Category Archives: Health & Safety

Health & Safety

BC forest products firm hit with huge six-figure fine

By Jim Wilson
Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine
October 20, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada

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.

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Biomass Storage and Safety

By Canadian Forest Service – Canadian Wood Fibre Centre
Natural Resources Canada
September 1, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada

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:

  1. Biomass Storage Safety
  2. Bark vs. Woodchip Storage
  3. Fresh vs. Older Woodchip Storage Piles
  4. Pre-Treatment Strategies of Control Self-Heating and Optimize Biomass Storage.

It is critical that workers take the time to know all of the storage risks and guidelines outlined by research findings. Monitoring and preparedness will go a long way to maintain safety, optimize biofuel quality and the overall benefits of using woody biomass as a renewable energy source.

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The little-known, tragic story of ‘the night America burned’

Letter by Phil Egan
The Timmins Times
October 4, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, International

From the early 1920s, the week of Oct. 8 has been observed in Canada and the United States as Fire Prevention Week. …this date was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire – an event that happened 150 years ago this month. But few people realize the full extent of the horror unleashed on the night of Oct. 8, 1871. The carnage rivalled that of 9/11 and affected a massive swath of the American Midwest, from the lumber town of Peshtigo, Wis., to Port Huron, Mich., and the shores of the St. Clair River on the Canadian shore. The 150-year-old event has come down in history as ‘The Night America Burned.’ …In all, the fires of Oct. 8, 1871, took more than 2,500 lives. Yet today, for those of us who actually observe the arrival of Fire Prevention Week, the tragedy of the night for which it is commemorated seldom comes to mind. …Smoke Alarms Save Lives.

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Suspects who shot at 2 logging trucks near Fort St James still at large: RCMP

By Angie Mindus
Vernon Morning Star
December 8, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Mounties are not letting up the pressure to identify those involved in a dangerous firearm incident and attempted theft Tuesday (Dec. 7) that saw two logging trucks shot at multiple times near Fort St. James. … On Dec. 7, Fort St James RCMP responded to a report of shots fired … after a pair of suspects attempted to steal some equipment and collided with an empty logging truck in the process. Two men with long guns got out of the vehicle and fired several shots at the logging truck, and a second logging truck that happened to be on the scene. … Police confirm both suspects shot multiple times at the logging trucks, and fled the scene with the firearms. These firearms were later recovered by police. No one was injured as a result of the actions by those involved. The Ford F-350 that the suspects are alleged to have stolen was located abandoned … 

Additional coverage in Prince George Citizen: Pickup linked to Fort St. James gunplay recovered, say RCMP

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B.C. forests minister ‘knocked to the ground’ while walking home from legislature

By Cheryl Chan
Vancouver Sun
December 8, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Katrine Conroy

B.C. Forests Minister Katrine Conroy is recovering from her injuries after an apparent assault in Victoria. In a social media post Wednesday, Premier John Horgan said he is “very upset” Conroy was “knocked to the ground and hurt last night walking home from the Legislature.” She sustained minor injuries. …Victoria Police confirmed it is investigating the incident, which was reported to them on Wednesday. …Victoria Police said anyone with information about the incident should contact the department’s non-emergency line at 250-995-7654 ext. 1.

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WorkSafeBC reminding employers and contractors to be aware of hazards during post-flood recovery

WorkSafeBC
December 7, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

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 systematic risk assessment is about understanding how your workers may be potentially harmed or potentially at risk and implementing reasonable measures to control those risks in the workplace. Johnson points out that the hazards may be different across the province, depending on the regional impacts from the flooding, and the type of work being done.

