Category Archives: Health & Safety

Trail and Greater District RCMP is asking the public for information about the recent rash of single tree fires occurring during the daytime on the Red Mountain Resort Ski Hill, in Rossland, according to RCMP Sgt. Mike Wicentowich. “Trail RCMP has received reports that someone is lighting old, dead trees, known as a Kootenay Candle, on fire which can flare up and be visible from long distances,’ Wicentowich said. “This appears to be an ongoing occurrence and it is potentially dangerous as the fire could spread causing unintended damage to surrounding trees and structures. ‘Trail RCMP, Red Mountain RCMP Ski Patrol, Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue, and RED Mountain Resort will be collaborating to stop these incidents.

The 2021–2023 Forestry High Risk Strategy (HRS) is a comprehensive prevention strategy that addresses workplace safety in forestry operations. The intent of the Forestry HRS is to execute focused and impactful inspectional activity in those areas of the timber harvesting segment that represent exceptional risk to workers. Identified high risk work activities typically fall into five areas of operations: Manual tree falling; Log transportation; Cable yarding; Mechanized harvesting (primary focus will be on steep slope and tethered/winch-assist operations in 2021–2023); and Silviculture. The goals of the 2021–2023 HRS are to: Reduce the serious injury and fatal injury rates in forestry operations with the greatest risk exposure, and Raise awareness and promote adherence to safe practices. For 2022 inspections, prevention officers will take a risk-based approach to ensure that the most significant risks are effectively managed. This approach involves workers and employers identifying hazards, evaluating risks, and implementing the appropriate controls specific to the on-site activities.

Al Seibring

North Cowichan Mayor Al Siebring said the announcement that the province is investing $5.85 million in green projects at Catalyst Paper’s mill in Crofton is good for the environment and the local economy. Siebring said plans to use the funding from the CleanBC Industry Fund to improve the efficiency of the mill’s evaporation process and reduce natural gas use will, hopefully, work towards improving the Valley’s air quality. “As we’ve repeatedly heard from Island Health, we have one the highest rates of [Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease] and other respiratory issues in the province and, while we certainly can’t attribute all of that to emissions from the mill, this should help in that respect,” he said. “The other positive for me about this announcement is that it demonstrates the province’s commitment to the long-term viability of, not just of this facility, but the industry in general.”

LOGAN LAKE, B.C. — Worksafe BC has issued a major fine against a tree-falling firm for high-risk violations in the Logan Lake area. Asplundh Canada will have to pay a fine of $83,932.35. In a summary of the violations, Worksafe says Asplundh was removing trees damaged by wildfire near a B.C. Hydro right-of-way when the inspection took place. Violations noted included: Failure to ensure a risk assessment was undertaken by a qualified person before workers were exposed to dangerous trees; Failure to provide workers with the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure their health and safety; Failure to ensure sufficient undercuts were used; Failure to ensure felled trees did not brush standing trees; and Failure to ensure workers did not fall trees unless qualified to do so. Worksafe said the first four violations listed were repeat violations and all five were high-risk violations.

Check out the latest video on resource road switchbacks. As the forestry industry moves into steeper terrain across the province, forest planners, layout and engineering staff, and road construction contractors are playing a crucial role in ensuring the roads that lead us there are safe for their intended  use. This video illustrates key messages for the correct planning, engineering and building of a switchback and the value the forest industry places on ensuring resource roads are safe for all users.

Darren Emerson

Tree falling was in Darren Emerson’s blood. His father was a faller and taught Darren straight out of high school. “He’s been doing tree falling all his life,” said brother Rory Emerson. “He knew it was dangerous, but he just loved the challenge.” …Emerson, 51, died Jan. 24 while working at a logging site in the North Lake area.  The faller was hit by a snag, said Jim Smith, the site’s contractor. Emerson, as a hand faller, was a self-employed subcontractor, said Smith. Sunshine Coast Search and Rescue responded to the incident at the request of the coroner to do recovery. The BC Coroner’s service is investigating the death, as is WorkSafe BC. …Friends and family, including Emerson’s daughters Melissa, 23, and Ashley, 22, are remembering a man dedicated to his family, who loved the outdoors and was well respected in his industry. 

