Category Archives: Health & Safety

ALBERTA — A scaffolding company has been ordered to pay $350,000 in workplace safety penalties after a worker died in a fall at Mercer’s Peace River Pulp mill in Peace River, Alberta. According to officials with Alberta Occupational Health and Safety, West Coast Scaffolding has been convicted for failing to protect the safety of its employee. The company was sentenced Monday in the St. Albert Court of Justice. The investigation began following a man’s death on June 11, 2022, in Peace River. …The company was handed a creative sentence, which means penalties will be directed to community organizations or projects that promote workplace health and safety. In this case, the fines paid by West Coast Scaffolding will be provided to Athabasca County and the Caslan Volunteer Fire Department to support training and the purchase of new rescue equipment. Eight other workplace safety charges against the company were withdrawn.

Canada’s Transportation Safety Board says the fatal crash of a British Columbia logging helicopter was caused when the chopper’s rotor system broke up mid-flight. A final report from the board says that on Oct. 4, 2021, the pilot of the Kaman K-1200 dropped off a load of logs into Jervis Inlet on B.C.’s south coast, turned around to pick up another load, then crashed into the water and sank. The K-1200 has rotors on either side of the fuselage and the investigation found a blade on the left rotor had collided with a blade on the right rotor. Investigators say a fracture in one of the aircraft’s joints led to a “fatigue crack” that progressed until a piece separated in flight, causing sudden vibrations and fluttering of the rotor blades, and failure of the left pylon structure, which allowed the blades to hit.

Corinne Nendick

Congratulations to Corinne Nendick, Plant Leadhand at Drax’s Princeton facility, for being recognized as the latest Wood Pellet Association of Canada Safety Hero for her outstanding contributions to making the workplace safer and better for her colleagues. Corinne is an active member of Drax’s Joint Safety team. She is a leader in developing and working through Task Risk Assessments. She is also a leader regarding Hazard IDs and corrective actions. She is proudly accident/incident free. Always striving for continuous improvement, Corinne has taken the WorkSafeBC Process Safety course to improve her understanding of safety and Drax-specific courses such as Train the Trainer and Diversity and Inclusion to enhance her knowledge of company policies. …Let’s continue recognizing the efforts of our colleagues who ensure we all go home safely every day. …Do you know a safety hero? Nominate someone today online here.

Two men are believed to be dead after their vehicles were swept off Bamfield Main Road and into the Sarita River ­during Saturday’s heavy rains. …Huu-ay-aht Chief Councillor John Jack identified the men as Ken Duncan and Bob Baden. The men were travelling separately on Bamfield Main Road between Bamfield on Vancouver Island’s west coast and Port Alberni. …Jack, who is chair of the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, said in an interview the deaths bring Bamfield Road into sharp focus once again. …Bamfield Main Road links Bamfield, on the Island’s west coast, to Port Alberni. The 76.6-kilometre stretch includes about 60 kilometres of road owned by Western Forest Products and 18 owned by Mosaic Forest Management, the Huu-ay-aht First Nations and the Ministry of Transportation. Jack said the First Nation is looking to work with the companies and the incoming provincial government to find ways to make this road safer.

The N.W.T. Coroner Service is recommending the territory’s Department of Environment and Climate Change (ECC) ensure all of its firefighting crew leaders and supervisors have what it calls “danger tree assessor” training, after a wildland firefighter was killed by a falling tree last year. Adam Yeadon, 25, was killed while working the perimeter of a forest fire near his community of Fort Liard, N.W.T., on July 15, 2023. The coroner’s office has not released its report into the incident but on Wednesday it issued nine recommendations that had emerged from that investigation. The recommendations include danger tree assessor training for firefighters who use a chainsaw near a forest fire, a third-party review of all the safety equipment firefighters wear, and consideration of a “more protective” type of helmet called a Bullard Wildfire Helmet FH911XL. They also recommend the ECC review the minimum number of fire personnel it deploys and their level of training. 

Updates to the First Aid requirements in the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations are coming into effect on November 1, 2024. We’ve summarized what you need to know about these important changes in the Read More of this article. Learn more by registering for our free webinar hosted by WorkSafeBC’s Darcy Moshenko and Troy Lockhart. They will explain the rationale behind the updated First Aid regulations and review key amendments to help employers ensure compliance.
Key components of this webinar will cover:

Determining first aid requirements using workplace class factors:

• Assessing first aid needs based on workplace classification factors;
• Preparing a written first aid assessment;
• Developing and maintaining up-to-date written first aid procedures;
• Meeting training and equipment requirements;
• Providing resources available to you.