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Six reappointments made to WorkSafeBC board

By Ministry of Labour
Government of British Columbia
December 6, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Six directors have been reappointed to WorkSafeBC’s governance board:

  • Baltej Dhillon, professional in the area of law or law enforcement, is reappointed as a director
  • Andrea Laurie, worker representative, is reappointed as a director
  • Lee Loftus, public interest representative, is reappointed as a director
  • Katherine Teschke, public interest representative, is reappointed as a director
  • Rebecca Packer, professional providing health-care or rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities, is reappointed as a director 

The WorkSafeBC board of directors serves as steward of WorkSafeBC and the workers’ compensation system and is responsible for approving WorkSafeBC’s compensation, rehabilitation and assessment policies, and occupational health and safety regulations.

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Tolko mandates staff vaccines for head office staff

By Jon Manchester
Castanet
December 4, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

One of Vernon’s largest employers will require all staff at its Vernon headquarters to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as staff return to the office in the new year. Tolko Industries spokesperson Chris Downey says the majority of employees working at the lumber company’s Vernon head office are already fully vaccinated. “We recognize that the building is a gathering place inherently designed to facilitate working and meeting together in close proximity. During the pandemic, we have followed the guidance of the provincial health officer, and by requiring employees and contractors to be vaccinated, we continue to align with scientific experts in public health and safety,” he said in an email. “We’ve made this decision based on safety and have returned employees to the office in a phased approach as part of our safety plan.” The plan applies only to staff at the Vernon head office.

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Hand Faller Information Session

WorkSafeBC
December 2, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

WorkSafeBC and the BC Forest Safety Council ran an information session on Forestry Faller Safety on November 24. Below are the links to the session replay and to the resources discussed at the session.

For more helpful resources, visit the manual falling & bucking resources page on worksafebc.com.

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Urban British Columbians ‘overconfident’ they can deal with storm fallout: BC Hydro

By Stefan Labbé
Prince George Citizen
November 9, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

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 “outage checklist” walks residents through developing a preparedness plan, building an emergency kit and advice on what to do during and after an outage. 

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B.C. heli-rescue service set to open new base on Vancouver Island

By Ronan O’Doherty
Comox Valley Record
November 5, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical Society (TEAAM) gave a presentation in Campbell River on November 4. The non-profit, medically-directed rescue service, which currently flies out of bases in Squamish, Prince George and Fort St. John is weeks away from getting its Campbell River operation off the ground. President Miles Randell said the remote areas surrounding the city have been on the society’s radar as having a gap in pre-hospital coverage. …“And the Truck Loggers Association said they need us here as well,” he said. …Randell and vice president, Jordan Lawrence both have extensive SAR experience… The organization they created is capable of providing advanced life support, critical care, and medicine, as well as rescue people from hard to reach places. …From the Campbell River base, the service will be able to cover Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and up to Bella Coola.

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One injured in helicopter crash west of Nanoose Bay

Chek News
November 5, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

First responders responded to a helicopter crash near Nanoose Bay Thursday afternoon. BC Emergency Health Services received a call just after 12:30 p.m. Thursday for a helicopter crash near the eastern Vancouver Island community. The helicopter crashed west of Mosaic’s Northwest Bay Operations near Nanoose Bay. …A BC Ambulance ground crew took the injured man to an air ambulance at Mosaic’s yard. He was then airlifted to the hospital. It’s a commercial helicopter owned by Heliqwest Aviation… It’s open for charters for such things as surveying, forest fire suppression and mapping. The company’s director of safety tells CHEK News the pilot “is doing fine” and he suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

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Students escape serious injuries after logs impale school bus in Alberta

CBC News
November 2, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Students on a school bus in northern Alberta escaped serious injuries Tuesday after some logs impaled the side of the vehicle they were travelling in. A semi-trailer hauling wood was making a turn at the intersection of Highway 18 and Highway 33 in the town of Barrhead, 120 kilometres north of Edmonton, when the logs struck the bus, police said. …The bus was stopped at the intersection when the accident happened, according to a statement posted by the Pembina Hills School Division on its website. RCMP said neither the semi-truck driver nor any of the school bus occupants were injured. The school division later said one student was taken to hospital as a precaution. …The semi-truck’s driver faces charges for the vehicle being overweight and improperly loaded, said an RCMP spokesperson.

