Category Archives: Health & Safety

The city of Courtenay, B.C., located on Vancouver Island, launched an awareness campaign on air quality, with plans to install devices to monitor air quality in a few public locations throughout the municipality. Jeanniene Tazzioli, Courtenay’s manager of engineering and environmental projects, says data collected by the province showed the region was seeing higher than average levels of smoke. “We were seeing some spikes in PM2.5, which is fine particulate matter,” she said. “We’re mostly concerned about the health effects.” The city’s website says exposure to wood smoke can worsen conditions like asthma or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and reduce lung function. The main source of wood smoke in Courtenay is the use of wood-burning appliances, says Tazzioli. The awareness campaign aims to educate locals on the impact of particulates in the air, how to reduce smoke, and related bylaws and rebates for replacing wood-fired heating systems.

Additional coverage in Comox Valley Record: Courtenay installing air monitors, launching awareness campaign

WorkSafeBC has just published the February edition of their Health and Safety Enews. Identifying health and safety risks together, as a team, and developing a plan to manage them creates a safer workplace for everyone. Small actions. Big results. Keep your workplace a safe place – learn more about:

• How actions can help create a positive health and safety culture
• The benefits of staying connected with injured workers
• Webinar: Driving Toward a Stronger Road Safety Culture
• Resource and Guideline updates

Provincially regulated commercial vehicle operators will be required to use electronic logging devices (ELDs) to track drivers’ time behind the wheel, reducing the likelihood of driving while tired. ELDs automatically record driving time, helping to ensure commercial drivers do not drive longer each day than regulations allow. ELDs accurately track hours of service and reduce the risk of incidents due to driver fatigue. “Using technology to ensure that commercial drivers aren’t on the road longer than they should be on a given day will protect their safety and the safety of others on B.C. highways,” said Minister Rob Fleming. …The requirement will take effect on Aug. 1, 2023, giving B.C. carriers six months to install ELDs across their fleets and to complete driver and dispatcher training. Dave Earle, CEO of the BC Trucking Association, has long supported a provincial ELD mandate.

A Chilliwack wood product manufacturer has been handed a hefty fine for a “repeated high-risk” safety violation. WorkSafeBC imposed a penalty of $88,348.85 to Woodtone Industries for repeated instances where an inspector observed a worker cleaning nozzles on a pressurized paint machine that was not locked out. “The firm failed to isolate and effectively control energy sources if the unexpected startup could cause injury,” according to a WorkSafeBC public posting about the fine. “This was a repeated and high-risk violation.” Woodtone makes exterior finishing products for the construction industry, and has been in operation for more than 30 years. They sell their products across North America. Their head office is on Aitken Road in Chilliwack.

If You Want To Change Your Culture, You Have To Change Your Questions. The art of asking versus telling. Utilizing open-ended questions is not as easy as you may think. Engagement – specifically how we ask questions – is critical to building the trust, psychological safety, relationships and accountability necessary for culture change. This BC Forest Safety Council webinar is intended for forest workers/supervisors in leadership positions. It will help set you on a path to creating conversations that matter and will give you a clear outlook on how to create a culture of connection. Join us for this presentation hosted by: Shannon Overland, MA, CEC, ACC Principal consultant, DEKRA Strategic Consulting. With over 30 years of leadership and management experience, Shannon Overland empowers and engages employees with proven learning, development, coaching and organizational change strategies.

TORONTO – Facility Association (FA), is announcing it will launch a telematics program for truck drivers in Alberta, effective May 1, 2023. The objective of the program is to help drivers and operators improve driving habits and correct poor driving behaviours that have been observed through a video enabled telematics device. Enrollment in the telematics program is voluntary, and participants would qualify to receive an incentive reduction in premium of up to 8%. More importantly, participation in the program may qualify them to return to the standard market where they would enjoy more choice and lower prices for coverage. …Following the launch in Alberta, FA intends to explore opportunities in other provinces to determine if there is a desire to establish a similar program.

MORDEN, Manitoba – Safe Work Manitoba honored Décor Cabinets Ltd. with its 2022 Safety Culture Award. Décor Cabinets has more than 500 employees and operates two manufacturing facilities. The company has maintained its SAFE Work Certification since 2018. Safe Work Manitoba cited the leadership team at Décor for playing an active role in promoting a safety culture, including encouraging employees to participate in its HIRTS (Hazard Identification & Reduction Tracking System) program. Through the HIRTS program, employees make safety improvements in their work areas. …In 2020, The Wood Manufacturing Council presented Stan Pauls, owner and CEO of Décor Cabinets with its 2020 HR Award of Distinction.

