OHS Canada December 2012

C A N A D A’ S O C C U PAT I O N A L H E A LT H & S A F E T Y M A G A Z I N E D E C E M BER 2012

C A N A D A

On the Horizon

Refining safety in the oil and gas sector

rising tide

Safety ebbs as inmate population spikes

do you app?

Mobile applications aid workers on the go

on the mend Court rules in favour of injured workers

feeling blue Staying happy as daylight shortens

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C A N A D A’ S O C C U PAT I O N A L H E A LT H & S A F E T Y M A G A Z I N E

Features

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o i l A N D g as

CC AA NN A AD DA A

Taming The Wild West

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 Vo l u m e 2 8 , N u m b e r 8

Although hazards abound in the oil and gas sector, an industry-wide culture shift is being credited with the sector’s exemplary safety record.

By William M. Glenn

p r i s on overcrow din g

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On The Brink Swelling inmate populations and overcrowding in Canadian penitentiaries have put the safety of correctional officers on shaky grounds.

By Greg Burchell

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m o b i l e a p plic at ion s

App Awakenings Do you app? Mobile applications are given a new twist as some companies experiment with apps designed to serve workplace safety needs.

By Samuel Dunsiger

departments

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A c c ide nt P r eve n tion

Busting The Blues Feeling blue in winter is not uncommon, but for some, shorter daylight hours can mark the beginning of seasonal affective disorder.

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Wo r k e rs’ C ompe n s at ion

Staking Claims New Brunswick’s provincial safety body has been ordered to pay back nearly $4 million to workers’ comp recipients for improper clawback of injury benefits.

By Jason Contant

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Networking for Safety

in this issue Editori al

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Le tters

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O H&S UP DATE

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Shifting Time

Vessel collision claims one; worker housing issues under spotlight in British Columbia; beef recall in Alberta prompts safety concerns; Saskatchewan miners trapped; Ontario fatality spurs fine; explosion injures New Brunswick worker; and more.

Dispatc hes

Turn on the charm; unseen barriers; fishing safety gets a boost; and more.

Nat ional Safe t y Co u n ci l 2 0 1 2 Re ader P ol l profess i ona l d ir e c t o ry Ann ual Ind ex product sh ow ca s e ad i nde x / r eade r s e rv i c e in fo

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S pe c i a l report

The recent storm that ravaged the eastern seaboard has shown how social media can serve as a supplementary channel to help get the safety message out.

By jean lian

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Saf e t y G ear

Catching The Eye Workers need to be seen to stay safe. High-visibility apparel that is also designed to withstand work conditions can keep workers out of harm’s way.

By Sabrina Nanji

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T i m e O ut

Pint-sized terror; election glitch; crossed lines; red-handed; dead-man walking; diaper couture; and more.

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You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.

– abraham lincoln

www.ohscanada.com

DECEMBER 2012

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EDITORIAL

C A N A D A’ S O C C U PAT I O N A L H E A LT H & S A F E T Y M A G A Z I N E

Shifting Time E

Vol. 28, No. 8 DECEMBER 2012

very time we turn back the clock by an hour in November, I feel like going back to Saskatchewan.

Not so much for its living skies, vast expanse and wild, desolate beauty, but because it is the only province in the country that does not observe Daylight Saving Time (DST) — at least not since 1966. Most of Saskatchewan (except Lloydminster, the border city straddling Saskatchewan and Alberta) observes Central Standard Time all year round.

One of the reasons cited for not observing DST is that it proves disruptive to the milking and feeding schedules of livestock. With the province’s economy being traditionally centered on agriculture, it is little wonder why 66 per cent of its population voted against switching to DST in a poll commissioned by the provincial government in 2011.

However, farming and ranching is not the only industry where operations are disrupted by the time change twice a year. Employees in a host of other sectors, including those doing white-collared, desk-bound jobs, are similarly affected.

Employees performing web searches related to entertainment rose sharply the Monday after the shift to DST, compared to the preceding and subsequent Mondays, so says a study released in March of 2012 by the Pennsylvania State University’s Smeal College of Business in University Park, Pennsylvania. The study concludes that the loss of an average of 40 minutes worth of sleep due to time change makes employees less likely to self-regulate their behaviour and more inclined to spend time cyberloafing while at work.

Although one hour of lost sleep may not seem like a lot, it could have an impact on a worker’s ability to stay alert on the job and avoid serious injuries. A study, released in 2009 by Michigan State University, found that there were 3.6 more injuries on the Monday following the switch compared to other days, and a 68 per cent increase in lost-work days as a result of those injuries. Findings are based on analyzing the number of injuries reported to the Mine Safety and Health Administration from 1983 to 2006.

Apart from making better use of daylight and trimming energy usage, the economic impetus of synchronizing our clocks with that of our neighbours down south for trade purposes are among the reasons why Canada observes DST. From an occupational health and safety perspective, however, DST hikes the risk of those performing hazardous or safety-sensitive jobs. While it takes little effort to push the hands of a clock, these transitions disrupt our biological and circadian rhythms, and influence the duration and quality of sleep — the effects of which can last for days, notes a study published in the The New England Journal of Medicine in October of 2008.

To help mitigate this risk, assessing if there is any potential health and safety impact on workers during the transition would be a good start. Implementing additional safety measures and reminding employees to exercise extra caution — especially those who operate heavy machinery or vehicles — are among the preventive measures that can be taken. If practicable, review the possibility of rescheduling particularly dangerous job tasks to be performed before or later in the week after the time change, so that workers have had more time to adjust their sleep schedules.

Modifications can also be made on a personal level, such as exposure to sunlight and sleeping 15 minutes earlier each day several days before the time change.

The digital clock on my desk reads 4:30 pm — or rather, 5:30 pm before DST kicked in not too long ago. That could explain why I am feeling peckish, as dinner time has been pushed back an hour. But that has to wait for now, as the body has to listen to the rhythm of the society at large.

Jean Lian

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C A N A D A

EDITOR JEAN LIAN

jlian@ohscanada.com managing editor jason contant

jcontant@ohscanada.com assistant editor greg burchell

gburchell@ohscanada.com editorial assistant Sabrina Nanji

snanji@ohscanada.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR WILLIAM M. GLENN Hazardous substances ART DIRECTOR anne miron PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER PHYLLIS WRIGHT PRODUCTION MANAGER gary white MARKETING SPECIALIST DIMITRY EPELBAUM Circulation Manager Barbara Adelt ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER SHEILA HEMSLEY

shemsley@ohscanada.com PUBLISHER peter boxer

pboxer@ohscanada.com PRESIDENT, BUSINESS INFORMATION GROUP BRUCE CREIGHTON

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

DAVID IRETON, Safety Professional, Brampton, Ont. ALLAN JOHNSON, Director of Construction, Hospitality, Oil and Gas, Workers’ Compensation Board of B.C., Vancouver, B.C. Jane Lemke, Program Manager, OHN Certification Program, Mohawk College, Hamilton, Ont. DON MITCHELL, Safety Consultant, Mississauga, Ont. MICHELE PARENT, National Manager, Risk Management and Health and Wellness, Standard Life, Montreal, Que. TERRY RYAN, Workers’ Compensation and Safety Consultant, TRC Group Inc., Mississauga, Ont. DON SAYERS, Principal Consultant, Don Sayers & Associates, Hanwell, N.B. DAVID SHANE, National Director, Health and Safety, Canada Post Corporation, Ottawa, Ont. HENRY SKJERVEN, President, The Skjerven Cattle Company Ltd., Wynyard, Sask.

PETER STRAHLENDORF, Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Health, Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto, Ont. JONATHAN TYSON, Association of Canadian Ergonomists/Association canadienne d’ergonomie, North Bay, Ont. OHS CANADA is the magazine for people who make decisions about health and safety in the workplace. It is designed to keep workers, managers and safety professionals informed on oh&s issues, up to date on new developments and in touch with current thinking in the oh&s community.

WEBSITE: http://www.ohscanada.com INFORMATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS contained in this publication have been compiled from sources believed to be reliable and to be representative of the best current opinion on the subject. No warranty, guarantee, nor representation is made

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Date of issue: DECEMBER 2012

LETTERS

Recent issues of ohs canada and our website, www.ohscanada.com, have provided readers with plenty to chew on.

pump or pay first Two articles on a gas-and-dash fatality in Toronto were published in ohs canada in October/November and canadian occupational health and safety news, (COHSN) on September 24.

I read your editorial “In My Shoes,” Oct/Nov 2012 OHS. Unfortunately, we have the criminal element everywhere, including making attendants responsible for any theft at gas stations. This is wrong, and the “fuel companies” should bear this responsibility, not employees. Some stations already treat all their customers as criminals by making you prepay.

I do not agree with “having” to pay at the pump. The fuel companies will love it once we are all trained. All we are doing in time is assisting the fuel companies in reducing more employees. The time will come that gas stations will pop up unmanned, what a great way to increase profit margins by reducing, even more, the cost of employees.

Maybe I am old school, but when I first started driving, they came out and pumped my gas, often washed my windows and sometimes checked my oil.

For a whole lot less money than we pay for gas today.

They had more staff and more jobs were available, especially for students or the near retired. (I worked at one for a short time — we had 10 attendants in the after-school hours). You also got to know people at your regular station and they got to know you.

Maybe we should be making the argument to back step the automation, create some jobs and actually get people back in touch with each other. In my small town, we have a “We Serve.” I get great service, although many times I pump the gas myself, they never charge you the extra penny and I get a smile and a thank you.

Safety is very important and needs

to be a priority, but we also are at a time where we must be protecting what we have and influencing an increase in jobs, not making them obsolete.

And at the end of the day, it is better that someone drives away with a tank of fuel than robs the attendant at the till. If they can’t steal the fuel they will go for the money ...who have we really protected in the end.

Don Spencer Manager, General Services Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd. Toronto

All these incidents will force is higher fuel prices as owners will have to carry liability insurance. Seen a lot of exploitation between employers and workers coming into the country on temporary visas, often the wages are very low and employers have been found to deduct living expenses and various other costs that they can not afford. I have seen a lot more instances of delinquent payments and conditions that would make a human rights inspector cringe.

Cam

Minimum wage earners have historically been held responsible by most, if not all, retail business owners that have workers collecting cash at the till or on the fly. Whether it be in a flea market, at your local fast food chain, in the pub down the road, just ask your server the next time you order; “if you’re short your till at the end of the shift, how is it handled?” Many of you will be surprised by the answer.

Less of an issue in a night club when ‘tips’ will make up for a majority of errors, or misleading customer transactions than a young person making an error at the drive through. Have you ever paid with a $5.00 and gotten change of $20.00? The poor kid that made the mistake has likely paid it from their pocket …

It is not a rocket science why these low wage earners put their life on the line, time and again. Until we correct the system, the fatalities will continue.

Paul E. Marquis Vancouver, British Columbia (In proximity to the 2005 fatality at the Maple Ridge pumps)

Virtually every gas pump I have seen in the last years all have pay at the pump.

So people have a choice, use their card at the pump, as is the current situation, or walk their cash into the store then come out and pump their gas. The level of inconvenience is the same, just in reverse order. As for charging an employee for the criminal acts of another, that is just ridiculous. What’s next, a bank teller will be responsible for the cash she shoves in the armed robbers sack...

Mike

a little respect Allegations that recruitment agencies are charging exorbitant fees to temporary foreign workers (TFWs) to work in British Columbia have prompted investigations. (COHSN, November 5) In our increasing haste to minimize the words we use, I am disturbed at the prevalence of the abbreviation TFW — temporary foreign workers. Most of the articles I read dealing with temporary foreign workers have to do with their treatment in the work force. Usually because they are treated poorly compared to “permanent domestic workers”.

Reducing these people to a convenient abbreviation only contributes to dehumanizing them. These people are just like the rest of us — trying to make a living to support ourselves and our families. Let us treat them that way in all aspects.

Ted Luyckx Sherwood Park, Alberta Follow us on Twitter @OHSCanada

Would you like to share a comment?

Send an email to jlian@ohscanada.com.

Letters may be edited for style, grammar and length.

www.ohscanada.com

DECEMBER 2012

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OH&S UPDATE

transition ISSUEs highlighted FEDERAL — The federal government’s treatment of ill and injured soldiers and veterans who traded in their military uniform for civilian work clothes is criticized in the latest report by the auditor-general.

Auditor-General of Canada Michael Ferguson’s annual fall report, released in the House of Commons on October 23, describes military officers’ transition to civilian life, in particular those who became ill or injured in the line of duty, as “complex, lengthy and challenging.”

Between 2006 and 2011, more than 8,000 members of the Canadian Forces ended their military careers because of an illness or injury. About 20 per cent of veterans with Veterans Affairs Canada were identified as being at risk of an unsuccessful transition to civilian life.

