Category Archives: Health & Safety

Two-week work cycles. Shifts that can last up to 18 hours. Sleeping in tents. Dangerous and unpredictable work environments. Those are the working conditions for many wildland firefighters across the country as Canada contends with a record wildfire season. …“There’s no question that we are seeing burnout,” said Steve Lemon, safety and well-being officer with the BC Wildfire Service. …“We’ve been engaged pretty full on since the beginning of May really, without any respite,” he said. “The length of the fire season, the intensity, the long-term drought that we’ve been experiencing, that all leads to more complex fires, bigger fires. Those will all undoubtedly have an impact on people.” That’s weighing on the service’s approximately 700 full-time staff, who would typically take advantage of the off-season to rest and recover, he said. …The BC Wildfire Service offers mental health supports that include a 24/7 dedicated counselling line, said Alex Lane, a firefighter.

Additional coverage in Global News by Isaac Callan: ‘We are sick of it’: Ontario forest firefighters burning out as concerns grow

BCFSC offers over 30 FREE online forest industry safety courses as well as in-person, blended (a hybrid of online and in-person) and requested training across BC. Take a look at BCFSC’s upcoming in-person training by clicking the Read More and enroll early to save your seat. Visit the BCFSC Course Catalogue for more information on course content, enrolment or group training inquiries.

As wildfires continue to affect B.C.’s Southern Interior, employers and workers must remain vigilant about the potential health risks posed by smoke exposure. “Breathing in smoke can be dangerous for workers, as it is a form of air pollution that contains a complex mixture of harmful gases, fine particles, and chemicals,” says Colin Murray, senior manager in WorkSafeBC’s Risk Analysis Unit. “Prolonged exposure can lead to a range of health issues, including respiratory problems, an aggravation of asthma, eye irritation, and increased susceptibility to respiratory infections.” Individual responses to smoke vary, with certain groups being more vulnerable to its health impacts. Specific worker populations should limit their exposure, including those with pre-existing conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, and diabetes; pregnant individuals; elderly people; and those with current or recent respiratory infections such as COVID-19. Healthy individuals can also be affected and should watch for symptoms…

A growing body of international research suggests pollution from wildfire smoke can produce cognitive deficits, post-traumatic stress and may even increase the risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Until recently, the effects of wildfires have been studied on patients’ lungs, hearts and blood. But several researchers have started looking into how fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke can enter the body and travel to the brain. Kent Pinkerton, at the University of California, Davis, said… tiny particles of soot and other chemicals in smoke have the ability to enter the cells and nerves of the nose. …“Some particles from wildfire smoke have been shown to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier and cause inflammation of the brain,” he said. Ray Dorsey, at the University of Rochester said “Hitchhiking on these tiny particulate matter are pieces that are toxic metals.” Brains of people with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s show higher concentrations of heavy metal.

Bowinn Ma

As roaring wildfires crested the hills above Kelowna on Friday afternoon, B.C.’s Emergency Minister was asked whether the province would declare a state of emergency. The answer? No. …By Saturday, Ma’s view of the merit of a state of emergency had evolved again. …This isn’t necessarily to pick on Ma. She says she’s following the advice of experts inside her ministry. A state of emergency does not offer any more immediate front-line firefighting services. …But it does unlock expanded federal aid, legal powers for provincial officials to enter private property to fight fires… and more. It also sends a signal to the public. …If the foot-dragging and hesitancy on states of emergency does indeed come from the officials within Emergency Management BC and the BC Wildfire Service, then it’s up to the politicians overseeing those areas to set clear guidelines on how they can do better. 

All standard homeowner and tenant insurance policies cover damage caused by fires, and also provide coverage to help with the cost of mass evacuations, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). …”As soon as there’s an incident that’s ongoing … consumers will want to reach out to their insurance company right away at least to get the claim started,” said Daniel Ivans, an insurance expert. Those filing a claim don’t need to have a full picture of the damage right away, said Ivans, as you can add to your claim later once you know the extent of the fire’s impact on your property. IBC advised anyone forced to flee in the Northwest Territories and British Columbia to make a list of damaged or destroyed items and keep receipts for expenses they incurred.  …”There’s no such thing as an ‘act of God’ exclusion in Canadian insurance policies,” he said.

For cancer to be considered a compensable consequence of a traumatic injury, WorkSafeBC policy sets out five criteria that must be met. Our Policy, Regulation and Research Department is releasing a discussion paper with proposed amendments to update this policy to reflect current medical literature. The discussion paper and information on how to provide feedback can be found here: Proposed amendments to policy on cancer as a compensable consequence. You’re invited to provide feedback on the options until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, October 20, 2023. WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors will consider stakeholder feedback before making a decision on the policy amendments.