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Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week: Carbon monoxide alarms save lives

By Emergency Management BC
Government of British Columbia
November 1, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

British Columbians are urged to take steps to stop carbon monoxide buildup, which has caused more than 150 deaths in B.C. since 2008. Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas, known as “the silent killer.” It is produced when fuel, such as propane, gasoline, natural gas, heating oil or wood, doesn’t burn completely in fuel-burning appliances and devices. …“We saw several tragic deaths in 2020 due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Don’t wait until it’s too late – keep your family and friends safe by learning about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and how to prevent it,” said Jennifer Rice, Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness. …During Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week, Nov. 1-7, fire departments, educators, government, and industry are working together to raise awareness among British Columbians about the potential dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, the symptoms, sources and prevention methods.

Ontario is also reminding residents about the importance of keeping safe and preventing the “silent killer” in homes – Ontarion Marks Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week

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New E-Limit search tool provides quick and easy access to exposure limit information

WorkSafeBC
October 19, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Our new exposure limit search tool, E-Limit, provides information about B.C. exposure limits in a searchable and easy-to-read format on your mobile device or computer. You can use it to see key information related to exposure limits in one central location, including:

  • Chemical name and CAS number
  • B.C. exposure limits
  • Associated health hazard notations and designations referenced in the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation
  • Key regulatory requirements
  • Definitions to terminology associated with exposure limits

Access the E-Limit tool or learn more about it on our Exposure Limits page.

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TLA proudly donates $10,000 to Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical Society

Truck Loggers Association
October 18, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

On September 23, the TLA proudly donated $10,000 to the Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical Society (TEAAM) to assist in establishing the TEAAM4 base in Campbell River. The funds will be directed towards capital equipment purchases for first aid equipment. The TLA has long recognized and lobbied government for the need of helicopter emergency medical services to bring medically directed rescue to attend to forestry workers in remote and difficult to respond to areas on Vancouver Island. The Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical Society (TEAAM) is an advanced life support helicopter emergency medical services non-profit that responds to remote, austere wilderness and industrial settings outside of the scope and capability of the British Columbia Ambulance Service.  TEAAM is comprised of advanced and primary care paramedics, emergency physicians, nurses, technical rescue specialists and other mountain professionals dedicated to providing leading edge pre-hospital care and transport in austere settings.

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Driver escapes uninjured after logging truck takes a dip in the Elk River

By Scott Tibballls
Castlegar News
October 19, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

A logging truck driver was lucky to escape injury-free after their vehicle plunged into the Elk River outside Fernie on Monday (Oct. 18). At 5:49 pm on Monday evening, emergency services were called to Kubinec Road to the south of Fernie, where the fully-loaded eastbound truck had veered off the Crowsnest Hwy, down the river bank and into the waters of the Elk River. The driver, who was the only person involved in the incident, was not injured (but did get wet) and was able to escape from the cabin of the vehicle, which became almost fully submerged in the water. No other vehicles were involved.

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New health, safety rep appointed to WorkSafeBC’s board

By Ministry of Labour
Government of British Columbia
October 15, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Judy Village

A new occupational health and safety representative, Judy Village, has been appointed to WorkSafeBC’s board of directors for a two-year term. Village brings a strong background in ergonomics research, policy and education to the role. She is a certified professional ergonomist and has 40 years of experience consulting, teaching and conducting research in occupational health and safety, with a focus on the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries. Village founded her firm Judy Village & Associates in 1997. She has served as president of the Association of Canadian Ergonomists and as a board member of the Canadian College for the Certification of Professional Ergonomists. She has also been a member of numerous Canadian Standards Association committees that advanced occupational health and safety standards.