Of particular concern are the ways in which the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs help soldiers and vets access programs and receive benefits to help with their transition. The report cites complex eligibility criteria, copious amounts of paperwork involved,

a lack of clear information on the support available and an overall lengthy process as among the challenges.

“The audit also found that both departments have difficulty meeting their own service standards and requirements for case management. As a result, Forces members and veterans did not always receive services and benefits in a timely manner, or at all,” notes a statement from the auditor-general’s office.

The minister of Veterans Affairs says plans have been introduced to address some of the issues raised by the auditorgeneral. “I want to reassure Canada’s veterans, the men and women serving in the Canadian Forces, and their families that our government will always be there for them when they need their country’s support,” minister Steven Blaney says.

He adds that the development of a Veterans Transition Action Plan to address and go beyond the recommendations made in the report is underway.

To speed up the transition process for soldiers who ended their service as a result of a physical or psychological injury, Ferguson’s report recommends

streamlining the administrative process, simplifying the language that explains the support available, maintaining reliable data and improving management and expenditure with regards to transition matters.

Peter Stoffer, the official opposition’s veterans affairs critic, says more needs to be done to protect ill and injured officers. “Most of their formative years have been with a uniform on; when that uniform comes off, it’s a traumatic experience, unless of course they have another job to go to right away,” Stoffer contends. “But for those that don’t, it’s quite the transition.”

Improve housing: consulate VANCOUVER — Farmers in British Colum-

bia have been cautioned by Mexican officials to improve housing conditions of their seasonal migrant workers or lose their hiring rights under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program.

Alleging sub-par housing conditions on farms, nurseries, greenhouses, vine-

Collision sinks fishing vessel FEDERAL — Two fishing vessels, one Canadian and one American, collided in the Pacific Ocean, sending the latter to the ocean floor while those on board struggled to save the crew of the sinking ship.

At 4:30 am on September 28, the Viking Storm, an 80-foot-long Canadian vessel, was travelling south to unload its catch in Grays Harbor, Washington when it collided with the 40-foot-long Maverick about 50 kilometres off the Washington coastline. The impact of the collision caused the smaller ship to roll and begin to sink.

The crew of the Canadian vessel pulled three of the four fishermen from the sinking vessel to safety, but “the fourth person, who is the captain’s son, went down with the ship,” says Bill Dutrizac, senior investigator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) in Gatineau, Quebec.

The board deployed a team of investigators to Ucluelet, British Columbia to meet the Canadian vessel. Dutrizac says investigators are trying to determine how the collision occurred. “The Canadian ship has all kinds of navigational equipment; it was well-fitted out,” Dutrizac notes, acknowledging that there was a heavy fog at the time that would have impaired visibility.

The TSB is working with the U.S. Coast Guard, with each

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agency conducting independent investigations.

The TSB investigation will look at various factors, including the deck watch, manning of the vessel and determining traffic conditions at the time by verifying the vessel’s speed and course with data captured in the Automated Identification System (AIS). Dutrizac adds that the Viking Storm was equipped with AIS, but the Maverick was not.

Collisions at sea are rare occurrences and “not considered a significant risk in commercial fishing in British Columbia,” says Gina McKay, program manager with Fish SAFE BC in Richmond, British Columbia. “There’s not a lot of congestion, there’s not a lot of boats,” she says, noting that commercial fishing vessels are familiar with the area where they fish. “We don’t even have a collision a year.”

McKay says Fish SAFE BC has developed programs to address key fishing safety hazards, with capsizing and loss of life from falls overboard being the top two risk factors.

Other hazards include weather, fatigue and a lack of understanding regarding the use of navigational equipment.

Last year, there were 12 recorded Canadian fishing fatalities, up one from 2010. The commercial fishing sector accounted for 10 of those.

— By Jean Lian

yards and orchards, the Mexican consulate in Vancouver said in late September that it has identified at least 10 workplaces that were overcrowded, failed to implement a minimum-wage increase and had inefficient smoke alarms.

Edgar Hurtado, vice-consul at the consulate, adds that these farms with substandard housing conditions have had employees transferred to other locations. More than 20 other employers have been put on notice, he adds.

However, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) says they ensure employers meet all standards and migrant employees have the same rights as any Canadian-born worker. “Employers can be deemed ineligible if, during the two years preceding a Labour Market Opinion application, it is found that they have not provided wages, working conditions, or an occupation to a temporary foreign worker that is substantially the same as the terms and conditions of the job offer,” HRSDC notes in a statement.

A national advocacy group representing temporary agricultural employees says the concerns of the Mexican consulate comes too little too late. Naveen Mehta, director of human rights at the United Food and Commercial Workers union notes that the well-being, or lack thereof, of seasonal agricultural workers has been on their radar for years.

“These workers have little choice but to accept such housing for fear of reprisal through termination and repatriation,” he says, noting that many are located in remote areas with few, if any, housing options or transportation resources.

babine sawmill to be rebuilt BURNS LAKE, BC — One of two sawmills that was destroyed earlier this year by two explosions that took place months apart will be rebuilt.

On September 17, Hampton Affiliates, owner of the Babine sawmill that exploded on January 20, 2012 and killed two workers, pledged to rebuild the mill with the Burns Lake Native Development Corporation.

The explosion, which also injured 19, triggered the ongoing WorkSafeBC inspections for combustible dust in all wood products industries throughout the province. The new mill should be operational in 2014, notes a statement from the company.

BEWARE OF HUNTING HAZARDS NANAIMO — As the hunting season kicks off in British Columbia, workers in the backcountry are urged to take special precautions or they could find themselves in the line of fire, the BC Forest Safety Council cautioned in a statement on September 12.

The council recommends that workers wear high-visibility clothing, set up a check-in system when working alone and post signage to inform hunters that workers are in the area. Care should be taken when travelling on resource roads, which could see increased traffic from drivers unfamiliar with the area.

The Workplace Alcohol and Drug Resource Package has also been released to help employers in the forestry industry develop a program to deal with substance abuse issues in the workplace.

Overloaded roof collapses CALGARY — A contractor was fined $15,000 for overloading the roof of a long-term care facility in Calgary with building materials, causing it to collapse.

Can­terbury Roofing Ltd. was convicted under the Alberta Safety Codes Act for creating an unsafe condition by not ensuring that the roof was able to withstand the load. It was issued the maximum fine for a first offence on October 14.

The incident took place in April of 2011 when a pallet of roofing materials weighing more than 1,200 kilograms smashed down through the ceiling of the home’s dining room where kitchen staff were serving about 15 elderly residents, most of them in wheelchairs, notes a statement from the city. No one was injured.

Oil firm pleads guilty EDMONTON — SSEC Canada, a sub-

sidiary of Chinese state-owned oil company Sinopec Shanghai Engineering Company Ltd., pleaded guilty on October 1 to three charges under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act in connection to the deaths of two Chinese temporary foreign workers and injuries to five others in Fort McMurray in 2007.

A total of 53 charges were laid in the case, but 11 charges against SSEC Canada and 10 charges against the parent company were withdrawn. Calgary-

based Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. had 29 charges stayed.

Sentencing is set for January 24, 2013 and a joint submission has been made for a $1.5-million fine.

Court halts random testing FORT MCMURRAY — An Alberta court’s decision to issue an interim injunction on random drug and alcohol testing at Suncor Energy Inc.’s oil and gas processing facilities is welcomed by Local 707 of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada.

The Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench ruled on October 15 that the matter be settled by expedited arbitration, a decision Suncor has appealed. “We understand Suncor’s decision to appeal the interim injunction, it is part of the process on this challenge,” local president Roland Lefort says in a statement.

He says the union supports education and rehabilitation measures, and will work with the company to implement these measures.

Potash miners trapped REGINA — Twenty-nine miners were rescued after being trapped by a blaze underground at a mine in Saskatchewan.

The fire ignited around 2 am on September 25 about a kilometre underground at the Potash Corp. mine near Regina. The miners took refuge in airtight safety bunkers until around 8 am when the first nine were brought up, but it took another 12 hours for the remaining 20 men to be brought to the surface, reports Bill Johnson, a spokesperson for Potash Corp. There were no reported injuries.

“The fire started on a large wooden spool of cable. The wooden spool was probably burning and smoking more than the cable itself, but exactly what the causes were — we’re still looking into that,” Johnson says.

The Rocanville, Saskatchewan mine, which produces about 20 per cent of the world’s fertilizer, comprises a series of underground tunnels that stretch hundreds of kilometres, with about 15 safety refuge stations at various checkpoints throughout the underground web.

The second group of 20 miners camped out across three such stations, which are equipped for these types of situations and are stocked with canned

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DECEMBER 2012

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Beef recall highlights safety issues: union BROOKS — The largest beef recall in Canadian history at

the country’s second-largest beef processing operation has prompted its workers’ union to question the company’s commitment to safe work practices.

Doug O’Halloran, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401, said in a statement from the Alberta Federation of Labour on October 9 that the union has been raising concerns about XL Foods Inc.’s training for temporary foreign workers, line speed and the need for whistleblower protection “for years” and that the culture at the plant needs to change.

“Things might look good on paper, but policies and procedures need to translate into real values that translate into real behaviours on the floor of the plant,” the union says in the statement.

For example, sewage backup was prevalent in the plant.

There are also suggestions that the air circulation system is poor and that airborne contaminants gather and are not being extracted, the statement notes.

In late September, XL Foods’s operations plant in Brooks, Alberta was shut down after products in Canada and the United States were recalled due to concerns over E. coli, which was detected three weeks before. Its products were shipped to more than 90 retailers across the country. The

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plant employs 2,200 employees, of which approximately 210 are temporary foreign workers. About 2,000 of those workers were laid off on October 13.

The Alberta government said in a statement on October 16 that all workers, including temporary foreign workers, could apply for employment insurance immediately. Career and employment consultants from Alberta Works would also be made available for workers.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency gave approval for operations to resume on October 29 under enhanced surveillance and increased testing protocols. The speed of lines at the plant has been cited as an issue that not only contributed to the risk of contaminated meat, but also poses a safety risk to workers.

“The union has sought and continues to seek a review of line speeds and reduction in line speeds to ensure that workers have an adequate time to deal with food safety issues,” notes a statement from the union. “Reduced line speeds would also reduce worker injuries and staff turnover.

Too much staff turnover erodes any acquired worker body of knowledge with respect to food safety. The life and limb of workers needs to be given the highest priority.”

XL Foods could not be reached for comment.

— By Greg Burchell

food, water and communication devices.

“We knew everyone was safe. Your focus at that point is to look after the miners in refuge,” Johnson notes. “It is a matter of bringing the fresh air supply down and clearing the air.”

After the workers were trapped for almost 20 hours, miner Dana Downey told the media that the mine rescue team “was on top of things and they did their job and they did it well.” Downey adds that the biggest danger to the trapped miners was smoke inhalation.

As the mine diligently conducts drill training to reinforce safety actions in case of fire, Johnson says the workers reacted as though it was second nature.

“Anytime you run a mining operation, safety is your first and foremost concern.

We do a large number of drill situations to prepare ourselves for exactly this type of scenario,” he adds. “You never want to find yourself in it, but you want to be prepared should it ever happen.”

The Saskatchewan government’s occupational health & safety division applauded the actions of both the miners and the company.

An investigation into the cause of the fire continues, Johnson says.

A basic manual stretcher costs $4,000, while the power-assisted units are several thousands more, a statement from the province noted on October 25.

“This pilot project sends a strong message to our paramedics that this government is aware of the issue involved and that concrete steps are being taken to ensure we are doing the due diligence necessary, through projects like this, to address this serious workplace issue,”

says Michelle Gawronsky, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union.

Kathy McPhail, chief executive officer of the Southern Regional Health Authority, says the enhancements will lead to safer working conditions on the front lines. “It is important to ensure paramedics have equipment that allows them to provide the maximum care to patients and reduce personal injury,” she adds.

Worker injury prompts fine REGINA — A company in Saskatoon was fined $9,100 on September 20 for violating Saskatchewan’s Occupational Health & Safety Act. In November of 2009, a worker with Lonesome Prairie Sand & Gravel was injured while grinding the inside of a rock crusher cone near the Whitecap Dakota First Nation, says a statement from the province’s Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety in Regina.

The company pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that work at a place of employment is sufficiently and competently supervised and failing to ensure the hoist used to lift the cone and liner from the rock crusher was constructed and operated to perform the task safely.

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Ems tests power stretchers WINNIPEG — Some paramedics across

Manitoba will be exchanging their manual stretchers and testing the powered versions, as part of a pilot project to help determine how the new power-lift stretchers can help avoid paramedic injuries.

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DECEMBER 2012

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New pay model introduced WINNIPEG — The Worker’s Compensation Board of Manitoba has announced a new pay model beginning in 2014.

