As part of efforts to share information about the changes to the Worker’s Compensation Act coming into effect on January 1, 2024, WorkSafeBC is inviting employers to an information session this month (November 16, 3-4pm). The session will feature experts talking about Bill 41, specifically the duty to cooperate and the duty to maintain employment….
Read MoreAsbestos Licensing and Certification Employer Forum
You are invited to attend WorkSafeBC’s virtual session Are you an employer that works with asbestos in B.C.? You are invited to attend a webinar to learn about mandatory licensing and certification requirements that we are implementing to help keep workers safe from the dangers of asbestos. What you will learn As of January 1,…
Read MoreB.C. to remove barriers for internationally trained professionals: premier
Journal of Commerce | The Canadian Press | October 24, 2023 VICTORIA – The British Columbia government introduced legislation Monday that’s expected to add skilled workers into the labour force more quickly by reducing barriers for internationally trained workers from more than two dozen professions. Premier David Eby said the province cannot leave people with talent…
Read MoreInternationally trained engineers, social workers and paramedics to be fast-tracked in B.C.
Vancouver Sun | Katie DeRosa | Oct 23, 2023 Alice Wong, who completed her master’s degree in social work in Hong Kong, has spent the last 14 months navigating an arduous accreditation process that included hundreds of pages of paperwork, exams, English tests and bureaucratic hoops. “It was very challenging for me,” said the 40-year-old….
Read MoreWorkplace mental injuries cost more, last longer, than physical ones. What’s the solution?
Vancouver Sun | Lori Culbert | Oct 30, 2023 Aniko Farkas was already feeling sad when she arrived at a Kelowna supported housing building for her Saturday evening shift: A longtime tenant, with whom she had a close bond, had died suddenly three days earlier. READ ON
Eby’s flushable toilets mandate a victory for workers’ health, respect: BC Building Trades
Journal of Commerce | Sarah Rowland | October 27, 2023 Premier David Eby’s recent announcement mandating flushable toilets on B.C. construction sites is a definite win for tradespeople. The legal requirement, which is still being ironed out fully, will apply to sites with 25 workers or more. The issue of unsanitary site conditions has been a…
Read MoreLarge B.C. construction sites must have flushable toilets, says Premier David Eby
Vancouver Sun | David Carrigg | Published Oct 16, 2023 New law will ban porta-potties at building sites with more than 25 workers B.C. construction projects with more than 25 workers must have access to a flushable toilet, according to a law to be introduced by Premier David Eby. Speaking at the B.C. Building Trades…
Read MoreFlush toilets on construction sites now a legal requirement: Eby
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | October 17, 2023 VICTORIA – Construction sites of 25 workers or more will now have flush toilets, Premier David Eby announced Oct. 16, stating it will now be a legal requirement. “If we want people to work in the trades, if we want to show people that…
Read MoreBCCWITT News and Events, October 2023
BCCWITT Events: BCCWITT info session Thursday, October 19th, 6pm-7pm. BCCWITT is hosting another info session on October 19th from 6pm to 7pm. Join to learn all about BCCWITT – our programs, clients, partnerships, and more. This session will not be recorded, and there will be an opportunity for you to ask all your burning BCCWITT questions….
Read MoreConstruction workers call on B.C. to make flush toilets mandatory on job sites
B.C. Building Trades Council says portable, chemical toilets unsanitary, undignified Chad Pawson · CBC News · Posted: Oct 11, 2023 1:08 PM PDT | Last Updated: October 11 The union representing 40,000 construction workers in British Columbia wants the province to make flush toilets mandatory on construction sites, saying the current use of chemical toilets are “unsanitary and undignified.” On…
Read MoreB.C. construction unions demand flush toilets on worksites in new report
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | October 11, 2023 NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. – British Columbia’s construction unions are demanding a sanitation upgrade on worksites. The BC Building Trades has released an Update on Washroom Facilities in the Construction Industry, a report that recommends construction sites with 25 workers or more be required to have…
Read MoreBoard of Directors approves the 2023 amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation
At its July 2023 meeting, WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors approved amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. The amendments relate to Hazardous Drugs and Asbestos Certification and Licensing. Strikethrough versions of the amendments with explanatory notes can be accessed below. Deletions in the regulatory amendments are identified with a strikethrough and additions are in bold text and highlighted in yellow….
Read MoreFLUSH TOILETS NOW: B.C. CONSTRUCTION UNIONS DEMAND FLUSHING TOILETS ON WORK SITES
BC Building Trades PRESS RELEASE Flush Toilets Now: B.C. construction unions demand flushing toilets on work sites New report outlines path to better conditions There are $358 billion worth of construction projects either underway or on the books in B.C. The construction industry contributed $25 billion to the provincial GDP last year alone. Construction workers…
Read MoreAsbestos Abatement Training and License Registry
WorkSafeBC is pleased to announce that the Asbestos Abatement Licence Registry is now live and lists the first contractors to receive their licence. The registry can be accessed from the new Find licensed contractors page on our WorkSafeBC website. WorkSafeBC also recently published a resource from common questions we received during the first worker forum and added…
Read MoreAsbestos Abatement Contractor Licensing – January 1, 2024 Deadline
On behalf of BCCSA -> The construction industry faces constant deadlines. But one deadline — January 1, 2024 — may be the most important deadline for businesses who work with asbestos. On that day, asbestos abatement contractors must be registered and licensed by WorkSafeBC, and workers must have completed mandatory certification to perform asbestos abatement…
Read MoreCleanBC Plan – Government’s Own Modelling Shows Plan will dampen economic growth
Business Council of BC – According to the NDP government’s own modelling, implementing the CleanBC policy agenda to meet the province’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets will push B.C.’s economic growth down to the slowest pace on record, which in turn will substantially dampen economic prosperity and well-being by the end of the decade. Yes,…
Read MoreOpinion: CleanBC will push province’s economy into recession-like conditions
Richmond News | Jock Finlayson & Ken Peacock | September 21, 2023 If B.C. follows the CleanBC roadmap, the province’s economy will be a staggering $28 billion smaller in 2030, write BCBC authors. Over the past 15 years of writing in this space, we have avoided covering the same topic in consecutive columns. Rightly or…
Read MoreWorkSafeBC accepting asbestos abatement licence applications
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | September 12, 2023 RICHMOND, B.C. – WorkSafeBC is now accepting licence applications from asbestos abatement employers. As of Jan. 1, 2024, employers performing asbestos abatement work must be licensed to operate in B.C. and anyone performing this work must be trained and certified. “It’s heartbreaking that asbestos-related exposure…
Read MoreProposed Amendments to Policy on Cancer as a Compensable Consequence
WorkSafeBC For cancer to be considered a compensable consequence of a traumatic injury, WorkSafeBC policy sets out five criteria that must be met. Our Policy, Regulation and Research Department is releasing a discussion paper with proposed amendments to update this policy to reflect current medical literature. The discussion paper and information on how to provide…
Read MoreWorkSafeBC Rate Information Sessions
WorkSafeBC would like to remind you of our upcoming virtual rate information sessions. If you have already registered for one of these sessions, thank you! If you haven’t registered yet, we encourage you to join other B.C. employers in learning about WorkSafeBC’s preliminary assessment premium rates for 2024, and how you can reduce your premiums…
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