May 9, 2014 OH&S Guideline Changes

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 and new ones added….

Read More

Construction Related Injuries to May 13, 2014

CONSTRUCTION Injury Type: Broken leg Core Activity: Wood frame construction Location: Lower Mainland Date of Incident: 2014-Apr ID Number: 2014166920051 A worker fell about 20 feet to grade from a second-storey balcony when the guardrail he was leaning against failed. Injury Type: Concussion (1 worker); head laceration and soft-tissue injury to upper body (1 worker)…

Read More

WorkSafeBC Approved Policy Amendments

Primary Skin Cancer and Certain Occupational Exposures On March 19, 2014, the Board of Directors elected to maintain status quo and retain the presumption of employment causation set out in Schedule B of the Workers Compensation Act (“Act“), in favour of a worker who has developed primary cancer of the skin where there is prolonged contact with…

Read More

BC’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint ~ Re-engineering Education and Training

On April 29th, with the Legislative Press Gallery in full attendance, the B.C. government released its report on proposed changes to the province’s education and training plan.  The proposed changes were the result of a review undertaken by former deputy minister Jessica MacDonald, who canvassed the views of employers, the labour movement, post-secondary institutions, as…

Read More

WorkSafeBC Public Hearings and Systematic Reviews RFP

Public hearings in June 2014 for proposed amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation The Board of Directors of WorkSafeBC approved public hearings to be held in June 2014 to consider the a number of proposed regulatory amendments. The public hearings will provide stakeholders with an opportunity to comment on the proposed regulatory…

Read More

WorkSafe Medical Advisor Info Line

WorkSafeBC now has a Medical Advisor Info Line – 1-855-476-3049. This line is a single point of contact for employers to connect directly with a medical advisor at WorkSafeBC. The Medical Advisors can help with medical clarification and provide a timely response to your questions. The line operates Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to…

Read More

Safety Symposium Comes to Vancouver – May 22, 2014

WorkSafeBC is partnering with BC/Yukon Association of Ergonomists to host one-day event. If a workspace, work tool, or work process is well-designed, it can improve productivity and reduce costs. Most importantly — it can increase safety.  That’s the premise behind the upcoming one-day symposium being held in Vancouver on May 22, 2014. The event will…

Read More

Silica Exposure Control Amendments – Update

WorkSafe BC has advised that the proposed amendments to the respirable crystalline silica (RCS or Silica) exposure control requirements in the Occupational Health & Safety Regulation will not proceed to the 2014 public hearings. WorkSafeBC has indicated that it will work with industry stakeholders to develop acceptable compliance tools and expects that the proposed RCS regulation will be…

Read More

WorkSafe BC Day of Mourning – April 28th

Across Canada, April 28 has been designated the Day of Mourning, a time when workers, families, employers, and others come together to remember those who have lost their lives to work-related incidents or occupational diseases. In 2013, WorkSafe BC Incident Summaries include 18 fatalities in the Construction industry.  COCA has arranged to have a wreath at the…

Read More

We have a new Website!

We are pleased to announce that over the past few weeks we have been working on updating the website and have just gone live at www.cocabc.ca. The site may look familiar as it is based on the site previously hosted by BCCA.  We would like to thank BCCA for all of their help with the…

Read More