The FlexPay system allows companies to pay and report payroll online, report estimated annual payroll once a year and revise it as the year goes on.

Companies will pay no interest if the estimated payroll is within 25 per cent of the actual payroll.

The board’s website notes that the new system also allows for greater flexibility of payment schedules and more options for payment. Customers who report their payroll quarterly will be transitioned to the FlexPay system in 2013.

They will also be contacted by the board on how the change will affect them.

utility worker electrocuted SARNIA — Sandy, the superstorm that ravaged the Eastern seaboard in October, is being blamed for the death of a

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worker in southern Ontario.

On October 31 at about 10 am, the employee of Bluewater Power Distribution was in a bucket truck repairing the power lines damaged by the storm when the worker was electrocuted.

“This terrible tragedy shows the dangers that hydro workers across Ontario face every day as they dedicate themselves to delivering and maintaining the electricity that keeps our homes and businesses functioning,” Chris Bentley, Ontario Minister of Energy, says in a statement.

MINES lobbies for inquiry SUDBURY — Miners have been given the shaft when it comes to safety at work, charges the families of northern Ontario mine workers who are killed on the job.

The newly-formed Mining Inquiries Need Everyone’s Support (MINES) is lobbying the provincial government for an inquiry into widespread regulatory change in the mining industry.

On October 1, MINES held their inaugural public forum and gathered more

than 200 supporters and thousands of signatures on postcards addressed to the Ministry of Labour, says MINES vicechair Cheryl Dufoe, who lost her 25-yearold son five years ago when his scoop tram derailed and fell into an open stope at Xstrata Canada’s Kidd Creek mine, just north of Timmins, Ontario.

“We want more supervision, we want greater protection around open stopes or holes, we want better communication between the management and employees,” Dufoe says from Sudbury. “There has not been an inquiry for 31 years.

Everything with the mining industry has changed — we have foreign ownership, we have new technology. The only thing staying constant is that we have fatalities,” she adds.

There have been eight work-related fatalities in mines across Ontario since the beginning of last year. The past seven months have seen three of those fatalities, reports Rick Bertrand, president of the Sudbury chapter of the United Steelworkers union.

Minister of Labour Linda Jeffrey says her office is in the process of develop-

ing oh&s strategies to address the issues across the mining sector. But Bertrand argues that an inquest could not have the same preventive effect that a muchneeded inquiry would.

“An inquest and an inquiry are two different things,” he stresses.

worker fatality yields fine TIMMINS — Goldcorp Canada Ltd. was fined $350,000 on October 11 following the death of a worker who was run over and killed by a scoop tram at the company’s Hoyle Pond mine in Timmins, Ontario on March 10, 2011.

An investigation by the labour ministry found that although the company had a procedure to display signs and flashing lights while a worker is in the area, the procedure was not practised in the location where the incident took place.

Goldcorp pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that a safety procedure was in place where mobile equipment was being used, workers were instructed in the procedure and that it was implemented through appropriate supervision.

company was fined $65,000 after a worker fell from a crane.

In January of 2010, the worker was refuelling a mobile crane at Bermingham Construction Ltd.’s facility when the lid of the gas tank closed on his hand, causing him to fall.

The company and supervisor were both convicted of failing to take the reasonable precaution of ensuring that the fuel tank lid was secured, notes a state-

ment from the Ministry of Labour on October 11.

roof collapses on workers BARRIE — Mike Vallee, an employer who operated a demolition and salvage business, was fined $25,000 for contravening the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was killed and

lack of spotter a factor OTTAWA — The inappropriate use of safety watch protections played a part in the death of a railway worker last summer, a statement from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said on September 26.

On July 14, 2011 at about 1 pm, a CN employee was struck by a train and killed near Durham Junction, Ontario while making repairs to a section of track with a co-worker.

Safety watch protection requires a worker to be present to immediately warn employees of approaching rail traffic. The crew had continued to work despite not having enough employees for a dedicated safety watch and did not hear the train approach.

Following the incident, CN implemented enhanced training and made changes to its existing safety watch program, the statement adds.

supervisor, company fined TORONTO — A supervisor at a construction company in Hamilton, Ontario was issued a $4,000 penalty and the

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Two firms charged in crane collapse TORONTO — Charges have been laid against two companies under the Occupational Health and Safety Act on the an­niversary of the death of Kyle Knox, a 24-year-old apprentice and aspiring crane operator who was killed while working on the future York University subway station in Toronto last year.

The incident took place on October 11, 2011 when a drilling rig toppled over and fell on to the backhoe in which Knox was operating, trapping him inside the cabin and killing him. Five other workers were injured and the tunnelling of the Spadina subway extension at York University’s Keele Campus was halted for four months afterwards.

Almost one year later on October 5, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour filed four charges against each of the two companies, ministry spokesperson Wil­liam Lin confirms.

OHL-FCC GP Canada Inc. was charged as the contractor with failing to protect the health and safety of their workers; design an adequate work platform for the drill rig; ensure that each aspect of the project was de­signed to handle all likely loads and the drill rig was operated in accordance with the manufacturer’s manual.

Advanced Construction Techniques Ltd., owners of the drilling rig, face similar charges, including the failure to design a work platform that meets the appropriate soil-bearing

capacity and to ensure that safety practices are well-carried out by its employees.

Knox was employed by Anchor Shoring and Caissons Ltd. at the time of the incident. “During the grieving process, we are doing everything we can to assist our employees and their families who have been affected in any way, by providing counselling and support,” company president Dawn Tattle says in a statement. “While the drilling rig involved in the accident was not owned or operated by Anchor Shoring and was engaged by another contractor at the site, our focus continues to be on safety and the safety of our employees,” Tattle adds.

Brad Ross, the TTC’s spokesperson, says the transit commission has ramped up its safety practices following Knox’s death. “Since this tragic incident almost one year ago, the TTC has intensified safety monitoring with all contractors to ensure safety measures are in place to protect workers and the public.” He adds that the TTC will issue a public report this fall with an update on the project’s schedule.

Neither of the companies charged responded to calls for comments as of press time. The first court appearance was scheduled to be held on November 1 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto.

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another seriously injured.

On June 25, 2010, the employees were working at a demolition project at a private home in Oro-Medonte. They were removing a dilapidated mobile home from the property and had removed the interior panelling and aluminum siding when the roof collapsed on them, a statement from the Ministry of Labour noted on October 11.

The mobile home was already damaged prior to demolition. Its structural integrity was further compromised by the removal of its interior walls and exterior cladding during the demolition process, the statement adds.

Vallee pleaded guilty, as an employer, to failing to ensure that the mobile home was demolished systematically from the highest point to the lowest.

study findings on lockout released MONTREAL — L’Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) released on September 26 a study on the practice of machinery and equipment lockouts during maintenance operations, focusing on the municipal sector.

In eight of the 12 municipalities reviewed, lockouts either did not exist or were not functional. Small municipalities were more advanced when it came to lockout programs, an IRSST statement notes. “Overall, the lockout programs identified were comprehensive and personalized, but shortcomings were observed under the control of subcontractors, practical training and management continuity,” says Yuvin Chinniah, lead author of the study.

The French-language study proposes a lockout implementation model for municipalities that takes into account the diversity of activities undertaken, such as waste treatment, water filtration and roads, the statement adds.

Nuclear power plant in quebec shuttered BECANOUR — The newly-elected Parti Quebecois government made good on one of its campaign promises by announcing the closure of the province’s sole nuclear power plant.

After her election victory in September, Premier Pauline Marois announced on October 3 that the 30-year-old Gentilly-2 plant would be shut down on December 28.

Thierry Vandal, Hydro-Quebec’s president and chief executive officer, confirms the facility’s closure. “The uncertainty surrounding the refurbishment project in the past few years has never compromised Gentilly-2’s safe, efficient operation.”

Concrete at the plant had been eroding, although operator Hydro-Quebec assures it did not pose an immediate safety threat and that the plant’s license had been renewed by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission until 2015.

Saint John Fire Department responded to the scene in the northeast end of the city, a statement from the police force notes.

The worker was taken to hospital and there was no further damage reported after the initial explosion. An all-clear was issued and the refinery resumed normal operations less than an hour later, notes a statement from the company. An investigation by WorkSafeNB into the incident continues.

security Guards attacked by mob HALIFAX — Three security guards were attacked by a mob at a sports arena in Nova Scotia where a high school hockey game was held.

At about 8:30 pm on October 13, Halifax Regional Police (HRP) officers responded to a disturbance and property damage call at Centennial Arena in Halifax, where the security guards were assaulted while trying to enforce fire code occupancy regulations, notes a statement from the police force.

One security guard was struck in the face, another was injured by flying glass from the window pane of a door shattered by rock and the third, who was responding to the rockthrowing incident, suffered a minor stab wound. Two of the officers were treated in hospital for non-life-threatening wounds and have since been released, the statement adds.

Police report that upon arrival, witnesses directed officers to the area where the suspects had fled. Constable Pierre Bourdages, public information officer with the HRP, says four sus-

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Explosion in refinery injures worker SAINT JOHN — An over-pressurized tank at an oil refinery in New Brunswick led to an explosion that sent one worker to hospital with minor injuries.

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pects — all under the age of 18 — were arrested following a brief foot chase.

A stun gun was deployed by the officers to subdue a suspect and no officers were injured. The four youths have been released pending further investigation.

“Charges are being considered, but they have not been laid,” Bourdages says.

An occupational health and safety investigation is not being pursued, notes Kevin Finch, communications advisor with the provincial Department of Labour and Advanced Education.

Doug Hadley, co-ordinator of communications services with the Halifax Regional School Board, says the arrested individuals are not students with the school board, which represents Halifax West High and Sackville High — the two schools involved in the hockey game.

Hadley says he could not recall an incident of this nature at a school sporting event in his 13 years with the board.

He adds that the responsibility for safety and security rests with the schools, particularly the home team. He notes that Halifax West High hired the security guards in this case.

“I do want to point out that everyone who was in the arena was well-behaved and there were no issues,” he says.

“It’s unfortunate that the actions of a couple of individuals outside the arena overshadowed what was a well-played game enjoyed by many.”

RADON PROBLEM resolved SOURIS — Staff and students at an elementary school in Souris, Prince Edward Island can finally breathe easy after the concentration of radon in the air has been lowered following the installation of a mitigation system in summer.

The excessive levels — first discovered in Souris Consolidated School after a long-term measurement taken from December of 2008 to March of 2009 — were found to be well over Health Canada’s recommended limit of 200 becquerel per cubic metre (Bq/m3).

In a June of 2009 report from the province, Souris Consolidated School recorded a radon concentration of 300 Bq/m3, with four of the five tested ar-

eas exceeding the recommended limit.

Health Canada suggests that remedial action be taken no more than two years after the findings.

After a few years of remedial efforts, which include sealing cracks in the cement floors of the lower levels, proved fruitless, John Cummings, director of corporate services for the Eastern School District says the province contacted an environmental management company to install a mitigation system that would dissipate out the colourless, odourless gas.

The mitigation system consists of four different ports, with fans set up to exhaust air from the building.

“Based on the results we have to date, that mitigation system has proved to be successful,” Cummings notes. A report from Pinchin LeBlanc, the company that designed the system, found that radon levels were down to between 78 and 118 Bq/m3 after a week-long test in August. A memo from the school district says a long-term test of the system’s effectiveness will be conducted over winter.

Cummings says the school, which has 340 students and more than 40 staff, is

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New training complex for firefighters MILTONVALE PARK — Firefighters across Prince Edward Island will now have access to improved training facilities after the provincial firefighters’ association opened a new fire school in the Miltonvale Park community, located at the northwest boundary of Charlottetown.

The Prince Edward Island Firefighters Association (PEIFFA), the principal training agency for more than 1,000 volunteer firefighters from 36 fire departments across the province, celebrated the grand opening on September 21 with the presentation of exemplary service medals and bars, including training certificates, to about 40 Island firefighters.

Before, firefighters were trained out of mobile classrooms. The new Boulter Station — named after Miles Boulter, a retired fire chief of the O’Leary Volunteer Fire Department and the association’s chief training officer — features an administration space, a heated three-bay truck area and two classrooms that can fit about 75 students. The heated bay will help prevent cold damage to pumps and allow field slated for demolition in a few years as a new school is under construction.

Information from Health Canada notes that the only known health effect of radon is an increased chance of developing lung cancer. When the gas is inhaled, it emits alpha particles, causing lung cell damage or death. Radon gas is responsible for 16 per cent of lung cancer deaths — the second most common cause in Canada after smoking. An estimated 1,900 fatalities in 2006 were attributed to radon exposure.