As you may know, WorkSafeBC regularly engages with young workers, and the employers who hire them, to ensure these workers’ voices are heard when it comes to workplace health and safety. WorkSafeBC seeks feedback from young workers in order to better understand their attitudes and motivations around workplace health and safety and to ensure important safety messages resonate with this target group. WorkSafeBC is recruiting young workers aged 18–24 to participate in an online dialogue session. The session will gather feedback from participants on WorkSafeBC’s current outreach and engagement initiatives and solicit their ideas on new ways WorkSafeBC can connect with young workers on workplace health and safety. Recruitment is happening in January 2023, and the online dialogue session will take place in February 2023. Selected participants will receive a $150 honorarium for participating in and completing a two-hour online dialogue session.

Young Worker Online Dialogue Session Application

This book, written for employers and joint health and safety committees, describes common misconceptions about slips, trips, and falls as well as the factors that contribute to their causes. It also discusses how employers can effectively manage the risks by identifying the hazards and implementing controls related to a variety of factors, including workplace design, flooring, cleaning procedures, and worker footwear.

Lift strap (or molly) failures present significant safety risks to log truck drivers. It is crucial to regularly inspect the lift strap so ensure it is replaced before it fails. This video explains an inspection process and shows what to look for and when lift straps must be taken out of service/replaced.

New B.C. rules that came into force Jan. 1 increase the minimum age for young people allowed to perform hazardous work. Employees need to be at least 18 for most hazardous tasks, including tree falling and logging, using a chainsaw, working underground, or work with exposure to certain harmful substances, according to the amendment to the Employment Standards Act. The minimum age is 16 for work in construction, silviculture, forest firefighting, and for jobs from heights that require fall protection. “Work experience can be a rewarding and exciting opportunity for young workers … I certainly believe it should never compromise their safety,” B.C.’s Labour Minister Harry Bains said on CBC’s Early Edition Monday. Bains said B.C. was behind many other jurisdictions across the world in allowing youth to perform potentially dangerous work.

Another winter storm is barrelling toward the B.C. south coast, which is still recovering from heavy snowfall earlier in the week that grounded flights, jammed roads, and suspended ferries. With days to go before Christmas, provincial officials are advising residents to stay put and avoid non-essential travel as conditions on the region’s roads and highways are expected to be treacherous starting Thursday night through Saturday. The region will see 20 to 30 cm of snow followed by freezing rain that will change into torrential downpours as temperatures warm up. The freezing rain could linger longer in the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island. …WestJet said it has cancelled flights at Vancouver International Airport and four other B.C. airports in preparation for the winter storm bearing down on the region. …B.C. Ferries has cancelled dozens of sailings scheduled for Friday in anticipation of a fierce winter storm expected overnight.

As inclement winter weather continues to impact regions across the province, WorkSafeBC is reminding employers about their responsibility to protect workers from weather-related hazards. These hazards include extreme temperatures, wet and slippery walkways, and poor road conditions. “Anticipating the risks is key — as working in cold-weather conditions can lead to serious injuries if you’re not prepared,” says Barry Nakahara, Senior Manager of Prevention Field Services at WorkSafeBC. “For outdoor workers, cold stress injuries are an issue. Workers who drive as part of their job could be faced with hazardous road conditions, and workers from a range of industries could be impacted by slippery or wet sidewalks, walkways, and thoroughfares.” …Employers are responsible for managing risks in the workplace and taking reasonable steps to prevent injuries. Changing workplace conditions — including changes in weather — mean that risk assessments must be revisited on a regular basis.

While B.C. seemed to slowly creep into winter this year, seasonal driving conditions suddenly switched gears in late October, especially outside of Metro Vancouver and southern Vancouver Island. If you drive as part of your job, you need to be prepared for snow, rain, fog, and reduced daylight. While your chances of being injured or killed in a crash dramatically increase during B.C.’s winter driving season — which usually runs from October 1 to April 30 — there are ways you can reduce the risks. Do your research Checking weather and road conditions at drivebc.ca (or by calling toll-free 1.800.550.4997) and planning the timing of your trip before setting off is one of the most important ways to be a safer winter driver. …Employers have a role to play by making safe winter driving a part of their workplace health and safety program. 