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1 dead after helicopter goes down on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast

Canadian Press in CBC News
October 5, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

One person has died after a helicopter crashed into the ocean Monday on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, according to the RCMP.  Officials confirmed the helicopter went down around 2 p.m. PT in the area near Killam Bay, at the entrance to Jervis Inlet, around 40 kilometres north of Sechelt, B.C.  “Witnesses in the area were the first on scene and some debris of the helicopter was located, but the lone occupant and pilot was not,” read a statement from RCMP on Tuesday.  “A search was conducted in the area without success.”  The aircraft was being used for heli-logging, according to the Transportation Safety Board (TSB).  A TSB spokesperson said the agency was “gathering information” on the crash and has deployed investigators.   “We are awaiting further information from first responders,” Chris Krepski said in an interview Tuesday.

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WorkSafeBC releases safety bulletin on tower cranes

WorkSafeBC
October 5, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Richmond, B.C. — WorkSafeBC released the bulletin, Top climbing a tower crane: Ensuring safe assembly and dismantling. It provides an overview of the potential hazard of top climbing a tower crane, and discusses how to reduce the risk. …It provides an overview of top climbing, discusses the hazards, employer responsibilities, safe work practices, and legal and regulatory requirements. The importance of tower crane safety was brought to the forefront in July 2021 when a tower crane collapsed while being dismantled at a construction site in Kelowna. As a result, five people were killed and another worker was injured. …The potential for tower cranes to be hazardous is well known. As part of WorkSafeBC’s high-risk strategies for 2021-2023, the Crane and Mobile Equipment Initiative aims to identify and eliminate unsafe work practices and equipment hazards that have the potential to cause death, serious injury or catastrophic events.

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Heat dome hit these Vancouver neighbourhoods hardest — could planting more trees save lives?

By Stefan Labbé
North Shore News
September 28, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

…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.

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Logging truck wedged beneath downtown Kamloops rail overpass

CFJC Today Kamloops
September 24, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

KAMLOOPS, BC — A logging truck driver is having a very bad day in downtown Kamloops. At about 1:00 p.m., a truck loaded with logs became wedged under the rail overpass at First Avenue and Lansdowne Street. It’s not believed there are any injuries, but there is a major traffic tie-up in the area.

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Quebec forestry worker crushed by tree in logging incident

By Maia Foulis
Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine
November 25, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada East

The Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) has revealed the findings of its investigation into the death of Claude Gravelle, manual faller and owner of forestry company, l’Entreprise forestière Claude Gravelle S.E.N.C. Gravelle was killed in a workplace incident on June 1, 2021, in l’Île-du-Grand-Calumet, Quebec, at a logging camp on a private terrain… CNESST, the organization which administers Quebec’s occupational health and safety plan, retained one explanation for the accident: “The manual faller’s angled back cut technique was lacking. In addition, the worker should not have continued cutting down trees while he was in the vicinity of two trees – which was a danger as the trees could (and did) suddenly fall.” Following the accident, the CNESST banned all manual falling at the logging camp. To this day, the ban is still in effect as the firm has completely stopped all forestry operations involving workers.

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Two workers trapped under debris at Quebec paper mill found dead

Canadian Press in the Brandon Sun
October 28, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada East

WINDSOR, Que. — Two workers trapped under debris of a collapsed multi-storey scaffold at a Quebec paper mill have been found dead. In a Twitter post, Domtar confirmed one of the deaths at the mill in Windsor, Que. “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family members of Mr. Yan Baillargeon and the colleagues affected by this tragic accident,” the statement read. “This tragic event affects us all. Domtar is fully co-operating and participating in the ongoing investigation by the Sûreté du Québec and the CNESST to determine the cause of the accident.” The CSN union also released a statement confirming the two deaths. “The CSN is mourning that two of the workers involved in the collapse at the Domtar plant were reportedly found dead at the end of today,” the union said Wednesday night.

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2 workers stuck under debris following accident at Windsor, Que., paper plant

CBC News
October 26, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada East

Three workers at the Domtar pulp and paper plant in Windsor, Quebec, were seriously injured in an accident early Tuesday morning after scaffolding collapsed inside a nine-storey reservoir during planned maintenance work. The company said in a statement issued Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. that two of the injured workers were still trapped under the debris. “Work is underway by specialist responders to carry out their rescue,” the statement reads.  The third injured worker has been transported to hospital and their life is not in danger, the company says. …Investigators from the Sûreté du Québec and from the workplace health and safety board are working to shed light on the incident. …Seven people are being treated for shock. …Domtar employs about 900 people in the Townships.