DOUBLE FATALITY ON SITE ST. JOHN’S — Two workers lost their lives, one from a deadly fall and the other from health-related issues, at the construction site of a major building project in Newfoundland.

On October 25, oh&s investigators had barely begun their investigation into the fatal fall at the Fortis Place development in downtown St. John’s when a supervisor on the same site collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The supervisor’s death was due to health-related issues, not something hitting that person or another accident on the site, Donnan clarifies. He adds that there have not been any other major safety concerns on the project, which began construction in summer.

Crews were in the process of lifting a piece of material up the building when the fall took place. “There was some-

training to begin in early March, one month earlier than before, Boulter adds.

Programs offered will include firefighter Level I (based on the United States’ National Fire Protection Association’s standard for firefighter professional qualifications), technical rescue operations, basic fire investigation and ice rescue, notes a statement from PEI’s Department of Environment, Labour and Justice. The facility will also provide specialized training for confined spaces and rope rescue.

“This facility will provide firefighters with improved training and is a significant investment in public safety for islanders,” Robert Vessey, the minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, says in a statement.

The transportation ministry has contributed $500,000 to the construction of the training facility. Contributions were also made by the Island Communities Fund and the firefighters association.

— By Jason Contant

thing being hoisted up by crane at the time and whether or not there was some issue with that, somebody got entangled in something and that’s what led to the incident, we are not 100 per cent sure,” Donnan says. The second worker collapsed about an hour after the fall.

The investigators placed a stop-work order on the project, which was lifted a week later. An investigation continues to determine if there was any negligence on the part of the employer.

illness; it is a physical condition with a physical fix,” says Lindy Mechefske, author of an upcoming book on the transgender experience and an editor in Kingston, Ontario.

Follow us on Twitter @OHSCanada Many of the preceding items are based on stories from our sister publication, canadian

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&

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a weekly newsletter that provides detailed coverage of Canadian oh&s and workers’ compensation issues. For more information, please call (416) 442-2122 or toll-free (800) 668-2374.

A quote in the article, “A New Life,” published in the October/November, 2012 issue of OHS Canada, should read as follows: “It is not a psychiatric

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Ever wonder what other oh&s types are thinking about? Find out by making our website poll at www.ohscanada.com a regular stop.

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DISPATCHES

Turn on the charm for the extra mile in negotiations

By Jean Lian

W

ink, schmooze or charm. Call it what you will, but female friendliness is a tried-and-tested way for women to gain negotiating mileage, claims a recent study by the University of California’s Berkeley Haas School of Business in Berkeley, California.

Female flirtation signals confidence, an attractive quality deemed essential to successful negotiators, says study author professor Laura Kray, who holds the Warren E. and Carol Spieker Chair in Leadership at the Haas School. “Women are uniquely confronted with a tradeoff in terms of being perceived as strong versus warm. Using feminine charm in negotiation is a technique that combines both,” Kray said in a statement from the university in October.

To determine if women who flirt are more effective in negotiating than men who do so, 100 participants were asked to evaluate on a one-to-seven scale to what extent they use social charm in negotiations. Women who indicated that they used more social charm were rated more effective by their partners, but not for men who did likewise.

In the second experiment, subjects were presented with two scenarios involving the sale of a car with a potential buyer named Sue. The first scenario offers a serious Sue who meets the seller and asks for the best price after a cursory greeting. In the second setting, Sue greets the seller warmly, compliments that he is more charming in person than over email, followed by a wink before asking for the best price.

Results indicate that male sellers were willing to give playful Sue more than $100 off the selling price, while they were less willing to negotiate with her no-nonsense alter ego. Playful Sue’s behavior did not affect female car sellers.

“Because flirtation serves an instrumental function, combining it with friendliness may flatter and, ultimately, disarm one’s interaction partner,” the study writes.

Mitigating the social penalties of engaging in masculine behaviour was cited as one reason why women use feminine charm when negotiating. Unlike their male counterparts, the study suggests that women who engage in assertive behaviour when negotiating are looked upon less favourably and perceived to be more demanding than those who simply accept what they are offered without resistance.

Michael Skoopla, founder of negotiatingcoach.com, a training firm in Guelph, Ontario, says that while flirting

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may result in a favourable outcome, it does not address conscious skill-building or further women’s causes for the longterm. “Being pleasant, fair, non-abrasive and engaged are all attributes and strategies that can work much better than flirting,” Skoopla says.

In his article on negotiating for women, Skoopla stresses that women need to learn to negotiate as women, not as men.

“In my opinion, there is no such thing as ‘gender-based’ negotiations — only that there are nuances, tactics and techniques that can be used by both genders in some situations that may be specific to a gender,” he adds.

He advises that women cultivate personal strategies to help overcome the emotions associated with negotiating, not be intimidated by the negotiating process or people involved in it and approach it from a position of personal strength by developing competence through skill building.

Kray maintains that flirting is not unprofessional if it remains playful and friendly. “The key is to flirt with your own natural personality in mind. Be authentic. Have fun. That will translate into confidence, which is a strong predictor of negotiation performance.”

Jean Lian is editor of

ohs canada.

Surviving migrant workers recall deadly collision

By Sabrina Nanji

S

urvivors of one of the deadliest crashes in Ontario — in which 10 migrant workers and their driver were killed after their van slammed into a flatbed truck — have opened up about their plight and bid to remain in Canada.

“Have any of you ever felt like your life is slipping away from your hands? I have,” Javier Alba Medina said during the launch of United Food and Commercial Workers Canada’s (UFCW) Right to Stay campaign held on October 2 at Ryerson University in Toronto.

On February 6, the workers were on their way home after a shift at a poultry farm near Hampstead, Ontario when an oncoming flatbed truck crashed into their van. Only Medina and Juan Jose Ariza Mejia — two temporary workers from Peru — survived.

As part of the Right to Stay campaign, Medina and Mejia would be able to remain in the country and gain full citizenship rights, such as health care and protection under labour laws.

Although the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board in Toronto covers Medina and Mejia’s health care costs and 85 per cent of their income while they are recovering, advocacy groups argue that this is not near enough as many injured temporary foreign workers face deportation, repatriation and cessation of any compensation from the Canadian government. Naveen Mehta, director of human rights, equity

and diversity at UFCW, says the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is “at best, modern day servitude, and at worse, modern day slavery.”

Earlier this year, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced changes to the temporary foreign worker program, including less red tape for highly-skilled workers aimed at filling impending labour shortages. But labour rights advocates contend that those changes do not address temporary foreign workers who are already in Canada and face high risks of work-related injuries.

“People are tied to the employer, there is no prospect for status, for living here on a permanent residency basis and if people do stand up for their rights, they are sent home,” charges Chris Ramsaroop, national organizer for Justicia for Migrant Workers in Toronto.

Ramsaroop adds that it is not uncommon for temporary workers to be sent home without benefits, despite injuries that may prevent them from working in their native countries.

Mejia and Medina believe they are alive today because they were awake at the time of the incident, giving them the opportunity to brace themselves before the crash.

“This is the biggest obstacle I have ever endured, but I take it with dignity, with strength, because we are people who are fighters,” Mejia says.

Sabrina Nanji is editorial assistant of health and safety news.

canadian occupational

A safer way to haul beers needed, ruling says

By Greg Burchell

W

orkers who spend their days hauling metal barrels of liquid gold around downtown Toronto will have to find a safer way to do the job, says a ruling from the Ontario Labour Relations Board on August 10.

The board has thrown out an appeal by Steam Whistle Brewing to have eight orders from the Ministry of Labour suspended after ministry ergonomist Sue Clouse-Jensen went for a ride-along with a delivery driver from the Toronto-based beer maker and noted a number of unsafe practices.

Clouse-Jensen observed the driver lifting and lowering 13 kegs, each weighing about 65 kilograms, and two 40-kilogram kegs, one of which had to be carried up a flight of stairs.

In total, about 1,800 kilograms of product were loaded onto the vehicle that day. This exceeded the maximum acceptable weights for lifting, lowering and carrying by 75 per cent of the male population and carries a risk for a lower back injury that is three times higher than other workers.

Steam Whistle was issued eight orders, requiring them to ensure the work is done “in such a way and with such precautions as to not endanger a worker.” It will also have to submit a compliance plan for each task, the decision writes.

Steam Whistle filed a request to suspend the orders, arguing that it had been delivering kegs for 12 years and had never submitted a claim for an injury related to delivery work. The company says drivers are hired for their ability to lift heavy loads and ongoing training on safe work practices is provided. It adds that the delivery service is an integral part of its customer service and its discontinuation would put the firm at a competitive disadvantage.

Board vice-president Lee Shouldice disagrees. “It is not necessary to wait for a catastrophic injury to occur before it can be determined that one or more activities puts the health and safety of workers at risk,” Shouldice writes. “If competitive disadvantage were to be a significant factor in a suspension request application, every order made by an inspector would be subject to suspension as a matter of course.”

Labour ministry spokesperson Matt Blajer says there is no plan to look into the work practices of other breweries in the province. “It was not part of any overall blitz or campaign or anything like that. It was a proactive visit and musculoskeletal injuries are always on our lists,” he says.

Greg Burchell is assistant editor of canadian occupational health and

safety news.

Employees with disability face unseen barriers: survey

By Jean Lian

T

he challenge that people with disabilities face may be more than just physical. A study by the Bank of Montreal, released in October, found that stigma surrounding disability in the workplace is still getting in the way of businesses hiring more employees who are physically challenged.

Results indicate that 48 per cent of Canadians believe a person is more likely to be hired or promoted if they hide their disability. That perception is even higher — 55 per cent — among respondents who report having a disability.

“Despite dismantling many barriers to the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workforce, certain, perhaps hidden, forces are still at play,” Sonya Kunkel, managing director of diversity and inclusion at BMO Financial Group in Toronto, says in a statement.

The survey, based on a sample of 1,000 Canadians aged 18 years and older, indicates misperception surrounding the cost of accommodations. Although one-fifth of employees with a disability require no accommodations at all and the average cost for those who do is $500, 67 per cent of respondents say they had no idea how much accommodations cost, with the mean guess being $10,000 — a significant overestimation. Many hiring managers also overrated the cost of

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accommodations and assumed the candidate would not be able to perform the job.

“There is a strong business case for including more people with disabilities in your workforce. Numerous studies and our own experience show that people with disabilities perform as well or better than their colleagues and have similar or better retention rates,” Kunkel adds.

She advises that businesses review recruitment practices, partner with organizations that connect people with disabilities to job opportunities, and train managers to discuss what employees with visible or non-visible disabilities may need to enable their success in the workplace.

On the Atlantic front, progress is being made. Rodney Weston, MP for Saint John, announced on behalf of Diane Finley, minister of human resources and skills development in a statement in October that the federal government is helping 1,600 Canadians with disabilities get jobs through the Opportunities Fund program.

The fund is designed to provide work experience to those with disabilities that will lead to ongoing employment in small or medium-sized enterprises across the country. “To support Canada’s continued economic growth, we must ensure that everyone who wants to work has the opportunity — including underrepresented groups, such as people with disabilities,” Weston says in the statement.

Laura Anderson, employment co-ordinator for the partners for workplace inclusion program at the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work in Toronto, says the funding enhances the employability of persons with disabilities and provides the necessary supports, such as skills enhancement and workplace accommodations to help them be successful in obtaining and maintaining employment.

Newly-created association to boost fishing safety

By Jason Contant

F

ish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador now have a safety association set up to address workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses in what is sometimes referred to as the world’s most dangerous occupation — offshore fishing.

On September 26, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (WHSCC) and the Professional Fish Harvesters’ Certification Board announced the creation of the Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Harvesting Safety Association.

Chris Flanagan, director of communications with the WHSCC, says the high risk associated with the sector and a statutory review in 2006 were among the factors that prompted the establishment of the association. “We have seen good evidence that these safety sector councils do work, and we think it is primarily because you have the industry leaders who know the language talking to other people in the industry,” he suggests. “If you haven’t been on a boat in

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the North Atlantic, you really can’t relate to what’s going on from a workplace safety perspective.”

The association will be funded over five years through a $750,000 contribution from the commission and the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DFA), and a $585,000 contribution from the industry, notes a statement from Service NL. The focus in the first year will be on laying the groundwork to establish a strong association and the delivery of a safety initiative. In subsequent years, greater emphasis will be placed on education, awareness, delivery and evaluation respectively, the statement notes.

Specific deliverables will be developed to achieve measurable outcomes relating to improved safety culture; increased accessibility and participation in safety education and training; and developing, disseminating and exchanging information with harvesters and other industry stakeholders, the statement adds.

The association will comprise 13 board members, including industry representatives nominated by their stakeholder groups and appointed by the Minister of Service NL; fishing vessel crew members or deckhands; owners or operators; processors and an aboriginal fisher. The DFA and WHSCC will be represented by one member each.

