OTTAWA, ON – Prior to approval for sale in Canada, all pesticides must undergo a rigorous science-based review by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) and meet strict standards for health, safety and environmental protection. While the current regulations provide robust protection of human health and the environment, some of its provisions now warrant review to ensure the pesticide approval process meets the expectations of Canadians in the areas of transparency and sustainability. That is why, today …the Government of Canada is putting a pause on proposed increases to Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), including for glyphosate. As a result, there will be no increases to MRLs until at least spring 2022. The Ministers also announced the Government of Canada will begin consulting on specific provisions of the Pest Control Products Act (2002) to consider, among other elements, ways to balance how pesticide review processes are initiated in Canada and increase transparency.
As part of our policy development process, WorkSafeBC undertakes extensive public consultation on regulation and policy issues. WorkSafeBC is required to hold a public hearing before changes can be made to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (the Regulation). The WorkSafeBC Policy, Regulation and Research Division is requesting feedback on proposed amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. All stakeholder feedback is carefully considered and analyzed, and provided to the Board of Directors of WorkSafeBC as part of their decision-making process. Part 3, Minimum Levels of First Aid: Our Policy, Regulation and Research Division is requesting feedback on proposed amendments to Part 3, Minimum Levels of First Aid, of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. The consultation phase provides stakeholders an opportunity to provide feedback prior to the proposed amendments being taken to public hearing. Consultation closes on October 8, 2021.
Grand Forks and Castlegar had the highest soot levels in B.C. last year, thanks largely to wildfire smoke, according to the B.C. Lung Association (BCLA) and B.C.’s environment ministry. Statistics compiled in the association’s latest State of the Air Report show that on average, Grand Forks’ skies held nearly 12.5 micrograms of fine particulate matter (FPM) per cubic metre (μg/m3) every day in 2020 — around 1.5 times the province’s annual objective of 8 μg/m3 per day. The air in Castlegar held a daily average of around 11 μg/m3 in the same period, or around 1.4 times the annual objective. Donna Haga, Senior Air Quality Meteorologist said these tiny specks are mostly put into the air by wildfires and wood-burning stoves as well as engine exhaust and certain types of industry. …Haga added, “There are pretty clear links between increased wildfire activity in the region and climate change.”
Wildfires that race through communities, incinerating ingredients that make up modern-day life, can leave behind a trail of toxic metal, says an expert. Michael Brauer, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s school of public health, said some of the hazardous materials found in ash and soil after a wildfire include asbestos, arsenic, lead and mercury. Most of the metals come from household items such as paint, treated wood, thermometers, cars and electronic goods. …Crews who mop up following a wildfire don’t just clear away the ash and rubble, but typically will test the soil and water for toxic metals, he said. A report on toxicity and pollutants found in ash and air samples after the fire that destroyed most of the village of Lytton is expected soon, said Pader Brach, Emergency Management BC’s executive director of regional operations. This will be the first time such a report will be written in B.C. following a wildfire.
Welcome to the Fall edition of Forest Safety News, covering news about safety topics in forestry. This edition includes:
Most of us were happy to ring in 2021 and leave 2020 in the rear-view mirror as a notable chapter in the history books. And while we still have some challenges ahead, the road map is becoming clearer to a post-pandemic world. The forest sectors’ history of resilience positioned it well to meet the challenges associated with COVID-19, supporting the BC government declaring forestry and silviculture practices as essential services early in the pandemic. These efforts were supported across the industry and involved a concerted effort by employers, workers, unions, contractors and industry associations working collectively with BCFSC to achieve a common goal. Working in partnership with industry and WorkSafeBC, BCFSC pivoted its efforts to support employers to adapt to the challenges of operating in a pandemic. …This annual report provides an overview of the progress made by industry along with this year’s initiatives aimed at achieving our goal of Ensuring Every Forestry Worker Goes Home Safe Everyday.
Read the latest issue of WorkSafe Magazine, featuring articles on the evolution of electric vehicle safety, rock-solid injury prevention, and shifting focus to communicable disease prevention.
Liam Crane, who was almost crushed by a forklift, believes the Department of Labour is too soft on employers. …Eight years ago, at the age of 19, he was working at Goodfellow Inc, a lumber treatment facility in Elmsdale, Nova Scotia, when he looked up from placing stickers on lumber to see a forklift driving right at him. It crashed into him, breaking two bones in his right arm. …His employer also did not report the accident to the Department of Labour and Advanced Education, according to documents. …Crane’s parents reported the injury… But the employer has never been fined, a result that baffles Crane. …He believes employers should face big consequences and tough enforcement, but CBC News has learned the department has actually moved in the opposite direction. …The Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education has shifted toward promoting training and safety culture in recent years. 
In a new study researchers at Harvard University found evidence that exposure to elevated levels of fine particle pollution found in wildfire smoke may have led to thousands more cases of covid-19 and more deaths among those who tested positive for the coronavirus. In some counties in California and Washington state hit particularly hard by wildfires last year, the study, published in the journal Science Advances, concluded that nearly 20 percent of the covid-19 cases were linked to elevated levels of wildfire smoke. The researchers also found that an even higher percentage of deaths could be linked to wildfire smoke in certain counties. …Francesca Dominici, a professor of biostatistics at Harvard and one of the authors of the study said her team’s results underscored the importance of vaccinations but also the need for individuals to do as much as possible to avoid dangerous levels of wildfire smoke.
A federal workplace safety investigation is underway after the death last week of an Idaho logger who was working at a timber harvesting site in the Boise National Forest north of Garden Valley. Trevor Menter, 30, of Council, was killed on the job on July 20, Boise County Chief Deputy Coroner Mike Johnson confirmed. …A log was being pulled up a hill with a choker when it hit a stump and spun around, striking Menter in the chest, Johnson said. He died at the scene – the cause was blunt-force trauma. “It’s a tragic accident,” Johnson said by phone. …OSHA, the federal agency that regulates workplace safety and health for the U.S. Department of Labor, has opened an investigation into Menter’s death. …Tom Mahon Logging has faced no OSHA enforcement actions or workplace investigations for at least the past two decades
