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JHSC 3-day Training
September
16-18
Campbellton
(E); Moncton (F);
Saint John (E); Woodstock
(E)
September 23-25
Beresford
(F);
Moncton (E); St. Stephen (E): Sussex (E)
E indicates workshops given in English
F indicates workshops given
in French
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WHSCC
campaign focuses on residential
construction
While
the WHSCC has always focused on commercial construction
sites to ensure safety awareness and compliance, with
the recent housing boom, this focus has been extended to
residential construction sites.
Since
June 2006, a health and safety officer has been making
regular visits to residential construction sites in
southern New Brunswick to ensure that employees are
aware of and follow health and safety regulations. He also ensures
that employers are registered with the WHSCC and
reporting proper payroll estimates.
Health
and safety officer Louis Bourque saw the initiative
through, while Fred Hoyt and Paul Bourque oversaw the
operation. It began with an awareness campaign,
including presentations, tradeshow kiosks and
distribution of publications. Bourque also paid on-site
visits to contractors and various trades workers
throughout southern New Brunswick, focusing on the
Moncton area.
The
outcome of nearly 2,000 on-site visits was 357
interventions, including 187 inspections that resulted
in 162 orders and 13 stop work orders; 11 of these stop
work orders were because of improper fall arrest
equipment.
Bourque
found that the most recurrent violations at construction
sites were a lack in basic personal protective equipment
(PPE), fall arrest equipment and first aid kits, as well
as a number of unsafe ladders and platforms, and
unguarded openings, such as
stairwells.
Through
this increased attention, the WHSCC has found that the
rate of accidents at residential construction sites is
comparable with that of commercial construction sites,
and there are not a significant number of employers not
properly registered with the WHSCC. Consequently, the
WHSCC will include residential construction inspections
in regular inspection activities, rather than continue
this heightened focus.
Currently,
each region is developing its own plan to continue to
promote and improve workplace safety through periodic
visits to residential construction sites.
Lyme
Disease is here. Take
precautions!
The
Department of Health advises all New Brunswickers who
work or spend time outdoors to take precautions to
minimize their risk of exposure to Lyme disease, a
serious illness caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi
bacterium and spread by tick bites (in New
Brunswick, by the blacklegged tick, or deer
tick).
Dr. Eilish
Cleary, deputy chief medical officer of health for the
province, says the risk of exposure to Lyme disease is
fairly low, with only seven cases diagnosed in New
Brunswick between 1997 and 2007. However, the Telegraph
Journal
reports that there have already been two cases of Lyme
disease confirmed in one area in Saint John
(Millidgeville) since last year, and anecdotes related
at a public awareness session held on June 18 suggest
there may have been several more cases that went
undiagnosed.
With Lyme
disease at epidemic levels in several U.S. states,
many that border Canada, it is important to be vigilant.
And while deaths occurring as a result of Lyme disease
are rare, if left untreated the disease can result in
serious health problems, including heart and
neurological disorders, severe arthritis and
paralysis.
Continued…
Click here
Online
Conference Registration Now Available
If you haven't already registered for the WHSCC
Annual Health and Safety Conference, now’s your chance
to do so online! The conference runs October 5-7 at the
Delta Beauséjour in Moncton. The conference will feature
more than two dozen workshops; a plenary session
discussing recommendations made by the Independent
Review Panel’s report on New Brunswick’s health, safety
and compensation system; a trade show; and banquet,
featuring Squid Precision Drummers. Complete conference
registration materials are available on our website. REGISTER ONLINE.
Workshop
Spotlight: Disability Management
in a Global Context
(Monday, October 6 –
3-4:30 p.m.)
This
year, the WHSCC is pleased to host Wolfgang
Zimmerman, executive
director of the National Institute of Disability
Management Research (NIDMAR) at our conference. An average of
270 million work accidents take place annually. While
the human toll cannot be calculated, these accidents
cost $1.25 trillion, or 4% of the global Gross Domestic
Product (GDP). Zimmerman will review the social,
economic and labour market costs of workplace injuries,
and discuss a return-to-work solution that includes key
factors to promote a solid return on
investment.
Click
here to access the complete conference
program.
In the Courts!
On July 31,
2008, Fundy Roofing Ltd., pleaded
guilty to two charges under Regulation 91-191 sections
106 and 105(2). Both charges were in relation to working
without fall protection. They were fined $2,000 on each
charge.
