B.C. employer Richmond Plywood was charged $547,080 after one of its workers was injured in the workplace. …Investigation by WorkSafeBC found that the worker had been out of sight of the press operator when the press was activated, and the Richply’s work practices for the task did not adequately address this risk. Also, no safeguard was in place to prevent workers from coming into contact with the press’s point of operation. …In similar news, B.C. employer Suncoast Logging Ltd. Suncoast Logging was fined $34,179.30 after causing a fire on the road. WorkSafeBC… found that Suncoast failed to ensure that workers were informed of the location of high-voltage electrical equipment before starting work. The company also failed to ensure that workers maintained the minimal clearance distance from exposed electrical equipment.
Biomass storage is an essential part of the bioenergy supply chain. Without it, there would not be a way to maintain a continuous supply of feedstock for bioenergy systems. During storage, however, natural biological, chemical and physical processes occur, resulting in: dry-matter loss, off-gassing and self-heating. The Canadian Wood Fibre Centre and collaborators focused on finding solutions to mitigate these problems and optimize biomass storage. Based on four recent scientific publications, here are some important findings and considerations for pile management of forestry residues:
Richmond, B.C. — As British Columbians begin to repair the damage caused by flooding and landslides, WorkSafeBC is reminding employers and contractors to identify hazards and control the risks that may be present during post-flood recovery. “It’s important that employers and contractors understand there are potential hazards in homes and workplaces after flooding,” says Al Johnson, Head of Prevention Services at WorkSafeBC. “As an employer, you need to conduct a risk assessment to identify the hazards that exist in your workplace and how they may put your workers at risk.” WorkSafeBC states that a 
Despite rising threats due to climate change, more than half of British Columbians don’t have an emergency kit. Among the least prepared are Metro Vancouver residents, the province’s biggest urban area. …In 60 per cent of outages in the province, the culprit is wind and rain storms hinging trees over transmission lines or knocking them flat across roads. …This year, an untold number of trees have been weakened by June’s record-breaking heat wave, plus the summer drought conditions across much of eastern Vancouver Island and the B.C. Interior. …Natural Resources Canada’s assessment of future climate concludes the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather are likely to lead to greater interruptions in electricity supply… BC Hydro recommends residents reassess how prepared they are for storms… The utility’s “
…Vancouver is no Montreal or Toronto. Summertime temperatures are usually buffered by the cooling effects of the Pacific Ocean, and the city rarely faces the vicious heat waves of other North American cities. That respite took a deadly turn at the end of June when a one-in-a-thousand-year slab of high pressure roasted British Columbia, shattering all-time temperature records and leading to at least 569 deaths. …death hit B.C.’s biggest cities hardest, where the amplifying effects of a concrete jungle create a notorious “urban heat island effect.” …A well-placed tree, however, can save lives. In neighbourhoods with dense tree cover, modelling suggests that a pedestrian standing directly under a tree canopy would experience temperature reductions upwards of 17 C. …But since the heat wave, local politicians have raised concerns that current greening projects could risk adding another dimension to the inequality already creating huge gaps between Vancouver’s rich and poor.
Resolute Forest Products is reporting 75 per cent of its employees have been fully vaccinated at 19 of its facilities in North America, including two in Northern Ontario. Workers at Resolute’s sawmills in Atikokan and Ignace are among those to achieve the benchmark, according to Remi G. Lalonde, Resolute’s president and CEO, who reported the figures in a Sept. 27 statement. “Our utmost concern since the beginning of the pandemic has been the health and safety of our employees, as well as the well-being of our operating communities,” Lalonde said. In April, 
NEW ZEALAND – Coroner Donna Llewell is recommending stricter safety rules for the dangerous job of retrieving steel cables used to haul logs off hillsides. Niko Brooking-Hodgson, who was 24, was hit by a flying 9kg shackle on a cable in a forest block near Napier in 2016. It had become snagged, and swung back at him after being pulled free by force. His father, Richard Brooking, said coroner’s recommendations were the most significant for improving the forestry code of practice in almost a decade and changes should be made mandatory. His extended East Coast whānau had to struggle for years just to get the inquest. …Worksafe said it was reviewing the forestry code and would be certain to engage more with workers as it did so. The 2012 code has been widely criticised as patchy. …The code was not overhauled despite a big safety push between 2012 and 2016 arising from coronial hearings, and an independent review.
