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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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.

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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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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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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Journal of Commerce  |  OH&S  |  by RUSSELL HIXSON   |  Oct 5, 2016 One year after a worker was killed in a trench collapse, charges have been laid against those overseeing work on the Edmonton, Alta. home. According to Alberta Occupational Health and Safety, on April 28, 2015, a 55-year-old man was employed as a labourer…

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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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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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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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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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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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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…

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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…

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August 30, 2016 At their meeting on May 27, 2015, WorkSafeBC’s 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 worker’s loss of earnings, WorkSafeBC compares earnings in the suitable occupation available after the injury as they stood at…

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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…

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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.

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…

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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…

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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…

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August 5, 2016 WorkSafeBC’s 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…

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