The special air quality statement was still in effect Sunday for much of Vancouver Island, but in the evening, air monitoring stations for Nanaimo and southern Vancouver Island show that many of the air quality health index values are dipping to low risk from moderate. Smoke emanating from wildfires in Strathcona Provincial Park is expected to be the largest contributor to air pollution near Courtenay on Sunday night. A special air quality statement due to incoming wildfire smoke is in effect for much of Vancouver Island. It is in effect for all parts of Vancouver Island, with the exception of the north, and the southern Gulf Islands. Air quality in the region will likely decrease in the next two days as winds are expected to shift wildfire smoke from the rest of the province into the area, the bulletin said. 

Shuswap and Okanagan residents in particular are urged to limit their time outdoors due to smoke. There is a very high health risk due to an air quality rating of 10-plus. “The smoke is pretty heavy right now,” said BX-Swan Lake Fire Rescue Capt. Scott Lypchuk. “And the smoke isn’t just tree smoke, unfortunately.” Due to structures burning and the Glenmore landfill in Kelowna, people are breathing in toxic fumes. “There’s a lot of things in the smoke you don’t want to breathe,” said Lypchuk, urging people to wear masks when outdoors and stay inside as much as possible. “Just limit your time outdoors.” The Ministry of Health issued an advisory on Sunday, Aug. 20, urging people throughout the province to stay safe from the impacts of poor air quality due to wildfire smoke and check on family and friends who may be at risk.

The Province is preparing for extreme fire behaviour due to potential dry lightning and strong winds. People are urged to be prepared for evacuations and follow all regional fire prohibitions. During the past week, B.C. has seen record-breaking heat accompanied by dry air masses, especially in the south of the province. The heat has compounded the existing drought conditions affecting much of the province and heightened the wildfire risk. Additionally, a fast-moving cold front is set to come through the province today through Friday. The incoming cold, dry air is expected to break down the existing high-pressure ridge, causing strong, shifting winds and dry lightning. As a result, the province may see new fire starts that grow quickly, as well as overall unpredictable and fast-moving fire behaviour of existing wildfires. Before travelling anywhere within the province, check for road closures, evacuation alerts, evacuation orders and other prohibitions, such as BC Parks closures.

As temperatures rise, both workers and employers need to be aware of the risks and implement measures to keep themselves and their workplaces safe. Sweating on a hot day cools your body down, but if you work in a hot environment, whether it’s outdoors or indoors, this might not be enough. If your body heats up faster than it can cool itself, you experience heat stress, and this can lead to serious heat disorders, explains Jeanette Campbell, WorkSafeBC senior occupational hygienist. If not recognized and treated early, heat stress can lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. And heat stroke can result in cardiac arrest and/or other serious injuries. Heat stress can come from working outdoors in the hot sun in industries such as construction, farming, and forest firefighting. Or it can occur indoors, particularly in boiler rooms, pulp and paper mills, industrial laundries, and restaurant kitchens.

©Fiona Price

Thousands of British Columbians have now been faced with being ordered to leave their homes immediately, be it because of wildfire, flooding or another threat. The climate crisis doesn’t appear to be slowing, meaning many more may find themselves in that situation in the years to come. And when someone knocks on your door telling you to leave right away, it can bring up some pretty intense anxiety. …Registered psychologist Dr. Kathy Keating says it’s completely normal and expected that anyone in that situation would feel acute stress. Many will notice physical symptoms, including trouble sleeping, increased heart rate and upset stomach, among other things, she said. …While self-care may feel like a bit of a buzzword, counsellor Jenny DeReis says there’s no better time to indulge in those practices than when under acute stress. “Once you’ve had that fight or flight response, you can be quite exhausted mentally and physically.”

The Occupational Health and Safety Regulation provides that, except as otherwise determined by WorkSafeBC, an employer must ensure no worker is exposed to a substance exceeding the Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) prescribed by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). Each year, the ACGIH publishes a list of substances for which they have set new or revised TLVs. When the new or revised TLVs for substances are adopted, these TLVs are referred to as B.C. Exposure Limits (ELs). An EL is the maximum allowed airborne concentration for a chemical substance for which it is believed that nearly all workers may be exposed over a working lifetime and experience no adverse health effects. ELs may be set out as an 8‑hour time-weighted average concentration, a 15‑minute short-term exposure limit, or a ceiling limit.

