Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | July 31, 2023 VANCOUVER — WorkSafeBC has announced the preliminary average base rate for 2024 will remain unchanged at 1.55 per cent of employers’ assessable payroll. This will be the seventh year in a row the average base rate has remained at this level, subject to final approvals…
Read MoreReturn to work obligations: Duty to cooperate and duty to maintain employment
WorkSafeBC’s Policy, Regulation and Research Department is releasing a discussion paper with proposed policies regarding two new provisions of the Workers Compensation Act: the duty to cooperate and the duty to maintain employment. The proposed policies provide guidance on these new provisions, added to the Act by the Workers Compensation Amendment Act (No. 2), 2022(Bill 41). The discussion paper…
Read MoreWorkSafeBC reminds employers to protect indoor and outdoor workers from the risk of heat stress
Last year, WorkSafeBC accepted 81 workers’ claims related to heat stress injuries Richmond, B.C. (July 6, 2023) — With temperatures on the rise across several regions of B.C., WorkSafeBC is reminding employers to be aware of heat-related risks to their workers — both indoors and outdoors — and to implement measures to keep workplaces safe….
Read MorePreventing wooden stair collapses in construction
Wooden stairs used in construction projects can collapse, causing serious injuries to workers. This bulletin describes what causes stairs to collapse and how collapses can be prevented.
Asbestos certification and licensing update
Get your asbestos certification WorkSafeBC is implementing mandatory requirements that anyone doing asbestos abatement work in B.C. will need to be trained and certified, and employers that carry out asbestos abatement work for others will have to be licensed. These requirements are an important protection to ensure workers have the appropriate understanding of how to…
Read MoreOver 90% of Canadians think trade is important to Canada’s economy yet only 9% of Canadians think Canada’s trade infrastructure is in good shape.
Gap between importance and assessment of Canada’s trade infrastructure underscores urgency. Over nine in ten (93%) agree that given how important trade is to Canada, we need to prioritize making sure that our trade infrastructure can effectively move people to jobs and products to market. https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/over-90-canadians-think-trade-important-yet-only-9-think-infrastructure-in-good-shape Toronto, Ontario, July 6, 2023 — A new Ipsos survey…
Read More‘Planting a seed’ of support critical to mental health in construction
Journal of Commerce | Grant Cameron | July 10, 2023 Slips, trips and falls often top the list when discussing health and safety issues on construction sites. However, there’s another less visible threat that’s just as critical – mental illness. “I think it’s a very important piece of the puzzle that hasn’t been considered historically, and…
Read MoreRetrofit solutions providers, we need your help
Sent on behalf of Pembina Institute – You may have seen in our newsletter that went out last month that we put a call out to all retrofit solutions providers in Canada to complete a survey. We want to understand the barriers you are experiencing and the supports that would help you scale your business…
Read More‘Rising above the pain’: Memorial unveiled for Kelowna crane collapse victims
Journal of Commerce | Evan Saunders | July 14, 2023 Thanks to a community fundraising effort organized through United Way British Columbia, five men who were killed when a crane collapsed two years ago in Kelowna will not be forgotten. At a memorial event on the two-year anniversary of the collapse hosted by the City of Kelowna, Kelly…
Read MoreProposed amendments to the OHS Regulation, Part 14, Notice of Project – Tower Crane
WorkSafeBC’s Policy, Regulation and Research Department is requesting feedback on proposed amendments to Part 14, Cranes and Hoists, sections 14.73.1 to 14.75, of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. The consultation phase gives stakeholders an opportunity to share feedback before the proposed amendments are taken to public hearing. View the proposed regulatory amendments and information on how…
Read MoreLearn about WorkSafeBC’s preliminary rates for 2024
You are invited to attend one of WorkSafeBC’s virtual rate information sessions Join other B.C. employers in learning about WorkSafeBC’s preliminary assessment premium rates for 2024, and how you can reduce your premiums through a safer and healthier workplace and helping injured workers recover. Register for a session now. See additional details below. Please share this…
Read MoreApproved Training Providers – Asbestos Abatement Certification
WorkSafeBC has posted the first wave of WorkSafeBC approved asbestos abatement training providers to our website. This is a key step in engaging workers and employers in understanding their responsibilities and in working towards getting their certification by January 1, 2024. To accompany this milestone, starting Monday, June 26, WorkSafeBC will be actively promoting training…
Read MoreBaltej Dhillon appointed as Chair to WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors
On June 29th, the Minister of Labour Harry Bains announced the appointment of Baltej Dhillon as the new chair of our Board of Directors. He has been a member of the Board since 2017 when he was appointed as the representative in the area of law or law enforcement. He takes over the role from…
Read MorePlanning for the worksite of the future: WorkSafeBC uses AI, human expertise and multidisciplinary tactics
OHS Canada | June 27, 2023 | By Alexandra Skinner/WorkSafeBC Who could have predicted the dangers of electric vehicle batteries? How could we have known how to prevent musculoskeletal injuries in cannabis manufacturing when the industry was just starting? Did anyone consider the risks to workers associated with 3D printing? For the past decade, WorkSafeBC’s…
Read MoreRoad Builders will use virtual reality and simulators to recruit
Sitenews The $3.9-million project aims to showcase road building and highway maintenance careers. Key Takeaways: The Whole Story A digital, immersive road building experience is coming to a B.C. town near you. Jobseekers across the province will have the opportunity to learn more about highway maintenance jobs through a $3.9-million grant to the British Columbia…
Read MoreMaintaining employment for injured workers
Supporting injured workers in their return to work is good for them and good for business. Starting in 2024, it will also be a legal requirement for employers to co-operate with injured workers and with WorkSafeBC to ensure the worker’s safe and timely return to work. New legal requirements: Duties to co-operate and maintain employment The provincial…
Read MoreTrades Training Fund
The LNG Canada Trades Training Fund helps cover the costs of Foundation or Apprenticeship training for an employee interested in developing their skills in high demand trades. Applications to the Trades Training Fund can be made by employers only (For construction companies with 20 employees or less) on behalf of their apprentices and must be received one month…
Read More‘A major turning point’: B.C. asbestos abatement certification
Journal of Commerce | Evan Saunders | June 26, 2023 British Columbia is poised to introduce a new licensing and certification regime for asbestos abatement work, a move WorkSafeBC calls an extremely important step forward. “I think this is probably the single most significant change in this industry in years and the biggest step forward in…
Read MoreProposed amendments to mental disorder policy
WorkSafeBC’s Policy, Regulation and Research Department is releasing a discussion paper with proposed amendments to mental disorder policy. The compensation policy review Restoring the Balance: A Worker-Centred Approach to Workers’ Compensation Policy makes two recommendations to amend WorkSafeBC’s mental disorder policy in the Rehabilitation Services & Claims Manual, Volume II. The discussion paper and information on how to provide feedback…
Read MoreProposed policy amendments regarding chronic pain
The WorkSafeBC Policy, Regulation and Research Department (PRRD) is releasing a discussion paper, with options and draft policy, on chronic pain. WorkSafeBC policy states a worker’s chronic pain may be compensable when the pain results as a consequence of a work-related injury or disease. The PRRD is proposing amendments to policy to reflect medical literature…
Read More