Jeffrey Smith

The arbitrator concluded that the Western Forest Product’s decision to order a post-incident drug and alcohol test was justified and reasonable under the circumstances, citing the potential safety risks involved and the absence of external factors explaining the accident. The grievance was dismissed. …“Post-incident drug and alcohol testing is part of the investigation process. An employer doesn’t have to complete its investigation before deciding to engage in post-incident testing, but at the same time it has to balance any decision made with the privacy and dignity interests of the employee – it has to have enough information to justify that intrusion.” …The worker was employed as a heavy-duty mechanic since 2011 with Western Forest Products, a Vancouver-based lumber company. [to access the full story a HR Reporter subscription is required]

The September Newsletter has these headlines and more:

• New first aid requirements coming into effect – On November 1, 2024, amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation take effect relating to occupational first aid. Employers need to take steps to ensure they meet the new requirements, which will result in changes for many workplaces. Higher-risk industries and remote workplaces will be most affected by the changes.
• Upcoming regulation changes to improve tower crane safety – Provincial Crane Inspection Team supervisor Jason Baia discusses the new regulation, a risk-reduction strategy, and mobile equipment inspection initiative.
• Fall issue of WorkSafe Magazine – Read the latest issue of WorkSafe Magazine, featuring articles about simple solutions for musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) in long-term care, upcoming regulation changes to improve tower crane safety, and hearing protection for construction.
• Speaking of Safety blog – Top 5 employer questions following a workplace injury

As the BC Forest Safety Council (BCFSC) celebrates its 20th anniversary, board member Reid Hedlund reflects on his two decades of dedication to the organization and the BC forest industry. …In 1999, WorkSafeBC recognized the need for a dedicated safety association for the forest industry, leading to the creation of the Forest Industry Safety Association (FISA). This initiative quickly garnered support from forestry companies across northern and southern interior BC, including members of the Interior Logging Association and the Truck Loggers Association. Reid joined FISA as a Director, helping to shape its early efforts. …These initiatives were initially viewed as time-consuming and detracting from production hours. But once the industry saw the positive results of adopting these safety programs, including a reduction in injury time, it became clear that a strong safety culture was beneficial in the long run.

A high-powered microscope in a U.S. university has provided a disturbing close-up look at the pollution from the worst wildfire season in B.C. history. During the height of the forest fire season, when hundreds of blazes were sending thick clouds of smoke rolling across the province, a researcher at the University of Western Washington in Bellingham decided to take a closer look at the particles people were breathing in. In August, when the pollution from the burning B.C. forests drifted into Washington state, Dr. Mike Kraft, a research associate at Western Washington University (WWU), collected some samples and ran them through the university’s new Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). …Magnified many thousands of times, the electron microscope images reveal dark, dirty and jagged contaminants, too small to be seen to by the naked eye, covered in tar and soot and easily inhaled.

Forest fires fill the air with a choking mix of smoke, ash and dust, making every breath feel like a battle. Still, wildland firefighters enter the fray to protect our communities from flames. It shouldn’t cost them their health. UBC Okanagan’s Dr. Madden Brewster studies what’s in their air and what happens to wildland firefighters’ health the longer they breathe it. “It’s crucial that we understand the long-term health risks firefighters face so we can develop effective interventions to protect them,” she says. “Our work ensures they have the information and tools they need to stay safe and healthy on the fire lines.” …Dr. Brewster and the BC Wildfire Service will monitor and collect data from 54 crew members. …Dr. Brewster’s research can help identify high-risk tasks and conditions, informing improvements in firefighting techniques and strategies for crew rest and rotation to minimize health risks.

American wildfire contractors are well into their first season protecting homes from BC forest fires. They answer the call when a wildfire is within five kilometres from a home, entering what’s likely an evacuation zone, and protecting it from the incoming blaze. But they’ll only do it for select properties. Montana-based company Wildfire Defense Systems was founded more than a decade ago and works for insurance companies in 22 states. It expanded into BC and Alberta this year, signing an agreement with the latter’s wildfire service. “We spend a lot of time building relationships, a lot of time reaching out,” the company’s Scott Eskwitt said. “It’s up to a local authority to determine whether they’re going to grant us permission.” The company’s been allowed to work in BC fire zones, but it’s without any formal agreement and they’ve been met with some skepticism.