Category Archives: Health & Safety

Thursday, November 17, 2022 2:00pm – 3:00pm PST
Register Today: go to our website – under NEWS to get the registration link
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The path to supervision isn’t always planned or intentional. Many forestry supervisors are quickly promoted to the role – they’re a crew worker one day and responsible for the whole crew the next day. This webinar is intended for workers transitioning into a supervisor role as well as seasoned supervisors. We’ll cover the key principles of leadership, regardless of position or experience level, and help participants build their leadership skills and understand the supervisor’s role. Join us for this presentation hosted by facilitator Shannon Overland, Principal Consultant at Dekra Insights.

KAMLOOPS — A heat wave is going to impact B.C. this week. In a public alert issued Monday morning, Environment Canada says B.C. will reach daytime high temperatures between 35 to 40 degrees Celsius and early morning lows of 18 to 20 degrees. The heat warning is expected to begin Tuesday and last until Saturday. According to the weather agency, the heat wave is due to a strong ridge of high pressure. The peak daytime high temperatures are expected from Wednesday to Friday, then a slow cooling trend is likely next weekend to early August. …While extreme heat affects everyone, Environment Canada says the risks are greater for young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses, and people working or exercising outdoors. Effects of heat illness include swelling, rash, cramps, fainting, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and the worsening of some health conditions.

WorkSafeBC announced today that the preliminary average base rate for 2023 will remain unchanged at 1.55 per cent of employers’ assessable payroll. This will be the sixth year in a row that the average base rate has remained at this level, consistent with WorkSafeBC’s goal of keeping rates stable. Annual base premium rates are driven by provincial injury rates, return-to-work performance and the resulting cost of claims, as well as investment performance relative to required rates of return. Each year, the costs in some industries go up, some go down and others stay the same. In 2023, 50 per cent of employers in B.C. are projected to experience a decrease in their industry base rate, 37 per cent will see their industry base rate increase, and 13 per cent will see no change. …The Workers Compensation Act requires WorkSafeBC to set premium rates annually for employers in order to pay for the workers’ compensation system.

A logging truck driver was airlifted to hospital after his vehicle rolled over on a logging road south of Campbell River, spilling its load and pinning him inside. Campbell River Fire Capt. John Vaton said crews were called to the logging road, approximately 10 kilometres from the Cranberry Island Highway intersection, at around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday. They arrived to find the logging truck on its side near a bank. …firefighters were able to make their way inside the cab and make contact with the driver who was conscious “but in a great deal of pain,” said Campbell River Fire Capt. John Vaton. They extricated him from the truck and paramedics transferred him to an air ambulance that landed on the logging road. He was flown to Victoria General Hospital in unknown condition.

PRINCE GEORGE – The recent rainfall and melting snowpack have closed or restricted some roads. The BC Forest Safety Council is reminding drivers that resource roads are not built or maintained to public roadway standards, pose hazards, and are used by industrial and recreational users. All resource road users are encouraged to exercise caution. Expect the unexpected.

Nanaimo, BC — Mosaic Forest Management is recognizing forestry contractors who have contributed to the company’s focus on safety, environmental performance, Indigenous relations, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and quality over the past year.
“We are privileged to partner with outstanding contractors who demonstrate excellence in so many different areas, starting with safety,” said Jeff Zweig, President & CEO of Mosaic. “We are not successful unless everyone in and around our operations goes home safely every day. Every injury is preventable, and we will not rest until we achieve and maintain zero injuries.” In 2021, Mosaic achieved a medical incident rate of 1.58 per 200,000 hours worked (on a total of 2.6 million hours for the year), representing a 28% reduction over three years.

Greg Smith with prize winner

Safety is marked as a key value at Gilbert Smith Forest Products Ltd (GSFP) in the North Thompson Valley community of Barriere, B.C. “We put significant effort into the continuous improvement of our Safety Program to ensure the health and safety of our workforce,” says GSFP’s Human Resources and Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator Darcey Woods, CRSP. “In May we celebrated Safety and Health Week (May 1-7) with ‘Safety Bingo’, which gave all of the employees a chance to win an E-Bike along with a number of other prizes that were awarded at our Safety BBQ.” Wood says the annual Safety BBQ was held on May 10, with GSFP celebrating two years with zero time-loss accidents in the Manufacturing division of the company, and over 19 years in the Woodlands division.

The sister of a Lake Cowichan man who died as a result of a logging truck tragedy in the Comox Valley that has set up a Go-Fund-Me for his wife and children. Andrew Linklater, 43, died May 24 on the northbound on-ramp to Highway 19 off the Comox Valley Parkway when the truck lost its load. Still in shock over their loss, Linklater’s devastated little sister Summer Muzyka has set up a GoFundMe account to help Linklater’s widow and their children during their grief. “Andrew has left behind Donna his partner for 16 years and the mother of his children, Ashton & Sienna, Josh & Brentyn,” Muzyka said on the GoFundMe page. “We are all so devastated. We are in disbelief. We are hurting. We don’t know how we will ever find happiness again.” To donate visit: https://gofund.me/76f4addb.