Hugh Donnan, a spokesperson for Service NL, says about 3,800 people are employed in the province’s fish harvesting industry, which encompasses the inshore and offshore harvesting of sea species, including aquaculture. Donnan reports that 15 fatalities have been in this sector since 2007.

“In the past decade, we have made significant progress in the area of vessel safety — particularly in terms of fish harvesters’ ability to survive accidents at sea,” Mark Dolomount, executive director of the Professional Fish Harvesters’ Certification Board, says in the statement. Despite these improvements, the number of workplace injuries and fatalities remain alarmingly high.

Flanagan agrees that there is room for improvement in the industry’s safety culture despite encouraging trends, such as more extensive training and the increased use of personal flotation devices and locator beacons.

Donnan adds that following consultations and a review of safety-related issues in both the fish harvesting and fish processing sectors, Service NL has decided that it will establish separate safety associations for each of the sectors. “That way, we will be able to provide a greater focus on safety matters in each of the sectors.”

Service NL and WHSCC will continue to work with the processing sector to establish a safety council for fish processors, he adds.

Jason Contant is managing editor of ohs canada.

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Editorial Achievements It has been a rewarding year for OHS Canada, as the magazine walked away with four awards at the 58th Kenneth R. Wilson Awards held in Toronto on June 7, 2012. The annual event, organized by the Canadian Business Press and Magazines Canada, recognizes excellence in business-to-business writing and graphic design.

Gold, Best One-of-A-Kind Article

Gold, Best Resource/Infrastructure Article Dan Birch SAFETY SUBMERGED

William M. Glenn Death in Uniform

apr/May 2011

Oct/Nov 2011

Silver, Best Technology/Industrial/Manufacturing Article

Silver, Best Resource/Infrastructure Article Jason Contant Growth Experience

Jean Lian Face Off june 2011

june 2011

National Education Centre 300-165 Avenue Road Toronto, ON M5R 3S4 Phone: (416) 650-9090 Fax: (416) 650-9920

• • • • •

Professional Education On Line Education Worker Awareness Worker Hotline Ontario MOL Resource

National Laboratories 102-110 Research Drive Saskatoon, SK S7N 3R3 Phone: (306) 975-0566 Fax: (306) 975-0494

1-800-263-5803 www.radiationsafety.ca info@radiationsafety.ca

“Good Science in Plain Language” ®

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DECEMBER 2012

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Raising The Safety Bar: An Update on Prevention Efforts

By Jean Lian

“When we think about what the workplace was like 100 years ago, I think it is no exaggeration to say there was carnage in the workplace,” says David Michaels, assistant secretary of labour for occupational safety and health with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in Washington, D.C. Michaels was one of three speakers in the panel who delivered an occupational keynote at the annual National Safety Council Congress and Expo held in Orlando, Florida in October. The event marked its hundredth edition this year. “We have made great progress, we are not here yet, but certainly these 100 years have been very important,” he says.

Statistics indicate that 4,000 people in the United States are killed every year in work-related incidents, with 50,000 or more dying from occupational exposure. “I think that employer attitude toward safety health can be followed as a bell curve. Most of you wouldn’t be here if you are at this end of the curve,” says Michaels, pointing to the curve on the right where the most proactive and safety-conscious employers lie.

Negligent or non-compliant employers fall on the other end of the curve, while the majority hovers in the middle.

“What we want to do is ensure that the bad ones get better, the mediocre ones get even better and of course, the good ones get to the best points,” Michaels adds. He points to a range of tools and deterrence strategies used by OSHA for different employers and situations. Given limited resources, he notes that OSHA’s challenge is to apply the most efficient mix to maximize the abatement of hazards to prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

He also gave an update on the effectiveness of recent enforcement efforts. “In 2010, we’ve got a series of terrible fatalities in the grain industry,” Michaels reports. Many workers, who were sent to silos to break up corn collected from wet corn yard fields, got trapped and suffocated.

As a result, the National Safety Council worked with the grain industry and various organizations to step inspections and increase industry awareness of this hazard. Researchers from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana reported that grain entrapment incidents declined 47 per cent in 2011.

Other recent enforcement actions taken by OSHA include a campaign on heat-related illnesses targeting the construction and agricultural sectors, updating the hazard communication standard to align with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals and pre-

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venting falls in residential construction.

Dr. John Howard, director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), says falling from heights is a “serious issue,” especially in the construction sector. In 2011, falls to lower level accounted for 541 fatal work injuries. Of those cases where the height of the fall was known, 57 per cent involved falls of 20 feet or less, notes statistics from the Department of Labour.

Falls from rooftops comprise one-third of construction fatalities, while those that occur from scaffolds account for the remaining two-thirds. Not using fall protection, incorrect assembly and dismantling of scaffolds and using a defective or the wrong type of ladder are among the reasons cited.

A national campaign focusing on falls from roofs, scaffolds and ladders was launched by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis on Workers’ Memorial Day on April 26. The two-year campaign provides employers and workers with information about working safely from heights.

“Construction falls are both persistent, they are historical and they are also emerging in new ways,” says Dr. Howard, who encourages various parties to participate in the campaign. “It is an important issue that you can get involved in.”

Jean Lian is editor of

ohs canada.

From left: Colin Duncan, chief executive officer of BST; Dr. John Howard, director of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; and David Michaels, assistant secretary of labour for occupational safety and health with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Elizabeth Dole (right) receives the Flame of Life Award from Janet Froetscher, president and chief executive officer of the National Safety Council. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant lifesaving contributions to society. Dole is credited with the enactment of state safety belt laws and air bags in all cars, and the passing of the 21-year old minimum drinking age law during her tenure as the Secretary of Transportation from 1983 to 1987.

E. Scott Geller, senior partner with Safety Performance Solutions, delivered a joint motivational keynote on the interpersonal dimension of occupational safety on October 23.

The Safety Trail documents oh&s milestones from1888 through the 20th century. Seen on the left is a welding helmet from the 1940s when only fixed shade technology existed, compared to its modern counterpart.

“I deserve some recognition too.

After all, I’m the one who flew the Patrick Kapust (right), deputy director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s directorate of enforcement programs, announced the top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety violations for 2012: 7. Powered industrial trucks 1. Fall protection (total violations: (1,993) 7,250) 8. Electrical — wiring methods 2. Hazard communication (4,696) (1,744) 3. Scaffolding (3,814) 9. Lockout/Tagout (1,572) 4. Respiratory protection (2,371) 10. Electrical — general 5. Ladders (2,310) requirements (1,332) 6. Machine guarding (2,097)

airplane into the birds and made Sully the hero he is today.”

— Captain Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who successfully landed a commercial airplane on the Hudson River in 2009, on his post-incident fame. The engines failed when the plane struck a flock of birds minutes after takeoff from LaGuardia airport in New York.

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DECEMBER 2012

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oil and gas

Image: Thinkstock

the

Taming Wild West

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By William M. Glenn The oil and gas patch can be a dangerous place.

Earlier this year, a crew member on a well-servicing job was overcome by hydrogen sulphide gas, while another was struck in the face by some piping on a drilling rig. Both men died.

There have also been recent reports of serious burns caused by a flash fire at a natural gas compressor site, head and leg injuries when a worker fell seven metres from a rig and crushed fingers when a worker’s hand was caught between a well-bore pipe and pipe-lifting assembly.

But statistics indicate that these incidents are likely to be the exception rather than the rule. Despite engaging in hazardous and physically demanding work for long hours outdoors, often in harsh weather conditions, Canada’s oil and gas companies — along with their employees and contractors — have forged an exemplary safety record. So how do they achieve that?

THE SHIFT technology that has been adopted and proven effective quick“There has been a fundamental cultural change in our indus- ly becomes the standard. “If you can adopt a technology that try, a commitment to safety that didn’t exist even 10 or 15 reduces risks and improves productivity, it just makes good years ago,” says Mark Scholz, president of the Canadian Asso- business sense,” Scholz says. “Injuries are expensive. Preventciation of Oilwell Drilling Contractors (CAODC) in Calgary. ing accidents is just the right thing to do.”

Every year, CAODC celebrates the safety successes of drillService companies have also come up with innovative ideas ers and rig managers, who led their crews in incident-free that help their clients reduce safety risks while creating a profoperations for at least 200 consecutive days. This year, the itable business opportunity for themselves, says Mark Salkeld, association handed out 2,380 CAODC Safety Awards, “rep- president and chief executive officer of the Petroleum Services resenting 476,000 drilling days when nobody needed even a Association of Canada (PSAC) in Calgary. The national trade Band-Aid,” Scholz adds. association represents some 260 service, The association also tracks safety statistics supply and manufacturing companies in the based on reports submitted by its members, inupstream petroleum industry.

“There has cluding both on- and offshore drilling compaHe points to hydraulic fracturing opnies and service rig firms operating units across been a erations, where a dozen big diesel trucks western Canada. Between 2001 through 2012, fundamental on the pad pump hydraulic drilling fluthe number of accidents that required onsite ids into a bore hole. These trucks run day cultural medical care but involved no lost-time fell by 66 and night, with crews racing to refuel from per cent for land-based drillers. Lost-time accitruck to truck. Spills and fuel sprayed near change dents are also heading south. hot equipment, workers tripping over gear That downward trend seems to be reflected in our in the dark, shutdowns and delays all pose in the larger sector. Alberta Workers’ Compensafety concerns. industry.” sation Board’s annual industry synopsis for the One PSAC member has carved out a province’s upstream oil and gas sector, which business niche by combining safety and seremploys more than 75,000 workers, shows that vice, allowing a single operator to monitor the sector’s lost-time claims (LTC) frequency rate per 100 fuel gauges, keeping the tanks topped up as necessary with a worker years in 2011 was down to 0.12, well below the 1.49 backup overfill protection system in place. “By keeping the average for all industries. Some oil and gas subsectors were focus on health and safety, we are keeping our industry on the a little higher, although all below the average: workers on oil cutting edge,” Salkeld suggests. sands operations had a LTC rate of 0.21, oil field down hole services at 0.66, well servicing at 1.09, and oil and gas well caught in the act For three years, Suncor Energy’s unique 4Pinc program has drilling at 1.36.

If the oil and gas sector is compared to other jobs that are significantly reduced the incidence of hand-crush injuries, similarly physically demanding, such as trucking (with a LTC while raising money for breast cancer awareness.

Twice a month, the driller or supervisor on Suncor’s in-situ rate of 3.14), garbage collecting (2.96), drywalling (3.26), steelworking (2.53), landscaping (2.28) and logging (2.08), drill sites packs a special pink hard hat and a pair of black work gloves emblazoned with shocking pink skeletal hands along the safety record appears even more remarkable.

Scholz attributes that to the work of Enform — the indus- with the rest of his safety gear. If he spots a worker placing his try’s safety association, the introduction of rig technician ap- or her hands in a potential pinch point during a shift, the opprenticeships and competency programs, and a Certificate of eration will be halted and the offending worker made to don Recognition requirement that compels employers to improve the hard hat and gloves to pose for two pictures: one showing their health and safety management. Part of the credit also where the hands were placed improperly and the other in the proper position as per standard operating procedures. goes to the industry’s technological sophistication.

The pictures are then used to create a job observation and “The drilling rigs operating in western Canada are the most technologically advanced and innovative rigs operating sent to all drilling rigs working for Suncor for the benefit of anywhere in the world,” Scholz says. For example, automated other crews, who can learn from another’s mistake at their rigs are now used to load and stack pipes, while computerized tool box meeting. The worker, who has been caught performsystems have replaced many of the places where vulnerable ing the unsafe act, is now tasked with looking out for similar risky behaviour and the gear passes around the crew. fingers and hands used to be.

Not only has the incidence of pinch injuries dropped sigWhile these automated systems are still very costly, new

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nificantly on the drilling sites of Suncor’s in-situ resources division, job observations are becoming part of the company’s safety culture. “It is now acceptable to intervene on the behalf of a co-worker at risk, not just on the first and the fifteenth, but every day of the month,” says Martin Mudryk, loss management and safety team leader in Edmonton.

He reports that workers are so proud of the program that they are asking for copies of their pink hard hat pictures to take home and show their families. “It is much more effective to motivate with passion rather than with fear,” Mudryk says.

For every job observation photographed and shared with the crew, Suncor Energy makes a donation to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Since 2010, more than $10,000 has been raised in support of the cause. “There is no reason this program wouldn’t work for any other oil and gas drilling program or, for that matter, any industry where crush or pinch injuries are a concern,” adds Mudryk, noting that about 20 Suncor contractors have adopted the 4Pinc system.

TWELVE COMMANDMENTS While injury rates on the oil patch are below the general average, fatalities remain an area of concern.