Additional coverage in CTV News: Police say 10 workers injured after scaffolding collapse in the Eastern Townships

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Nearly two decades after working at a pulp mill, workers complain their health was compromised

By Molly Thomas
CTV News
October 15, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada East

DRYDEN, Ontario — Gerald Landry always aimed to retire at 65, but at 51 years of age, he says, his body started shutting down, forcing him to quit work. Landry blames the five weeks he spent working at the pulp and paper mill in Dryden, Ont., then owned by Weyerhaeuser. Landry was hired to help build a recovery boiler project, which was supposed to clean the air for the town from all the odorous emissions from the mill. The irony, says Landry, is that those same emissions were blowing right into his face while on the job. …Landry remembers his last day working there, when he developed chest pains. At the hospital, he claims 58 other workers from the job were also there, also waiting for oxygen. He quit shortly thereafter. …Dr. Kerin eventually diagnosed 162 of the workers with Chronic Toxic Encephalopathy (CTE). …Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board did not agree.

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Terrace Bay paper mill fined over worker injury

Thunder Bay News Watch
October 15, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada East

The owner of a Terrace Bay pulp and paper mill has been fined for violating Ontario’s occupational health and safety rules over a 2019 incident in which a worker became caught in a pulp machine. Ontario’s Ministry of labour, training and skills development imposed an $80,000 fine and a 25 per cent victim surcharge on AV Terrace Bay Inc., the New Brunswick-based company that operates the mill. The conviction was handed down on Sept. 27 by Justice of the Peace Bernard Caron following a guilty plea from the company. The incident itself took place on June 25, 2019. …Caron found the company’s failure to equip the pulp machine with a guard or other device preventing access to the pinch point was contrary to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and other provincial industrial regulations.

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Northern forestry operations reach 75 per cent vaccination rate

Northern Ontario Business
September 28, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada East

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, Resolute launched a new program designed to reward facilities that meet the 75 per cent vaccination threshold. Under the initiative, operations with 249 or fewer employees will receive $5,000 for a donation to a community organization chosen by employees. Sites with 250 or more employees that meet the threshold will receive $10,000 to donate.

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3 die after Monday’s explosion at Beauceville, Que., lumber plant

CBC News
September 21, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada East

BEAUCEVILLE, Quebec — Three men in their 50s have died following an explosion Monday at a wood-manufacturing plant in Beauceville, Que., police said Tuesday. Eight people were originally injured in the incident. Six suffered injuries so serious that they had to be intubated and transferred to the trauma unit at the Enfant-Jésus Hospital in Quebec City, about 80 kilometres away, for more specialized care. Three of those patients died on Tuesday and three others remain in critical condition, the provincial police force said. …Investigators with Quebec’s workplace health and safety board were on the scene Tuesday alongside the SQ to examine the evidence. …The plant, Séchoirs de Beauce, specializes in the drying and processing of “jointed and laminated wood into door and window components. Workers were trying to put out a fire that broke out in one of the plant buildings when an explosion occurred.

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Processing the trauma of a near miss

By Bill Gabbert
Wildfire Today
December 12, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US West

Many of the firefighters on the Route Fire who escaped from what was close to becoming a mass casualty incident on September 11, 2021 no doubt had stress levels that were very high as it was happening, and possibly for days, weeks, or months later. Per our article on December 11, dozens of firefighters on the fire north of Los Angeles suddenly found themselves on a road with fire on all sides of them. …“The more experienced firefighters were more shaken up than the new guys,” a firefighter told Wildfire Today. …One person realized later that he does not have a complete memory of the event. …I found an article in the Harvard Business Review [Calming Your Brain During Conflict]. …It can be impossible to predict how rookies or experienced firefighters will react to a terrifying narrow escape. It might be life-altering in a negative way, or something that helps make better decisions down the road.