Sig Kemmler

“One of the most important things, for sure, is communication,” said Sig Kimmler, managing partner for Integrated Operations Group, on Vancouver Island. WorkSafeBC wants to see an environment with no “phase congestion.” The BC Forest Safety Council defines it as “a situation where different logging phases … become bunched up or congested, with an increased risk of negatively affecting the productivity and safety of each phase…” Kemmler said that, if you can manage the communication and activity between the phases, that goes a long way in keeping people out of the way. …Safety professionals need to quit pretending that they’re perfect and stop saying “silly” things like “be safe” and “don’t get complacent.” …Kemmler said safety professionals can learn from the airline industry about accidents — investigate them so workers don’t just say “shit happens.” …Kemmler’s bottom line: “Can you imagine going to work knowing you’re going to get punished if you get hurt?”

Encounters with bears and other animals in wilderness settings have led to serious injuries and deaths in British Columbia. There’s a lot you can do to prevent and avoid dangerous encounters. All worksites operating in wilderness areas should ensure their health and safety program considers hazardous wildlife and includes ways to mitigate the risks of encounters. This safety bulletin provides information to help licensees, employers, and supervisors plan safe work. Workers such as tree planters or surveyors may also find this information useful. Grizzlies, black bears, cougars, and large ungulates such as moose and elk are some of the hazardous wildlife to be aware of in B.C. Wild animals can be more dangerous when they are defending food sources, habituated to human food, or defending their young. Responsibilities Licensees and employers are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of workers who are on their worksites and for following any regulatory requirements. 

This resource outlines the key regulatory requirements when operating logging equipment on steep slopes. It includes the specific requirements for steep slope logging as well as some of the requirements for all workplaces that are most relevant for this type of forestry operation. Note that the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation and Workers Compensation Act references included here are not a complete list. As an employer it is your responsibility to understand and apply all relevant regulatory requirements. 

Officials are warning British Columbians of a heat wave starting over the weekend, but say it won’t reach the extremes of the 2021 heat dome. This warning comes as 399 wildfires continue to burn across B.C. with most parts of the province experiencing drought conditions predicted to last into the fall and beyond. Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma Aug. 10 issued the warning about the upcoming heat event as part of an update about the latest drought and wildfire conditions. …Ma extended Henry’s appeal to other areas in urging British Columbians to conserve water. “Every drop counts,” Ma said in pointing out that more than 80 per cent of the province’s 34 water basins are currently experiencing either the worst or second-worst drought rating. She also said that that the province has been preparing plans to ship potable water to communities affected by drought… She acknowledged that current drought conditions not only remain “concerning” but “unprecedented.”

Local governments are receiving support from the B.C. government for emergency evacuation planning. The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness announced August 9 that the Adams Lake Band, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District and the Thompson Nicola Regional District were among 19 government bodies that would receive funding to develop and updating evacuation plans and local emergency-alerting systems. “Recent wildfires in remote regions of B.C. have put communities at risk of being cut off from the rest of the province, highlighting the need for good, advanced planning to ensure residents are able to evacuate safely,” said Emergency Management and Climate Readiness minister Bowinn Ma. “These funds will help ensure British Columbians can leave the area safely when a disaster hits, and will improve emergency notification, alerts and communication to people during emergencies.”

B.C. Wildfire Service’s operations director says in his 21 years with the organization he’s “never felt the heaviness that we are feeling this season.” Cliff Chapman took the opportunity to address the recent wildland firefighter deaths in B.C. and the Northwest Territories and Alberta during the latest wildfire and drought update. “I started as a firefighter as a 17-year-old kid and have worked my way through the organization to now where I’m director of provincial operations of the Wildfire service. I’ve never felt the heaviness that we are feeling this season with the tragic loss of two individuals with B.C. wildfires. There is a lot of grief within the organization and beyond.” But Chapman said crews continue to show up everyday to support the firefighting effort on the ground, while making the difficult decision to leave their families and livelihoods behind.

Riel Allain loved fighting fires, and he had no plans to stop. In 2021, Allain was a smokejumper, a group of elite firefighters who leap from planes to form the first line of defence against wildfires. Allain joined the BC Wildfire Service out of university in 2016, thinking fighting fires sounded better than office drudgery. The 2021 season was one of the worst on record. This was the year of the heat dome, when the town of Lytton burned to the ground. …But Allain entered the season with high spirits. He had been a smoke jumper since 2017, had seen his share of bad seasons and wanted to pursue firefighting as a full-time career. That year, Allain quit his firefighting job. He is among scores of veterans who have left B.C.’s professional wildfire team in recent years even as the province’s fire seasons get longer and more destructive as a result of climate change.