In late 2008, the Shell Group of companies began reviewing ten years of work-related fatality reports to ferret out some common themes. Researchers isolated 12 situations or behaviors that pose the highest risk to workers and created a set of mandatory rules to address root causes. The rules, which became the foundation for the company’s goal to elim-

Not so rosy Despite the advantages offered by new technologies, oil and gas workers continue to get hurt. To better target safety programs, WorkSafeBC has analyzed short- and long-term disability claims and fatalities reports from the upstream oil and gas sector from 2006 through 2010. The data shows that the following are the most common accidents: • falling from scaffolds, stairs or ladders; • tripping on matting, pipes, tarps or other equipment; • falling or jumping from a non-moving vehicle; • slipping on ice or mud; • being struck by pipes, ducts, bars, tools, hoses, machine parts, etc.; • overexertion while lifting or pulling equipment or gear; • being caught in drilling or other machinery; • motor vehicle incidents; and, • exposure to noise.

Slips, trips and falls top the list, accounting for 28 per cent of serious injury claims, followed by being struck by equipment (20 per cent), overexertion (15 per cent), getting caught or pinched in machinery (11 per cent) and all other causes (26 per cent).

While the percentages vary slightly from province to province, the injury numbers from Work Safe Alberta generally support the findings from British Columbia.

inate workplace fatalities, were implemented globally in 2009 and across all operations, both up- and downstream.

Louis Auger, vice-president of Shell’s production north division, says the rules are designed to be simple, unambiguous and easy to remember. “Everyone who works on a Shell site has a plastic card displaying the 12 Life-Saving Rules clipped to their ID badge or tucked into their wallet. Everybody knows the rules,” he says. They are as follow: 1. Work with a valid work permit when required; 2. Obtain authorization before entering a confined space; 3. Conduct gas tests when required; 4. Verify isolation before work begins and use the specified life protecting equipment; 5. O btain authorization before overriding or disabling safety critical equipment; 6. Protect yourself against a fall when working at height; 7. Do not walk under a suspended load; 8. Do not smoke outside designated smoking areas; 9. No alcohol or drugs while working or driving; 10. While driving, do not use your phone and do not exceed speed limits; 11. Wear your seat belt; and, 12. Follow prescribed journey management plan.

Any deviation or variation to the rules must be approved by an operations manager and all violations are reviewed

by Auger’s office. While Auger says the emphasis is on accident prevention rather than employee punishment, “if you choose to break the rules, you choose not to work for us.”

An employee caught violating the rules faces disciplinary action that ranges up to dismissal, while a contractor can be removed from the site and barred from future work with Shell.

Although Shell has yet to reach its goal of zero fatalities, lost-time injuries decreased by 40 per cent worldwide between 2008 and 2011 since the introduction of the rules, while the fatal incident rate dropped by 71 per cent to 0.96 fatalities per 100 million exposure hours.

“It is difficult to attribute all these reductions to the implementation of the Life-Saving Rules,” Auger qualifies, as recurring themes continue to be observed in incident reports. “We still have to do a better job of learning from our mistakes.”

BACK TO BASICS Encana Corporation, which has a diverse portfolio of natural gas, oil and natural gas liquids, also has a safety story to share.

“In reviewing our safety programs, we saw a gap,” says Calgary-based Brent Harrison, vice-president of environment, health and safety for Encana Corporation’s Canadian division. “We had assembled a group of very competent and experienced leaders, but not everyone had a strong background in health and safety.”

To address that gap and enhance the company’s safety culture, the Safety Essentials for Leaders (SEFL) training program was launched in 2009 to give managers a well-rounded set of applied safety skills. The three-day training program shows participants how to run an effective safety meeting and make and accept an intervention, among other things.

Each month, up to 25 managers take the course. More

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than 1,000 Encana staff and some 50 rig managers, field leaders and other contract service providers have since completed the SEFL course. The company has also rolled out a one-day “SEFL-Lite” version for managers without direct field accountability and another program for office workers.

“It is important that that SEFL doesn’t become yet another binder that sits on the credenza gathering dust,” Harrison says. “We have put a lot of safety initiatives in place, but nothing has moved the needle more than the SEFL program.”

And injury records seem encouraging. Through September of 2012, the company’s total recordable injury frequency rate had dipped to 0.68 — the lowest in its corporate history.

Training is an important aspect of improving workplace safety; so is communication with co-workers. Although manager Ryan Groot is the only employee in the environment, health and safety office of Southern Pacific Resource Corp. in Calgary, his is not a one-man shop. He says the young and growing company — active in the exploration and development of oil sands in the Athabasca region of Alberta and Senlac, Saskatchewan — needed a “robust, fit-for-purpose” safety program. So he put the boilerplate oh&s stuff back on the shelf and, on his second day on the job, drove out to the Senlac site to find out from operators what they needed.

“It was all very positive,” Groot says. When the draft was ready, he sent it back out to the frontline staff for review.

Today, safety concerns are integrated into every operational meeting and shift turnover meeting. There is also an oh&s committee that meets once a month and a formal committee of shift managers.

Groot says he has been very fortunate to leverage on the experience of co-workers, “who had a real strong grasp of what we wanted to see in a safety program” when juggling all the components of a comprehensive health and safety management plan. The approach appears to be working. Last year’s injury rate of 0.18 was well below the industry average and so far this year, it is zero.

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT The oil patch may be a long way from the municipal swim-

ming pool, but they still believe in the value of the buddy system. Since 2007, Syncrude Canada Ltd. has been matching up its executives and senior managers with counterparts at one of the contracting firms they do business with. For example, the company’s bussing contractor was matched with a buddy manager in Syncrude’s facility management department. So far, more than 50 participating match-ups have been made under the auspices of the program.

Once a month, the ‘buddies’ get together in the field to observe the work and discuss reports filed by employees relating to interventions, near-misses and any injuries. “They also look at the positive things people are doing,” says Syncrude spokesperson Will Gibson. “The idea is to build a mutual and collaborative relationship.”

The work of the buddy managers is complemented by the company’s new Field Awareness Safety Team (FAST), comprising staff from the environment, health and safety department. Since the program’s launch in January of 2010, FAST members spend most of their time in the field, tracking both correct and at-risk behaviours. Observations are compiled in a weekly safe acts index circulated to all managers and contractors. Any trends or problems will be aired in weekly toolbox talks and safety meetings.

“It is intended to be a ‘discipline-free’ encounter, more a coaching relationship,” Gibson says. “We are not just striving to make our worksites incident-free,” he adds, “but to make sure that all of our workers have each other’s back.”

That kind of worker engagement is also fundamental to the success of Suncor’s exploratory core hole drilling program, which takes place each year from December through March. The job involves nearly 1,000 contract staff working on 18 rigs located around Fort McMurray in northern Alberta. As the only way to get into many of these sites is after freeze-up, the seasonal nature of the work means that 70 to 80 per cent of the workers are either new to the occupation or the position.

As such, weeks of planning, rig inspections and leadership training sessions precede the core hole drilling season. “It is about getting our contractors aligned with Suncor’s safety

green hands Like Suncor, there are many ‘green’ hires and contract crews working at ARC Resources Ltd.’s 150 wells. With production up about 14 per cent over this time last year, the increase in operating activities means ensuring worker health and safety becomes a top priority.

In 2010, the company launched its Safety Perception Survey, a system that makes workers the driving force on how ARC’s safety programs are developed, implemented and managed. Employees and contract supervisors are encouraged to provide anonymous feedback on ARC’s health and safety management system. In turn, the company provides feedback on the information it receives, empowering workers and increasing individual ownership and accountability

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in the safety performance of day-to-day operations.

The results helped spawn ARC’s CLEAR program — Communication, Leadership, Engagement, Awareness and Responsibility. The program works by improving communication aids to identify opportunities for continuous improvement; leadership for health and safety is implemented at all levels, from the corporate executive to the frontline worker.

With operations scattered across some 1,500 kilometers, “many of our most successful programs are both created and endorsed by frontline staff, by the workers that are responsible for their implementation,” says Cory Beliveau, ARC’s supervisor of health and safety in Calgary. “People support what they help create.”

While injury rates on the oil patch are below the general average, fatalities remain an area of concern.

programs — our safety leadership skills, our white board training and pinch prevention programs, our communication and conflict resolution systems — before we get them out in the field,” says Mike Doyle, environment, health and safety manager for Suncor’s in situ resources division.

While many of these workers may have had some basic safety training in their other jobs, “we work to instill the softer skills,” Doyle adds. That includes explaining Suncor’s safety culture and encouraging workers to intervene when they see someone at risk.

Once the work begins, each session starts with a whiteboard field level hazard assessment, during which the crew gathers to plot out the tasks for the day and identify hazards and safety controls associated with each task. A picture of the completed board is then taken and sent to Suncor and the contractor for real-time analysis and feedback.

“Everybody takes their turn at the board because two, three or more minds are better than one,” Doyle suggests. “It is all about contractor engagement, about creating an ‘us’ out of a collection of individuals.”

He believes that spending some time at the whiteboard results in more efficient operations in the field. “Everybody knows what their job is and is focused on what they are going to do that day.”

STAYING ON TOP While Canada’s upstream oil and gas companies are coming to grips with many of the most pressing risks common to their business, new challenges are rearing their heads. They include accommodating new technologies and processing systems, meeting environmental priorities and public expectations, training the next generation of workers in a cyclical industry, and addressing concerns about greenhouse gases and naturally occurring radiation.

Perhaps at the top of the list is the growing concern over the health effects of crystalline silica. Silica sand — used in large amounts in hydraulic fracturing operations — gives rise to clouds of fine silica dust that can cause serious respiratory problems when inhaled deep into the lungs. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Washington, D.C. recently released a hazard alert on silica in drilling operations, while several PSAC member companies are currently reviewing Alberta’s silica standard.

“It is difficult for many firms to keep on top of developing health and safety issues,” says PSAC president Mark Salkeld.

While the bigger service companies have dedicated health and safety teams, expert researchers on staff and lawyers on

retainer, “the smaller and mid-sized firms depend on their associations and Enform to keep them up-to-date.”

Among Salkeld’s priorities is managing fatigue caused by long shifts and hectic work schedules. This issue is of concern, particularly during the busiest winter months.

Oil and gas contractors are also concerned about the slew of individual safety orientation programs each major producer has developed for its contractors. “These are important, but if you work for 10 different producers, that’s 10 separate safety orientations your crews have to attend,” Salkeld argues. “If we can streamline the process with a standardized orientation module and a shorter site-specific meeting, it would save contractors a lot of time and expense.”

There is also a push for a standardized first-aid ticket, so that crews do not have to qualify for four different first-aid certificates if they move from one province to another.

“This elevation of concern about safety has become part of our industry’s way of doing business,” says Cameron MacGillivray, president and chief executive officer of Enform in Calgary.

Since 1990, Enform has researched, written and issued more than 600 safety alerts detailing the circumstances and lessons to be learned from injuries and fatalities, motor vehicle incidents, near-misses and faulty equipment incidents, regulatory developments and new health and safety threats.

Training must remain a priority as young people and new immigrants flock to the west in search of better paying jobs in the oil and gas industry. “There are some 190,000 workers in Canada’s upstream oil and gas sector and last year, we issued 220,000 training certificates,” MacGillivray notes. “We are on a similar trajectory this year.”

While many of these are one-day courses, some involve more rigorous training requiring up to 20 days of learning and working in Enform’s classrooms, laboratories and/or field centres. The association also oversees the Certificates of Recognition for some 3,000 companies, helping small, medium and even large firms develop effective occupational health and safety programs.

“The inherent risks are always higher anytime you work long hours outdoors surrounded by heavy, moving equipment,” MacGillivray notes. “Our goal is to reach the day when there are no work-related incidents or injuries in the Canadian upstream oil and gas industry.”

Follow us on Twitter @OHSCanada

William M. Glenn is a writer in Toronto.

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prison overcrowding

image: Thinkstock

On The Brink

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By greg burchell Dean Purdy has been working as a guard at the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre for a quarter of a century now. For the first fifteen years of his tenure, he says he could count the number of assaults on corrections officers and staff at the prison on one hand.

But in 2002, that changed. Half of the provincial corrections institutions were shuttered and 550 corrections staff were laid off. Facing growing prison populations and inadequate room in the remaining six maximum security and three medium security jails to house the convicts, the provincial government made the decision to lift the cap on inmate-to-officer ratios in all jails across British Columbia.

on the rise In the past, Purdy says anytime the ratio of inmates exceeded the officer-to-inmate ratio they were designed for — based on the square-footage of the area — another officer would be added to the living unit.

With the removal of the ratio cap, a corrections officer working in a living unit designed to accommodate 20 inmates will now have to work at times with double that number.