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After logger’s death, OSHA fines an Idaho timber company for a ‘serious violation’

By Kevin Fixler
Idaho Statesman
December 9, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US West

Federal workplace safety officials have fined a central Idaho logging company after an investigation into the death of a worker in July. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Tom Mahon Logging Inc. for a serious violation following the July 20 death of Trevor Menter, 30, of Council while he was harvesting timber in the Boise National Forest. The finding …includes a $5,461 financial penalty. The maximum possible fine for such a violation is more than two times that amount, or $13,653. …Before the July incident, Tom Mahon Logging had not been the subject of either an OSHA workplace investigation or enforcement action for at least the past two decades, the federal agency previously told the Idaho Statesman. …“This employer is made up of good people, but the employer did not take sufficient steps to make sure workers were a safe distance away before trees were moved,” David Kearns, director of OSHA’s Boise Office said.

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Father and son arrested on suspicion of starting massive Caldor Fire in California

By Alexandra Meeks
CNN
December 9, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US West

A father and son have been arrested and accused of starting the Caldor Fire that burned more than 200,000 acres in California earlier this year, according to authorities. The suspects, David Scott Smith, 66, and Travis Shane Smith, 32, are accused of “reckless arson” which “caused inhabited properties to burn and resulted in great bodily injury to multiple victims,” the El Dorado County District Attorney’s office said. …The Caldor Fire threatened the popular tourist spot of Lake Tahoe, where firefighters managed to slow and eventually halt the spread of the flames. …The blaze destroyed about 1,000 structures and injured five people, according to Cal Fire. …Attorney Mark Reichel told The New York Times that the Smiths tried to call 911 and warned other campers after spotting flames at the Eldorado National Forest at the fire’s onset.

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Night-flying air tanker crashes while working on wildfire in Colorado

By Bill Gabbert
Wildfire Today
November 17, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US West

Wednesday afternoon CO Fire Aviation released a statement that identified the pilot who was killed Nov. 16 during a night-flying air tanker mission on the Kruger Rock Fire southeast of Estes Park, Colorado. The CO Fire Aviation family is deeply saddened by the sudden, tragic loss of one of our brothers serving as a tanker pilot. Marc Thor Olson was a highly decorated veteran of both the Army and Air Force with 32 years of service to our country. …Co Fire maintains a close working relationship with multi regulatory agencies and is fully cooperating with the proper authorities and partners during this investigation. While we are gravely aware of the inherent dangers of aerial fire fighting and the questions that remain; we ask that family and friends be given distance and time to process and heal as we grieve this loss. Your prayers are appreciated during this difficult time. 

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Minnesota wants to make one of the state’s most dangerous industries a little less dangerous

By Walker Orenstein
MinnPost
October 7, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US West

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry runs a grant program that offers roughly $1 million per-year to help businesses in the state pay for workplace safety upgrades. This year, state lawmakers started another new safety grant program, and though it costs about as much as the old one, it’s aimed entirely at one small industry: logging. The new grant money was a request from DLI commissioner Roslyn Robertson, who said loggers and timber truckers have “extremely” dangerous jobs and face higher costs in making safety upgrades, particularly when buying new equipment. Robertson said the industry’s decline — and its aging workforce — also drove her push for a program that one logging official says will be unique in the country… loggers have used the traditional safety grant program some in the past, but the initiative didn’t take into account the “high capital investments” for loggers. 