Climate change may be increasing the risk of contracting Lyme disease in Canada, with warmer temperatures causing tick season to start earlier, lasting longer and creating a larger area for ticks to be able to survive. Muhammad Morshed, a professor at UBC’s faculty of medicine and expert on Lyme disease and emerging pathogens, has completed studies on the disease to better understand where it is and how much it is spreading. There are 12 to 18 cases of lime disease per year in B.C. and half of those are travel-related cases, according to Morshed. “In B.C., fewer ticks carry Lyme disease bacteria compared to eastern Canada and the eastern U.S,” Morshed. “Since ticks spread among animals during mating, climate-related changes in animal populations may allow ticks to slowly expand into areas where they weren’t seen before,” Morshed said.

Peter Jackson

Air pollution is a silent killer that claims the lives of seven million people every year on this planet. …the advent of low-cost monitors to detect the smallest particles of pollutants that can lead to health problems peaked the interest of UNBC environmental science professor Dr. Peter Jackson. Six years ago, Jackson’s group …began researching the capabilities and accuracy of $300 air-quality sensors as compared to $30,000 sensors used by government agencies to track the spread of air pollution. The UNBC researchers partnered with Environment and Climate Change Canada to set up a network of the cheaper sensors at hundreds of locations across the country to produce an internet-based national air quality map that provides real-time counts of fine particulates detrimental to health. …people can use the map to determine if they should go for a run outdoors or minimize physical activity and just stay inside to keep from breathing harmful air.

The B.C. government is mandating the use of electronic logging devices in all commercial vehicles in B.C. The requirement takes effect across B.C. on Tuesday (Aug. 1). ELDs automatically track drivers’ time behind the wheel and their introduction aligns with federal regulations that Transport Canada established for the inter-provincial trucking sector in 2021 with all provinces and territories behind the measure. Enforcement of the federal regulations began on Jan. 1 and the requirement for ELDs in B.C. was announced in February, giving B.C. carriers six months to install ELDs throughout their fleets and to complete driver and dispatcher training. Government hopes that ELDs will reduce the likelihood of driving while tired and help ensure drivers stick to the allowable regulation driving time in a day.

A large fire has sparked in an industrial area of Merritt Saturday afternoon.  The fire is located off Houston Street and appears to have originated as a slash pile at a wood processing plant that got out of control due to strong winds in the area shortly before 4 p.m. July 29.  Merritt Fire Rescue is responding to the “major fire” at the old Tolko site, the City of Merritt said in a press release.    “Neighbouring communities are providing assistance with mutual aid, and we are working with BC Wildfire Service and Emergency Management and Climate Readiness BC, “the city said.  The city’s emergency operations centre has been activated to support the response.  A helicopter could be seen dumping buckets of water, and water bombers have repeatedly attacked the blaze.

A 25-year-old firefighter has been killed in northeastern B.C., marking the second such fatality in the province this month and the fourth in Canada during this year’s record fire season.  A release from the RCMP says the 25-year-old man from Ontario was working Friday just before 11 a.m. in a remote area about 150 kilometres north of Fort St. John when his heavy-duty ATV rolled over a steep drop on a gravel road.   Police say the victim, who has not been identified publicly, was transported by helicopter to Fort St. John but died en route.  The RCMP say a workplace fatality investigation is underway involving the police, B.C. Coroners Service, WorkSafeBC and the B.C. Wildfire Service.  Provincial officials have confirmed the man was a contracted firefighter working for the wildfire service through a private B.C. company and died while fighting the almost 6,000-square-kilometre Donnie Creek blaze.

…According to a news release from British Columbia’s Conservation Officer Service, a bear, believed to be a grizzly, attacked and seriously injured a 21-year-old woman who was planting trees in an area southwest of Bearhole Lake Provincial Park/Protected Area near Tumbler Ridge when the incident occurred shortly after 3 p.m. July 6.  Officers determined the attack was defensive in nature and because of the remote proximity of the location, they believe the risk to public safety is low and are not undertaking any trapping efforts.  Officials reported the bear first bluff-charged and the victim retreated to a nearby roadway, where the bear attacked. The bear eventually stopped and ran off. A co-worker came to the woman’s aid and called for help.  The victim, who was interviewed by Conservation Officers, remains in hospital in stable condition.