JHSC Bill 18 Workshops
Bill 18, an Act to Amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act, was passed on June 1. This new legislation affects any workplace with a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) or health and safety representative. These changes relate to the training of JHSC members, the structure of JHSCs on project sites, and monthly workplace health and safety inspections.
To learn more about how this legislation may affect you, the WHSCC invites you to attend one of these free workshops. (Information is also available on our website here.
Workshops are free, but space is limited, so register today by calling 1 800 222-9775, ext.738-4018 or, register online.
September 5
Caraquet (F) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Super 8 Motel
September 6
Miramichi (E) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Rodd Miramichi River Hotel
Saint John (E) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Delta Brunswick Hotel
September 7
Bathurst (E) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Atlantic Host Inn
Bathurst (F) 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. Atlantic Host Inn
September 11
Dalhousie (E) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Best Western Manoir Adelaide
September 12
St. Stephen (E) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Winsome Inn
September 13
Saint John (E) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Delta Brunswick Hotel
September 18
Fredericton (E) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Ramada Fredericton
September 19
St. Stephen (E) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Winsome Inn
September 20
Sussex (E) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. All Season’s Inn
September 25
Edmundston (F) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Château Moncton
September 26
Woodstock (E) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Atlantic Inns Motel
September 27
Grand Falls (F) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Près-du-Lac Inn
October 3
Florenceville (E) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Florenceville Motor Inn
October 10
Moncton (F) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Holiday Inn Express
Moncton (E) 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. Holiday Inn Express
October 23
Moncton (F) 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Holiday Inn Express
Moncton (E) 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. Holiday Inn Express
E indicates workshops given in English
F indicates workshops given in French
Click here or call 1 800 222-9775 for more information.
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Youth reaching youth - SCCY's H & S message resonates with Fredericton students
“We’re not here to scare you out of going into the workforce; we’re here to make you aware.” That was the message that Andrew Brewer, a UNB student working for Service Canada Centre for Youth (SCCY), delivered to a group of Grade 8 students from George Street Middle School in Fredericton.
Brewer, along with three other university students working at the SCCY, put on presentations for 200 kids as part of their summer campaign to promote health and safety in the workplace.
“Our goal was to hit every high school in the area,” said Ben McNamara, a recent university graduate who is now Lead Youth Service Officer. “We’re going into the schools specifically to promote health and safety.”click here to continue reading story
Youth service officers from the SCCY spoke on workplace health and safety to middle and high schools students in the Fredericton area in June. The team includes, clockwise from left: Yves Melanson, Mark MacNevin, Andrew Brewer, Laura Nelson-Hamilton, Allison Young, Ben McNamara.
NB Power’s Safety Meets set the standard for success
NB Power’s commitment to public safety is obvious – you only need to watch television, listen to the radio or visit their website to confirm it. They are currently aggressively promoting a public safety campaign called “What you don’t know about electricity can hurt you.” Their commitment to their own workplace safety is very obvious as well – so much so that other employers have asked to send their
Marshall Button, as “Lucien,” helped entertain and educate during NB Power’s Safety Meet 2007.
workers to the company’s highly successful Safety Meets. Safety Meet 2007, held recently at six locations across the province, saw contractors attending from Newfoundland & Labrador, firefighters from the City of Moncton, and employees from Perth-Andover Electric Light Commission and Edmundston Power.
The Safety Meets began in 2001, as a means to champion and nurture the company’s developing safety culture.
“We had a great safety record in 2000, and were looking for a way to maintain that momentum. Our JHSCs are extremely active and diligent, but their primary focus tends to be on day-to-day safety at the workplace. We wanted to enhance their message to include safety at home and at play,” says Martin Boucher, manager of health and safety with NB Power’s Distribution and Customer Service.
The safety team developed its own logo and tagline – Safety takes You Home – which is branded extensively on items ranging from brief cases to calendars. It sponsors an annual safety calendar contest, which features safety-themed drawings and photos from employees and their families, and provides desk drops such as memo pads with a safety message, a couple of times per year. The safety team also produced a comprehensive home safety guide.
“It’s all about getting home safely to family, and getting home to a family that’s safe,” Boucher says.
Continued
In the Courts!
Maple Leaf Homes was charged under section 9(1)(a) of the OHS Act for failing to take reasonable precautions to ensure the health and safety of workers in relation to the safe design and use of a plumbing jig (no engineer approval). The charge was a result of an accident that occurred August 21, 2006 at their plant when a plumbing jig toppled over and struck an employee. Maple Leaf Homes pleaded guilty and was fined $4,000, plus a victim surcharge of $800.
At the time of the accident, Maple Leaf Homes took immediate action, conducted a thorough investigation on its own, and made required modifications to the jig. In addition, the company sent all its supervisors for additional safety training.
A lawyer for Maple Leaf Homes said the design and construction of the plumbing jig was contracted out, and Maple Leaf Homes had assumed engineering expertise would be brought to bear on the project.
Ask Us
Q: How do I find out if a company doing work for us has a valid Clearance Certificate?
John Smith*
Fredericton, NB
*Names have been changed for privacy purposes.
A: In a continued effort to improve services for our employer clients, we have introduced a method of obtaining a Clearance Certificate over the Internet through Service New Brunswick (SNB).
To access the service go to www.whscc.nb.ca, choose your language preference, and click on Online Services under Topics on the left side of the page. Then click on Employer Clearance Certificates. You can also access the certificates by going directly to www.snb.ca, choosing your language preference, and proceeding to the WHSCC Employer Clearance Page. For more information please contact the Assessment Services department at 1 800 222-9775, or at 506 632-2820.
If you have a question for Ask us! please forward to stearsb@whscc.nb.ca .
Recent Accident Reports
Date of Accident: |
June 6, 2007 |
Injury Type: |
Fatality |
Hospitalized: |
n/a |
Industry: |
Construction / highways, bridges & streets |
Location: |
Northwest |
Notes: |
Worker was operating an excavator when a section of the rock cliff gave way and fell onto the cab of the machine, crushing the operator. |
More accident reports...
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Publications
WHSCC Stakeholder Report
Guidelines for Potato Growing Safety pamphlet (revised)
For tips on how to stay safe working in the heat, please consult these WHSCC Risk Alerts:
· Heat Stress Can Kill · Working outdoors: do you have everything under the sun?
Did you know? In 2006, the number of workplace accidents in New Brunswick decreased form 3.68 (per 100 full-time employees) in 2005 to 3.57, representing the second lowest year on record.
Interesting Link With many Canadians eating outdoors during these dog days of summer, either while camping, barbequing on the deck or enjoying a picnic at the beach, it’s important to remember that food-borne illnesses, such as salmonella and E.coli, can be fatal. For tips from Health Canada on proper food handling and preparation, click here.
Events
September 17-18, 2007 Forum 07 Emerging Health and Safety Issues from Changing Workplaces -- A Canadian Discussion Vancouver, B.C. Tel: 1 800 668-4284
October 14-16, 2007 WHSCC’s 27th Annual H&S Conference Saint John, N.B. Tel: 1 800 222-9775
To have your health and safety event posted in this newsletter, please e-mail stearsb@whscc.nb.ca .
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