WorkSafeBC’s risk-based inspections have found that while hand fallers have some of the highest injury rates in the province, most incidents are preventable with proper supervision. Manual tree falling … requires good judgement, attention to detail, split decision making, and expertise in regulations, risk assessment and control — on top of the physical strength and stamina needed to deal with heavy trees and equipment in all sorts of weather. WorkSafeBC statistics show that hand falling is one of the most dangerous jobs in B.C.: the injury rate in the manual tree falling classification unit was 20.1 in 2020 — nearly ten times the provincial average of 2.15. Meanwhile, the serious injury rate was 6.5, compared to the provincial average of 0.27. “Each of these serious injuries represents life-changing consequences for both the workers and their loved ones,” says Al Johnson, head of Prevention Services at WorkSafeBC. “Even one such injury is too many when the incidents that cause them are often preventable.” Sadly, incidents in this industry also resulted in the deaths of two hand fallers in 2021.

There are new updates to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. Employers should review the relevant sections of the Regulation carefully and revise safe work policies and procedures accordingly. What has changed? New amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation came into effect on December 1, 2021. The summaries below only provide a brief overview of the changes. Employers must review the sections of the Regulation relevant to their industry, ensure they understand the changes that effect their workplace, and communicate any changes to their health and safety procedures to their workers. …Logging truck load securement: In addition to updating terms, the following changes in Part 26 harmonize the OHS Regulation with federal National Safety Code, Standard 10 (NSC 10) and modernize requirements to make load securement safer. …Additional amendments in Part 26 include clarifying the requirements related to communication and the process of removing wrappers and tiedowns.

This novel coronavirus continues to be novel. Omicron, the latest variant in our ongoing acquaintance with the Greek alphabet, has the pandemic in its most infectious surge yet as we approach our third forestry field season. For two years the forestry sector has navigated successfully in keeping camps and crews mostly virus-free. Now it appears inevitable workers will infect or get infected at work. The vaccines will mitigate this. But the possible mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated workers (some employers have mandated vaccines) on some crews is not without its complications. Meanwhile, these considerations are set against evolving public health mandates and measures that are necessarily changing to match the surprises COVID-19 keeps generating. In order to help make sense of these uncertainties the BC SAFE Forestry Program will hold its first, in what will likely be a series of workshops, to update employers and offer advice on how to work with the current rules while keeping their crews safe, their businesses solvent, and their work uninterrupted.

A special avalanche warning has been posted for recreational backcountry users in several regions of B.C. and Alberta as warm temperatures make the snowpack unstable. Avalanche Canada and Parks Canada have issued the advisory to take effect immediately and last through the weekend until Monday. The warning applies to the North and South Columbias, Purcells, Kootenay Boundary, and Glacier, Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks. It also applies to B.C.’s Sea-to-Sky region and South Coast Inland area from Squamish to Pemberton. James Floyer, the forecasting program supervisor for Avalanche Canada, says there are weak layers in the mountain snowpack across most of southern B.C. and western Alberta. He says the combination of the snowpack structure, sunshine and higher temperatures will make natural and human-triggered avalanches much more likely.

Ten years ago, two workers went to work at the Babine Forest Products sawmill and didn’t return home. Twenty other workers were seriously injured. “Ten years later, we continue to remember the tragic events at the Babine sawmill explosion and our thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues on this difficult anniversary,” said Stephen Hunt, United Steelworkers District 3 Director. “There are still many people asking how this tragedy happened and how it could have been prevented. Today we are renewing our call for the provincial government to protect workers.” In 2019, the B.C. Ministry of Labour contracted Vancouver lawyer Lisa Helps to review the actions by WorkSafeBC and the provincial government in relation to worker safety. Helps released her report later that year, making 11 recommendations to strengthen worker safety, ensure a criminal lens is applied to workplace fatalities and put workers back at the centre of WorkSafeBC.

Harry Bains

Ten years ago, two workers were killed and 20 others were injured in an explosion at the Babine Forest Products mill near Burns Lake. …Since 2018, our government has taken steps to expand protections for workers, increase penalties for non-compliant employers and encourage employers to invest in workplace health and safety. In 2020, we introduced changes to the Workers Compensation Act to improve health and financial supports for injured workers and their families. …it’s crucial that employers that do not comply with health and safety requirements face serious consequences. WorkSafeBC has hired more prevention and investigations officers, and is stepping up inspections and issuing more citations, fines and penalties to increase compliance. …Increased accountability for employers must go beyond financial penalties. …I am heartened by our progress so far, and we will continue to make progress. Our workers deserve safe workplaces, and it’s my job to make this happen.