And in the decade since the cap was lifted, there have been almost 100 incidents of corrections officers being attacked by inmates at the Vancouver Island facility. The prison, built to house 200 convicts at a time, is now bursting at the seams with 350 offenders serving time in its cells.

The scenario is being played out across the province: the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre and the maximumsecurity North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam are both frequently at near or double their 160- and 300-inmate capacities respectively, says Purdy, component chair with the BC Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) in Burnaby, British Columbia.

But prison overcrowding is not unique to British Columbia. Across the country, prisons are forced to double-, tripleand quadruple-bunk their growing inmate populations. Saskatchewan has had to reopen sections of its jails that had been closed. In February, the Manitoba government workers’ union reported that seven jails in the province had exceeded their maximum capacity by 900 inmates, creating what they claim to be a hyper-vigilant and unsafe working environment.

Howard Sapers, the correctional investigator who serves as the ombudsman for federally-sentenced offenders, notes in his 2011/2012 Report on Plans and Priorities that the environment inside federal penitentiaries has become “increasingly tense, crowded, volatile and stressed” since 2009.

bound to have problems,” Purdy says. “You add in the type of people we get inside our jails, you can multiply that tenfold.”

North Fraser, the most overcrowded maximum security jail in the province, has seen more than 100 incidents of assault in the past three years alone. Purdy adds that overcrowding leads to violence, increased tension and more assaults — both inmate-on-inmate and inmate-on-correctional officer.

TWO-IN-ONE In Ontario, double-bunking has become the standard accommodation for all correctional facilities and cells are now designed for a minimum of two people, reports Craig MacBride, senior communications advisor to Madeleine Meilleur, minister of community safety and correctional services in Toronto.

Each correctional facility has policies and procedures in place to address overcrowding issues. The ministry also continually assesses capacity needs to ensure that beds are available where they are most needed in the province. “All correctional facilities are at times either slightly under or slightly over their operational capacity. We have no control over the number of people admitted to our custody, or the length or circumstances of their stay,” MacBride adds.

However, he acknowledges the impact that overcrowding has on day-to-day operations and the safety concern it presents to staff. He says these issues are being discussed at joint committee meetings with the union.

Sidsworth argues that most of the prison cells in Ontario, which were not designed to handle current populations, had to be retrofitted to accommodate more inmates. The issue of overcrowding is exacerbated by the closure of two overflow institutions in the province’s western region. “For short periods of time, that is manageable, but it is now chronic. It is happening all the time,” Sidsworth says. “It is hard on the offender population and it is hard on the corrections officers.”

The Correctional Service of Canada’s (CSC) Commissioner’s Directive 550, put in place in 2001, sets out the principle that single occupation was the most desirable and “correctionally appropriate” method of housing offenders in the federal penal system. If that was not possible, any doublebunking must be approved by the commissioner.

However, that requirement was suspended in 2010 in an effort to streamline the double-bunking process, with the CSC pointing out that forecasted population increases — due to the passage of the Tackling Violent Crime Act and the Truth in Sentencing Act — would “exert significant pressure on current capacities to accommodate inmates.”

Justin Pichet, assistant professor at the University of Ottawa’s department of criminology, sees this as a contributing factor to the normalization and default status of double-bunking in the country — and the associated detrimental effects.

“All you have to do is take a look at the number of incidents we have and a look at the number of double-bunking,” says Jason Godin, Ontario regional president with the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers in Kingston, Ontario,

Overcrowding leads to violence, increased tension and more assaults.

Dan Sidsworth, provincial chair of the corrections division with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union in Toronto, cites multiple incidences of broken legs, body fluid exposures and concussions over the summer. “These are things that we have never seen at this level before and the number of assaults on inmates has increased dramatically,” he charges.

“You put the best people in society and cram them into a small space and create an overcrowded environment, you’re

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which represents federal prison workers.

Godin points to Edmonton Institution, another maximum-security facility, and Frontenac, a minimum security in Kingston — both of which have 85 per cent of their inmates double-bunked. Godin says he expects federal prisons to exceed an average of 20 per cent double-bunking rates across the country. And the ratio of double-bunked inmates is much higher in Ontario.

By the end of 2014, 58 federal institutions across Canada will see an increase of more than 2,700 accommodation spaces to both men’s and women’s federal penitentiaries, reports Susan Leclerc, senior media relations officer for the CSC. She adds that the department examines incidents of violence and reviews its policies and practices to help prevent future occurrences.

“In addition, CSC is actively involved in sharing ideas and practices with police, other agencies and partners to prevent incidents,” Leclerc says. The organization has also strengthened its capacity to address issues relating to managing a complex offender population by enhancing intelligence and information systems, implementing population management and mental health strategies, and modernizing the delivery of rehabilitation programs.

Regardless of the technology used, Godin contends that double-bunking makes the job inherently more dangerous.

“This is part of the impact it is going to have on our members and not just correctional officers, frontline workers in general — [but] parole officers and nurses, everybody included.”

becomes diminished. And you need augmentations to existing infrastructure to allow for programs to occur and the institution to operate safely,” he emphasizes.

Without easy access to programs, Godin contends that inmates are kept in institutions longer as they work to meet the requirements for release, further contributing to the overcrowding problem. “There is a ripple effect right down the line,” he suggests.

Sidsworth adds that diminished access to reform programs not only makes for a more difficult prison population, but creates problems in the future when the inmates are released back into the community. “All we are doing is warehousing the offenders.

They come into the institutions and they learn to become better crooks basically,” he contends.

Prison guards in Ontario are in the second year of a hiring freeze, which Sidsworth says has led to staff shortages. This creates situations in which guards are compelled to institute a lockdown on weekends and often on weekdays too, making for a disgruntled prison population.

In 2008, there were 222 assaults on staff by inmates; that number rose to 251 in 2009. Attacks more than doubled to 508 in 2010. Last year, 485 incidents were reported. MacBride, however, assures that the increase in incidence of assault is not related to the hiring freeze.

Sidsworth points to a vicious cycle in which inmates, who are kept in their overcrowded cells for longer periods of time, become agitated. This, in turn, heightens the risk of violence against correctional officers.

“The levels of violence in the workplace have gone through the roof over the last two years,” Sidsworth charges. “There is more confrontation with the inmates, which leads to more violence in the workplace,” he adds, noting that the level of injuries sustained by prison officers are correspondingly becoming more severe.

The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services is reviewing its recruitment and selection process, MacBride says, adding that the ministry is expected to lift the hiring freeze next year.

Doublebunking makes the job inherently more dangerous.

RESTRICTED ACCESS Rehabilitation programs, such as those relating to life skills, visits and correspondence, education, work and health care, provide prison inmates the opportunity to participate in activities that “will assist them in becoming law-abiding and contributing members of society,” MacBride suggests.

These activities include laundry services, cleaning and maintenance within the institution, and community work programs that allow low-risk inmates to attend substance abuse rehabilitation and do community-supervised work.

Inmates also have access to support services offered by psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers, including anger management and Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous programs. “Ministry staff also assist inmates in planning for their release, including helping them to establish linkages with outside agencies so that they can continue to access needed supports upon release,” MacBride adds.

But as prison populations continue to grow, access to programs that prepare inmates for reintegration into society gets increasingly difficult and potentially leads to higher rates of recidivism. “It is about accessibility,” Godin says, comparing an overcrowded institution with a city’s growing population that overstretches its infrastructure and services.

“When we start to increase the population and doublebunk these inmates, obviously accessibility to programs

LEGISLATIVE CHANGES In October of 2009, Bill C-25, the Conservative government’s Truth in Sentencing Act, received royal assent and was passed into law. The bill made amendments to the Criminal Code of Canada to limit the amount of credit a judge could give an offender for time served while in pre-trial custody.

More recently in March, the federal government passed the Safe Streets and Communities Act, an omnibus bill which introduced — among other legislation — new or increased mandatory minimum sentencing, the elimination of some conditional sentences (which allows a jail sentence to be served in the community instead of in a prison) and in-

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SQUARE PEG, ROUND HOLE About two decades ago, there used to be two types of prison populations: general and protective custody, notes Dean Purdy, component chair with the BC Government and Service Employees’ Union in Burnaby, British Columbia.

“Now, there is a protective custody within a protective custody, a super-protective custody to manage and protect even more vulnerable inmates, and inmates who have to be by themselves in a special handling unit and inmates housed in mentally disordered offenders units,” he says.

This jigsaw puzzle of where to put all the subsections of society’s worst (and not-so-worst) offenders can have dangerous consequences. Take, for example, the murder of Jeremy Phillips, killed by his cellmate in November of 2010 after the cellmate was transferred from a maximum security to a high security prison. Phillips had been in a cell for aggravated assault, while his killer had been convicted for six counts of murder.

“You are dealing with a population of people who present real risks and need to be looked after in a way that is safe and secure and consistent with various legal requirements,” says Ken McGovern, vice-president of marketing at Syscon Justice Systems, developer of prison management software in Richmond, British Columbia.

In view of the hundreds, if not thousands, of variables that go into organizing a prison and its inmates — demographics, offences committed, gang affiliations, weekend visits and mental health among them — many prison systems, such as those in Ontario and Alberta, are turning to computerized management software to keep track of its inmates and issue automatic alerts of any red flags.

McGovern recalls that correctional facilities have historically operated in a manual-process, paper-driven environment.

“More and more, we see agencies embracing technology so they can actually speed up the administrative work that goes on in prisons and jails,” he notes.

While technology helps free up manpower that can be redeployed elsewhere in a penitentiary, “our software is not going to help reduce overcrowding,” McGovern says. “But it is going to help them manage the environment and the housing and capacity management requirements in as safe and efficient [a] manner as possible.”

creased pre-trial detention.

These two pieces of legislation, though still in their infancy, have raised many questions — and trepidation about the ability of federal and provincial jails to handle the potential influx of new inmates. The Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services is anticipating the need to house an additional 1,500 inmates a day, which MacBride says will lead to capacity and infrastructure challenges.

The planning and construction has already begun on two new detention centres that will add a capacity of 2,000 beds, and an additional intermittent unit with 320 beds.

Purdy claims that staff in British Columbia are also beginning to see the repercussions of the Truth in Sentencing Act and expects prisoner counts to rise 15 to 17 per cent in the province. He adds that the government has committed to building a new jail in Oliver, British Columbia.

“That is a step in the right direction, but for us the real issue is the officer-to-inmate ratios,” Purdy says. Until those are dealt with, “we are not going to see any real release from the violence for some time.”

The omnibus crime bill, Safe Streets and Communities Act, presents more fundamental changes to the Canadian penal system through which all levels of corrections will have to navigate in future. For example, the report The Fiscal Impact of Changes to Eligibility for Conditional Sentences of Imprisonment in Canada, released in February of 2012, examined the fiscal impact of the bill’s proposed changes to the eligibility criteria for conditional sentences had the bill been in force in 2008 and 2009. The following are among the findings: • Approximately 4,500 offenders would not be eligible for a conditional sentence of imprisonment and face the threat of a prison sentence;

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• 6 50 offenders who would otherwise have been serving a conditional sentence of imprisonment will go free when acquitted at trial; • Offenders would spend, on average, one-third less time under control of the criminal justice system; and, • The average cost per offender would increase from $2,600 to $41,000.

In effect, fewer offenders will be punished for shorter amounts of time, but at a greater expense in provincial correctional facilities rather than in the community, the report concludes. This will translate into an $8-million increase in cost to the federal government and a $137-million increase to the provinces. The numbers do not include the construction of new penitentiaries. Changes related to conditional sentences can also create significant behavioural or sociological impact, the report adds.

Pichet cautions that this can quickly create an unsustainable penal system. “In the context where you are removing credit for time served and enhancing mandatory minimum penalties, where you are restricting the use of conditional sentences, there is a lot of major tinkering that is happening right now with our penal system and our sentencing legislation,” Pichet argues.

If adjustments are not made in policing discretion and court practices, Pichet believes that it will lead to a further inflated prison population. “Unless we do something else, we are going to be staring down the barrel of this gun sooner rather than later.”

Follow us on Twitter @OHSCanada

Greg Burchell is assistant editor of health and safety news.

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mobile APPlications

APP AWAKENINGS

By Samuel Dunsiger In the last few months, Strad Energy Services Ltd., an oil and gas company headquartered in Calgary, started incorporating new technologies into its health and safety procedures. The company began experimenting with mobile applications for smartphones on a provisional basis when it started using an app launched in April that allows users to access Alberta’s occupational health and safety legislation on the go.

And in August, after an extremely hot summer, particularly in the United States, Strad Energy’s Canadian operations added another app to its trial experiment — one developed south of the border that alerts users of extreme heat temperatures and changing work conditions.