At its October 2022 meeting, WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors approved amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. These amendments will come into effect on March 1, 2023. 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. The approved amendments are as follows: Parts 14 and 19, Inconsistent Crane Misadventure and Zone-Limiting Devices in Tower Cranes and revisions to Item R19.25-1 of the Prevention Manual. These amendments were posted online for feedback during the public hearing process. Stakeholder feedback is available for review.

Ed Wilcock

A deadly helicopter crash that killed one pilot and damaged a building in Campbell River, B.C., was caused by a rotor blade failure during an emergency landing, according to the Transportation Safety Board. A report released Thursday said the main rotors on the Bell 206B helicopter “became deformed” some time during the flight on Sept. 24, 2019, sending the aircraft into a building. “In the last moments of the flight, the main rotor decreased to a point that could not sustain autorotational flight, and the helicopter fell vertically and impacted the ground,” the report read. The pilot was identified after the crash as Ed Wilcock, a prominent figure in the local aviation community who owned the E & B Helicopter company. He was the only person on board. …Wilcock is pictured receiving a lifetime safety award from B.C. Forest Safety in 2017. 

Manual tree falling is a high-risk activity that has resulted in serious injuries and deaths. In this video, forestry professionals share their personal stories of the long-term impact falling incidents have had on themselves and on their crews. These stories highlight the importance of supervision in identifying and managing risk — no matter the size of the operation — and how supervisors play a key role in making sure fallers return home safe at the end of the day. Visit our Manual falling & bucking and Supervising for health & safety pages for more information and resources.

Other videos in the Supervision in Manual Falling series:

• Challenges for Supervisors
• Developing Effective Supervisors
• Supervising to the Level of Risk
• Support for Supervisors

Creating a health and safety culture will lead to a safer, more engaged workforce and stronger business results. It’s also much simpler than employers may think. This is among the many lessons to come out of Covid-19 and one that occupational health and safety regulator WorkSafeBC is working hard to share with employers that may be overwhelmed when it comes to knowing how to get started. “The physical and psychological health and safety of employees has risen to the top of priorities for employers and workers. It’s about creating an environment where everybody does the small things every day to keep each other safe,” said WorkSafeBC’s Chris Back.  …A study by the University of British Columbia shows that employers that take part in WorkSafeBC’s voluntary employer certification program have, on average, a 12% decrease in short and long-term disability and fatality rates compared to non-certified firms, and an 11% decrease in the serious injury rate

Rachel Blaney

Following the tragic float plane crash off northern Vancouver Island near Port Hardy, North Island-Powell River MP Rachel Blaney is demanding the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to answer questions about the lack of maintenance on weather stations in the region. …Blaney brought up the disrepair of the weather stations and their potential link to the plane crash. … Blaney noted that Joel Eilertsen, owner of Air Cab out of Coal Harbour, the company that operated the float plane, has written numerous letters to Transport Canada, raising the alarm about the disrepair of weather stations. …Eilertsen told [Blaney] on the day of the accident there were six weather reporting stations that were not working… Sartine [included in the list] is the most critical of the weather stations and it has reportedly not been working for more than two years.

Patrick Lehman

The bodies of the pilot and two passengers who died in a float-plane crash last week north of Port Hardy have been recovered by Port Hardy RCMP and the RCMP Dive Team. The plane went down Nov. 23 while pilot Patrick Lehman was flying two people from a logging camp to Port Hardy. An online fundraising page for the partner and daughter of one of the passengers, who has not been named, says it’s raising money to help the two with their rent, food and other monthly bills. …B.C. RCMP spokesman Cpl. Alex Berube said divers worked through challenging weather conditions to find the bodies, which have been turned over to the B.C. Coroners Service. The downed plane is owned by the Air Cab float plane company, whose president Joel Eilertsen described Lehman as “a very qualified pilot, a very good person.” …The B.C. Coroners Service confirmed it is looking into the crash but said it can’t comment further while the investigation is underway. 

The online fundraiser is at gofundme.com/f/support-alison-lily-in-a-tragic-loss