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California Newsroom’s ‘Dangerous Air’ Investigation Prompts Response from State, Federal Lawmakers

By Scott Rodd
KQED
October 4, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US West

State and federal lawmakers plan to introduce legislation and hold at least one oversight hearing in response to “Dangerous Air,” an investigation from The California Newsroom — a collaboration of NPR, KQED and 16 public radio stations across the state — which showed that smoke from western wildfires is choking vast swaths of the country, from Los Angeles to Boston.  “This investigation confirms what we’ve known for years: As wildfires become more frequent due to climate change, the health of our communities will suffer,” said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Santa Clara), who chairs the U.S. House Oversight Subcommittee on Environment, in an emailed statement.  “I will have a hearing on wildfires, smoke pollution, and commercial logging practices that may be making the problem worse. This is a matter of public health, environmental justice, and Congress has no option but to act,” he said.

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German ship with burning timber cargo towed to Swedish port

The Associated Press
December 11, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: International

HELSINKI — A fire-ravaged German-owned cargo vessel was towed to port in the western Swedish city of Goteborg on Saturday after a week-long blaze that broke out on the North Sea when the ship’s timber cargo caught fire, The Liberia-flagged Almirante Storni was towed to Goteborg early Saturday. The vessel issued a distress call on Dec. 4 after its timber cargo caught fire and while the vessel itself wasn’t burning Swedish officials said burning timber was difficult to extinguish out at sea. …The ship is now being examined by experts who said is timber cargo is still hot and not fully contained. …Swedish news agency TT said Almirante Storni’s 17-strong crew remains aboard the vessel along with rescue and firefighters who are now trying to unload the ship’s smoke-filled timber cargo.

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Coroner recommends tougher safety rules after forestry worker’s death

By Phil Pennington
Radio New Zealand
December 13, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: International

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.

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Fire on cargo ship off Swedish coast continues into fourth day

Reuters
December 5, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: International

STOCKHOLM — A fire that started on a cargo ship carrying timber off Sweden’s west coast on Saturday was still raging on Tuesday, authorities said, though it had not spread to the ship itself. Several organisations including the Swedish coast guard are fighting the cargo fire on the Almirante Storni, anchored off Gothenburg. A coast guard spokesman said that drones were being used to monitor the fire and there have been no injuries, though harsh weather has made work more difficult. “It is worrying. Time passes and the weather is rather tough on site,” he said, adding that fuel tanks have not yet been affected and that there is no imminent risk of an oil spill. …The crew of 17 has not been evacuated from the vessel, which sails under the Liberian flag.

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A massive fire raged on an Almirante Storni carrying timber off Sweden

By Aaron Beswickagnus Vasell, Anders Abrahamsson and Stefan Berg
Göteborg-Posten in Timber Exchange
December 4, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: International

Almirante Storni, a cargo vessel carrying timber off Gothenburg on Sweden’s west coast, caught fire that was sailing under the Liberian flag. The fire is in the ship’s cargo where wood products caught the fire, the ship itself is not burning, but it carries large amounts of fuel which can make the situation more deadly,  for which the Swedish Civil Contingency Agency (MSB) began to draw the fuel to prepare with all the resources in case of any leak. MSB sent two helicopters among several authorities and organizations to assist the evacuation and control the fire. The captain of the ship refused to evacuate the crew of 17 people as the fire is confined to a part of the ship and the ship is in a good condition where no immediate danger will arise and will not sink. [the full story is in Swedish]

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Serious injury claims rise with agriculture, forestry, fishing still most dangerous industries

By Angus Mackintosh
ABC News Australia
November 25, 2021
Category: Health & Safety
Region: International

Serious injury claims are on the rise and agricultural industries are the most dangerous, according to the latest data from the Commonwealth work safety body. This week, Safe Work Australia (SWA) released statistics for Australian workers’ compensation claims in the 2019-20 financial year, showing a small rise across most industries after four years of stalled progress on safety. ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing’ held its place as the most dangerous industry per hour worked and per employee for the 20th straight year. “There are a lot of people working very hard to improve safety in agriculture,’ Safe Farms WA executive officer Maree Gooch said. The SWA statistics show serious workplace injury claims were more common in 2019-20 than the year before. …In agriculture, forestry and fishing, the number of workers entitled to compensation declined just as the incidences of serious injury claims hit a four-year high of 18.6 per 1,000 employees.

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