On July 14,
2008, AV Nackawic pleaded guilty to two charges
as a result of an accident last June in which an
employee lost his hand. For violation of section 240(a)
of the General Regulations code of practice where lock
out cannot be followed, AV Nackawic was fined $1,000,
plus a $200 victim surcharge; for violation of section
241(1) on machine guarding, they were fined $6,500, plus
a victim surcharge of $1,300.
AV Nackawic has
spent $460,000 on machine guarding since this incident
and have implemented a new Safety Stop
Program.
On June
19, 2008, E Cummings Contracting Inc., pleaded
guilty to a charge under subsection 182(1)(a) of General
Regulation 91-191 under the OHS Act for failing
to ensure that no employee enters an excavation or
trench that is 1.2 m or more deep unless the walls of
the excavation or trench are supported by shoring,
bracing or caging or is cut in solid rock, or,
excavation is sloped or benched to within 1.2 m of the
bottom of the excavation or trench, with the slope not
exceeding 1m of vertical rise to each 1 m of horizontal
run. The company was fined $3,000, and a victim
surcharge of $600.
Ask Us
Q: Some
of my workers who operate powered mobile equipment such
as skidders and front-end loaders that are fitted with a
rollover protective structure (ROPS) say it’s not
practical to wear seatbelts at all times while in the
equipment. Does the legislation allow for operators to
remove their seat belts in certain
circumstances?
John
Smith*
Edmundston,
NB
*Name has been changed for privacy
purposes.
A: Section
221(2) of General Regulation 91-191 of the OHS
Act requires powered mobile equipment operators
(including skidders and front-end loaders equipped with
ROPS) to wear seatbelts whenever the equipment is in
motion. While all powered mobile equipment fitted with
ROPS must be equipped with seatbelts, if it is found to
be impractical to wear seatbelts while the equipment is
moving, Section 221 (1) (b) allows for the use of
restraining devices such as shoulder belts, bars, gates,
screens or other similar devices designed to prevent the
operator and passengers from being thrown outside of the
ROPS.
Examples
of situations where it may not be practical to wear
seatbelts include:
1. Whenever
the operator must frequently mount or dismount the
equipment to carry out tasks (for example, when cable
skidder operators must frequently step in and out of the
equipment to build up their twitch).
2. Whenever
wearing the seatbelt impedes the operator’s visibility
from the work being carried out (for example, when a
grader operators must continually rise from the seat to
watch for possible obstructions).
Note:
The fatality of a forklift operator in June may
have been prevented if the operator had been wearing his
seatbelt.
If you have a
question for Ask Us! please forward to stearsb@whscc.nb.ca.
Recent Accident Reports
|
Date of
Accident: |
June
13, 2008
|
|
Injury
Type: |
Laceration
to thigh
|
|
Hospitalized: |
Treated
and released; however, the wound became infected a
few days later and the worker was admitted and
operated
on. |
|
Industry: |
Wood
products/Pallet
builder |
|
Location: |
Southeast
|
|
Notes: |
The
worker was using a reciprocating saw to the remove
corner blocks from pallets. The saw struck and
lacerated his leg as he pulled it toward
him.
|
More
accident reports...
|
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Did you
know?
The
number of youth involved in the Passport to Safety has nearly
tripled in the last year? There were 9,711 students who
participated in the online safety test last year compared to
3,927 the previous
year.
Interesting
Link
Every
year, more than 300 New Brunswickers are involved in
collisions with moose. Tragically, many of these are fatal.
The majority of these collisions happen between dusk and dawn
during the months of May to October, with the most incidents
happening between June and August. To help reduce these
accidents, the Government of New Brunswick’s Department of
Transportation has launched a Think Moose campaign. Click
here
for more
information.
Stakeholder Profile
Tony
Verge is glad to be out of the woods. Click here to
read his
story.
Events
September
14-17, 2008
CSSE
Annual Conference
“Leveraging
Partnerships”
Quebec
City, Que.
September
15,
2008
Health
& Safety Training for Managers and Supervisors in the
Canadian Federal Jurisdiction
Ottawa,
Ont.
September
19-24, 2008
National
Safety Council (NSC) 2008 Congress & Expo
Anaheim,
CA
September
22-23,
2008
Health
& Safety Training for Managers and Supervisors
Hamilton, Ont.
October
5-7,
2008
28th
Annual WHSCC Health and Safety Conference Moncton,
N.B.
To
have your health and safety event posted in this newsletter,
please e-mail stearsb@whscc.nb.ca.
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