On January 7, 2022, the provincial health officer announced an order requiring employers to reinstate those site specific, prescriptive COVID-19 safety plans to address the elevated risk currently facing us with the Omicron variant. While communicable disease prevention plans and COVID-19 Safety Plans share some of the same fundamental principles, COVID-19 Safety Plans are formal, written plans with more rigorous controls and are more appropriate for periods of elevated risk. The COVID-19 safety plan will supersede the basic principles of communicable disease prevention during this period of elevated risk by incorporating more specific protocols for preventing COVID-19 transmission. These may include occupancy limits, physical distancing, and barriers.

Some people have claimed weather disasters in Canada this year — from floods the forest fires — have been caused by climate change. Getting climate change insurance could be forced on Canadian homeowners, says a federal report. “We welcome and support the core findings,” Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said in a Thursday statement. Blacklock’s Reporter said the report by the Council of Canadian Academies complained too few property owners at risk of flooding have private insurance. Canadian insurers first sold overland flood coverage in 2015. Some people have claimed weather disasters in Canada this year — from floods the forest fires — have been caused by climate change. “Canada is an outlier among many advanced economies offering some form of nationalized flood insurance,” said the report. The report questioned payment of federal disaster relief to homeowners who live on flood plains and cannot or will not pay for private insurance.

Richmond, B.C. — WorkSafeBC announced today that it will be supporting B.C. employers as they reactivate their COVID-19 safety plans. These efforts follow the Provincial Health Officer’s order that COVID-19 safety plans will be required by all employers currently operating in B.C. A COVID-19 Safety Plan involves a multi-step process to assess the risks of COVID-19 transmission in the workplace and to introduce measures to reduce those risks. “Fortunately, employers in B.C. are experienced with COVID-19 safety plans and they now need to reactivate their plan by reviewing and updating it for the current environment,” says Al Johnson, Head of Prevention Services at WorkSafeBC. To support employers and workers, WorkSafeBC is posting COVID-19 safety plan resources online, including sector-specific protocols, checklists, planning templates, education and training materials, signage, and other tools.

Richmond, B.C. — With cold temperatures and winter conditions continuing to be in the forecast for most of B.C., WorkSafeBC is reminding employers and workers to take precautions and stay safe when working outdoors. …Between 2016 and 2020, a total of 56 claims were accepted by WorkSafeBC for injuries related to cold stress. The most common cold-weather injury is frostbite, which can occur quickly in extreme temperatures, especially when wind or wet clothing are factors. Cold stress can also lead to hypothermia, where a worker becomes so cold they lose more heat than their body produces. Hypothermia has the potential to be fatal. “Working in cold-weather conditions can lead to serious injuries if you’re not prepared,” says Tom Brocklehurst, Director of OHS Practice and Engineering Support at WorkSafeBC. “Employers need to be aware of the risks to their workers during this cold snap, and ensure measures are in place to keep their workforce safe.”

WorkSafeBC will be engaging stakeholders on the future state of occupational first aid (OFA) curricula in British Columbia early next year, as part of our ongoing commitment to understand how to evolve our service offerings to improve workplace health and safety. We are considering a transition away from developing our own OFA curriculum and encouraging workers and employers to follow the CSA-aligned curriculum produced by provincial and national first aid organizations instead. This is only a preliminary proposal at this point. We want to gather more information through open and transparent consultation with training providers and end-users (workers and employers) before making any decisions. In January, we will be hosting two information sessions for approved training providers and offering an online survey to collect feedback.

We live in unprecedented times. The impact of the global pandemic has forced many of us to adjust to new working environments and conditions. Additional PPE, new procedures, reduced social opportunities with coworkers and remote work settings are creating new stressors that are affecting mental health and personal wellness for many workers across the province. Added layers of upsetting news about recent wildfires, flooding across BC and industry instability are also major contributors to rising stress and anxiety levels and can make it more difficult for us to prevent overwhelming surges of negative emotions. This Safety Alert will review stress information and suggest good practices for managing stress, preventing burnout, avoiding a steady stream of distractions to keep you on track and help foster healthier habits to maintain mental and physical wellbeing.

Victoria police investigators have yet to find evidence suggesting B.C. cabinet minister Katrine Conroy being injured near the legislature Dec. 7 was related to her government role. Conroy, the Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, was treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries after being knocked to the ground by an unknown person last week. Conroy was reportedly walking near Ontario and Oswego streets between 8:00 and 8:30 p.m. when the incident occurred, police said in a Tuesday update. VicPD detectives are continuing to gather and review video evidence and are still trying to determine whether the incident involved a criminal motive or was somehow an unfortunate accident.