In the most recent update from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, at mid-morning Sunday, they are reporting seven active wildfires in the province with only one not contained.  The McCafe fire at last word was burning less than 20 kilometres from Stanley Mission and Rapid River Dam.  The fire was estimated at 2,000 hectares and in addition to fire crews, heavy equipment, helicopters and air tanker support were being used to fight the wildfire. As of mid-morning Environment Canada has downsized the area affected by an air quality statement. …Environment Canada says  that area residents may experience symptoms such as increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath. Children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk.

WorkSafeBC is holding a virtual public hearing on proposed amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation. The virtual public hearing will be streamed live on June 21, 2022, in two sessions. The first will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.and the second from 3 to 5 p.m. The links to view the virtual public hearing and information to dial in will be posted here. The virtual hearing will cover proposed changes to the following parts of the OHS Regulation: Part 3 – Minimum Levels of First Aid and Parts 14 and 19 – Inconsistent Crane Misadventure and Zone-Limiting Devices in Tower Cranes. We welcome your feedback on the proposed amendments through either written submissions or participation at the virtual public hearing. All feedback received will be presented to WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors for their consideration. The public consultation phase is separate from the public hearing process. Even if you provided comments during consultation, please make another submission on the proposed changes.

Richmond, B.C. — As large numbers of young people begin entering the workforce for summer jobs, WorkSafeBC cautions that young and new workers are vulnerable to injury at work. In 2021, WorkSafeBC accepted 7,125 claims related to injuries from young workers. Injuries were most likely to occur in service-sector jobs (2,801 claims), followed by retail and wholesale (1,335 claims), and construction (1,258 claims). In the last five years, 16 young workers have died in workplace incidents “More than half of all serious injuries occur during the first six months of employment,” says Jacqueline Holmes, Manager of Prevention Field Services at WorkSafeBC. ”Injuries can result from inadequate training, orientation, and supervision, inexperience, or a reluctance to speak up, ask questions, and raise health and safety concerns.” 

B.C.’s climate crisis-related disasters last year such as the deadly heat dome, wildfires, flooding and landslides highlight the need for new safety measures, according to a new report by B.C.’s safety authority this week. Other top concerns outlined in Technical Safety B.C.’s 2021 State of Safety report include a lack of awareness about carbon monoxide safety, and work done by unlicensed individuals. This year’s report found that some of the most significant risks to British Columbians’ safety are the risks emerging from continued climate change impacts in communities across the province. …“So with more extreme weather, which includes as we know, flooding, winds, fires, heat, what we need to figure out is how does our current infrastructure of this equipment hold up? And so there’s analytical work and evaluation going on,” said Technical Safety B.C. president Phil Gothe.

The WorkSafeBC inspector gave Howe Sound Pulp & Paper several safety suggestions after May 12 gas incident sent several HSPP workers to the hospital. All of the workers were able to return to work the next day. WorkSafeBC has delivered its report into a May 12 incident at Howe Sound Pulp & Paper Mill that saw six workers taken to the hospital after being exposed to “foul condensate fumes.”  WorkSafeBC’s occupational hygiene officer Peder Gorseth inspected the Port Mellon mill worksite on May 13, the day after the incident, his May 18 report states. WorkSafeBC has not issued any orders in relation to this incident but has included a few suggestions to the employer. The report states that both the Howe Sound Pulp and Paper Corporation and RCMP officers notified WorkSafeBC about the incident, which took place during the mill’s annual shutdown on May 12.

Four contractors at West Fraser’s Cariboo Pulp and Paper mill in Quesnel were sent to G.R. Baker Hospital after a brief exposure to a by-product of the manufacturing process. The black liquor vapour mist exposure happened at approximately 8 a.m. Thursday, May 19, during routine operations. “The four individuals reported to first aid after experiencing minor respiratory and eye irritation,” confirmed a West Fraser spokesperson. “As a precaution, the individuals were transported by ambulance to local medical aid for observation and further assessment.” …“Protection systems worked as designed and emergency procedures were immediately activated, including restricting access to the area,” the West Fraser spokesperson added, thanking emergency responders.

A series of explosions at the Houston Pellet Plant on Nov. 25, 2020 which injured four people was triggered when a buildup of unknown combustible gas was ignited by the plant’s natural gas burner used to dry wet fibre, indicates an extensive WorkSafe BC report into the incident. A vertical orange flame shot out of one of the plant’s stacks while a wave of flame then ignited combustible dust within the plant’s drying machinery. The report indicated that the force of the flame erupting from the stack was sufficient to blow its steel lid of 1,278 pounds up and over an adjacent energy plant owned by the next-door Canfor sawmill, a distance of 246 feet. …The explosions occurred after the natural gas burner was ignited following a partial shutdown of drying operations. …At the time of the explosions, the plant was jointly owned by Pinnacle Pellet, Canfor and the Witset First Nation and operated by Pinnacle.