approved the addition of the following new sections to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation: Section 3.26: Requires an annual evaluation to measure the effectiveness of joint committees. Approved amendments with explanatory notes Section 3.27: Establishes the mandatory minimum training and education for joint committee members and…
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