The apps have proven to be a valuable resource, reports Ted Graul, the company’s health, safety and environment manager. “The big win is when employees see that information is accessible in seconds and minutes,” he says.

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GOING MOBILE “I don’t think we have scratched the surface yet of what we can do safety-wise,” Mike Honeyman, owner of Arrow Installations, a power and utility construction company in Cranbrook, British Columbia, says of the use of apps in the workplace. “Getting rid of paper is a big issue. There is a huge oh&s binder we have. Apps would make it easier to have everything in one spot.”

Like Strad Energy, Arrow Installations is also in the process of incorporating apps into their workplace safety system. “Mobile apps play a huge role in running a business and, in particular, safety,” Honeyman adds.

“There really is a revolution globally in the use of occupational health and safety material when it comes to technology,” says Lorne Kleppe, executive director of the Rocky View, Alberta-based Manufacturers’ Health and Safety Association (MHSA), which launched the oh&s legislation app currently used by Strad Energy.

Kleppe is of the mind that different apps can serve various workplace safety needs, such as accessing information or legislation, assessing potential risks in the field and commu-

“There is no magic app that automatically makes a workplace safe.” nicating different working conditions.

One example he cites is the app used by Strad Energy, released this year by the United States Department of Labour’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which helps workers calculate the heat index of their worksite and offers advice on how to combat this hazard.

“We deal with extreme heat situations,” Strad Energy’s Graul says. “The OSHA app lets you plan your day around the temperature and gives you procedures on heat stress. It provides access to information right at my fingertips as opposed to having to go back to the office or truck.”

In addition to accessing weather alerts and safety legislation, oh&s apps can also provide updates on recalls of machinery, serve as pocket guides providing instructions on emergency first aid like cardiac pulmonary resuscitation,

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and offer best practices for ergonomics and personal protective equipment, notes Sylvia Boyce, health, safety and environment representative for the United Steelworkers union in Toronto.

And the user uptake of such apps seems to be on the rise, Kleppe observes. He reports that sales of the MHSA’s legislation app indicates a growth in the volume of users.

“It was part of the explosion of mobile apps going on,” says David Myrol, director of Saint 78 Technologies Inc. in Edmonton, the start-up that developed the app for the MHSA. He notes that there is often the challenge of communicating health and safety information to workers at large.

“The problem we saw is that when you research oh&s legislation in Alberta, you have to work your way around it. In Alberta, we have an Occupational Health and Safety Act and a Code, which has 85 sections,” he points out. “How do you get necessary information to them quickly?”

The answer, he says, is apps.

Honeyman agrees, adding that it is about having access to information when needed. After several major incidents on the worksite — including a lineman who was electrocuted in 2009 — he reports that his company decided to revamp its health and safety system. Adopting the use of apps was among the measures taken. “I really think it will make the workplace safer,” he says.

JUST IN CASE Apart from offering the convenience of accessing and capturing data in one small portable device, apps also serve as a backup safety measure, particularly for mobile workers, notes Jonathan Brun, co-founder of Nimonik, a start-up launched in Montreal in 2008.

“Many of the software products available at the time were very complex, expensive and hard to use. We felt that software should be an ally in making workplaces safer, not another task to complete,” Brun recalls.

The company offers two main products: an online web-based tool that offers access to updated legislation and an app that enables safety audits to be conducted onsite, particularly in the manufacturing and mining industries.

Brun says the auditing tool, which is compatible with iOS — Apple’s mobile operating system in iPhones and iPads — makes the job of safety auditors easier. “In the past, they would typically need to use a pen and paper, use a separate camera and do a report.”

Brun adds that apps can be useful when operating in remote locations, where users are on the move inspecting worksites. The auditing tool can be used offline and the data captured can be uploaded when users are back in the office.

Consider the MHSA’s Alberta oh&s legislation app. Myrol says its target users are mobile workers in construction, oil and gas and other potentially high-risk industries.

For managing potential risks and emergencies in these

industries, Kleppe notes that apps offer the advantage of providing real-time data and a wide range of uses that include checklists for site assessments on plants and factories, firstaid apps and material safety data sheets (MSDS) for hazardous chemicals.

“If you have a chemical spill in your eye, you have to research the proper treatment,” he cites as an example. “Apps can have MSDS. Do you go back to your truck or do you seek out the app to get the information in a matter of seconds?”

There are also apps targeting the lone worker segment.

Guardly Corp., a technology start-up in Toronto, offers an emergency safety app that can automatically dial 911, track a user’s movement and transmit data to the user’s security network of family or co-workers. It also has an alarm function that can be used to deter attackers.

The Guardly app, which is available on all major mobile platforms, also gives users the option to populate their profile with personal information and relevant data in the event

of a medical emergency.

Luke Slan, business development director of Guardly Corp., says the app can benefit workers like realtors, social workers, pharmaceutical representatives and travelling salespeople. The nature of their jobs, which requires them to make themselves readily available to members of the public, can put them at risk of harassment, Slan suggests.

“The public nature of the profession often means added exposure to risky situations for those active in the industry,” notes a statement from the Alberta Real Estate Association, which recently entered into a partnership with Guardly.

“Hosting open houses, doing after-hours work and visiting properties in remote locations are practices considered commonplace in the real estate industry and all are situations that could represent heightened risk to personal safety.”

While apps can help improve workplace safety, Brun cautions that “there is no magic app that automatically makes a workplace safe.”

Apt Apps As electronic gadgets are increasingly being used to help us accomplish our work tasks, companies are harnessing technology by offering apps that promise to enhance companies’ health and safety outcomes. The following is a list of apps with oh&s applications available in the market:

App

Developer

Description

Platforms

Cost

Clearance Letter Mobile

WorkSafeBC

Launched in 2012, it gives employers, contractors and homeowners access to clearance letters.

Occupational Health and Safety Regulation

WorkSafeBC

Launched in 2011, users can search and download portions of the province’s iOS, Android regulation onto their smartphones.

Free

TDG Handbook

Danatec Educational Services Ltd.

Provides Apple users with access to material from Danatec’s handbook on transporting dangerous goods.

$7.99

Occupational Health and Safety

Smart Media Innovations Pty Ltd.

Allows users to access oh&s information, including tips, tutorials, videos and job iOS, Android listings for Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Free

Hazmat Reference and Emergency Response Guide

ThatsMyStapler Inc.

Employees dealing with hazardous chemicals can access references, tools and updates.

iOS

$4.99

Chemical Safety Data Sheets

ThatsMyStapler Inc.

Provides access to international chemical safety cards and safety-related information on chemicals.

iOS

Free

Breathe2Relax

Users can access information on the National Centre for Tele- effects of stress, healthy breathing iOS, Android health and Technology techniques and ways to chart their stress level.

Health and Safety Intelligent Watch tions Inc.

Health

Solu-

iOS, BlackBerry, Android

iOS

Launched this year, it allows users to access public health alerts, recalls and iOS disease outbreaks.

www.ohscanada.com

Free

Free

Free

DECEMBER 2012

37

STEP BY STEP While apps may have various safety applications in work settings, one potential challenge is employee receptiveness toward embracing new technology. “As we are human, we have a tendency to resist change,” Kleppe suggests.

He advises that training sessions introducing employees to these apps can help encourage user uptake. “[You] have to communicate how the app can be used in their job. I think there can be a more favorable buy-in,” he suggests.

Apps should never replace hands-on health and safety training.

Boyce agrees that education and training is key when it comes to implementing new technologies in a workplace. “If the employer is considering using apps, they need to realize it may not be a fit for everyone,” she notes, citing the need for employers to provide employees with detailed explanations of the apps and the goals of using them.

The demographics of a workplace also needs to be considered. Graul points out that employers should be cognizant of the fact that individuals have different mindsets and the level of receptiveness to new technology may vary significantly.

“You have to remember the end-users,” Graul says. He suggests that younger workers may be more accustomed to using new technologies, while others may need more guidance and time when adopting new technologies for work purposes.

That is why Strad Energy is introducing two apps — one that provides access to Alberta’s OH&S Act and the other offers real-time heat index — in trial phases. The results, so far, seem encouraging.

“People are starting to see the benefits. When people start to see it, you get a lot of buy-in,” Graul suggests.

However, there are technical factors that need to be considered, such as technological compatibility, remote locations and other issues relating to set-up. Upon integrating the MHSA and OSHA apps, Strad Energy had to make some accommodations.

“We had to switch products since the two apps were only available on Apple and Android devices, and we were using BlackBerries,” Graul reports.

“Users need to have the proper compatible smartphone.”

Another challenge is bridging the potential gap between employers who make the software purchasing decisions and the workers who use the apps. “Their needs are different than their employers’ needs,” Brun suggests. He advises employers to include their workers in the decision-making process.

Kleppe agrees. “Every decision needs to be made collectively,” including getting employee feedback, he notes.

For Boyce, the credibility of the source of the apps is also a cause for concern, considering the amount of apps available in the market. “There are apps out there that are not conveying accurate messages, including BBS [behavior-based safety] and the myth of the careless worker,” she cautions.

AID OR HINDER While using apps to improve workplace safety is a laudable objective, there is a concern that such good intentions may inadvertently backfire.

Boyce cautions that apps can prove to be more of a distraction than an aid. “It’s like texting and driving,” she says.

“It can be distracting to use your smartphone while working.” And that can potentially jeopardize worker safety, especially jobs done in hazardous environments, she suggests.

Honeyman agrees that this is a challenge that needs to be addressed by both employers and employees alike. “[Using apps] has to be done with the understanding of why we are doing this and what the expectations are,” he says, noting that apps can make workplaces safer if managed properly.

Distraction aside, there is also the potential for the technology to malfunction. “Electronics have limits,” Graul notes.

Inclement weather, power disruption, loss of signal and breakdowns can occur, especially in remote locations, which can hinder the proper functioning of apps.

“If you solely rely on apps and the technology or signal goes down, you have nothing to go on,” says Graul, who sees apps as a resource that complements other safety procedures.

“Training and procedures must remain a cornerstone to the safety program,” he stresses.

Boyce agrees that apps should never replace hands-on health and safety training. “They are good to use, but only in conjunction with hands-on health and safety procedures.”

Judgment also needs to be exercised with regards to when it may or may not be appropriate to use apps. While apps may offer the benefit of improving worker safety in nonemergency scenarios, they may not necessarily be the ideal tool when it comes to managing risk in real time.

In cases of emergencies, “we tend to pick up the phone to get someone right away,” Brun notes.

While Graul considers himself a “huge advocate” of the use of apps and has played a primary role in launching Strad Energy’s experimentation with these software, he is also cognizant of the fact that they are just an alternative resource.

“Safety apps are an excellent resource and a valuable tool to be used in conjunction with other safety tools, programs and safety knowledge,” he says.

Follow us on Twitter @OHSCanada

Samuel Dunsiger is a writer in Toronto

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learning

visit: www.ohscanada.com/elearning

ACCIDENT PREVENTION

seasonal affective disorder

Busting the Blues WINTER BLUES: When the mercury outside plummets as we enter the coldest time of the year, so too can the mood of many people. For some, it is just a case of “winter blues,” but for others, the shorter daylight hours of late autumn marks the beginning of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of clinical depression that can last until spring.

LONG NIGHTS: Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that is related to seasonal variations in light, often beginning in fall and lasting through winter, notes a fact sheet from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in Ottawa.

This disorder is more common in northern climates where there is a significant decrease in daylight hours over the winter months. While it is not unusual to experience some changes in mood during periods of decreased sunlight, those with SAD will experience more severe symptoms that can interfere with their ability to work and relate to others.

HAPPY CHEMICAL: The long nights in winter are a major contributor to this disorder. Serotonin — a chemical that wakes the body up and is linked to positive emotions — is released during sunny and bright conditions. The brain produces less serotonin as the nights stretch longer in wintertime.

For those who suffer from SAD, the amount of serotonin manufactured becomes drastically lower in winter, resulting in feelings of depression, notes information from Toronto-based employee support provider Shepell·fgi.

This disorder can be difficult to diagnose as many of the symptoms are similar to those of other types of depression, bipolar disorder or even physical conditions, such as thyroid problems. Generally, symptoms that recur for at least two consecutive winters without any other explanation indicate the presence of SAD. Symptoms may include a change in appetite, headaches, feeling lethargic, difficulty concentrating, irritability, avoidance of social situations and feelings of anxiety and despair.

AGE MATTERS: While SAD affects only two to three per cent of the Canadian population, another 15 per cent will experience a milder form that leaves them slightly depressed, but otherwise able to lead their lives without major impact, notes information from Here to Help, a project of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information in Vancouver.

Adults are at a higher risk of developing SAD than children and teenagers. That risk starts to decline after the age of 50, with those between 20 and 40 years of age appearing to be most susceptible to the disorder, CMHA reports. Women are up to eight times as likely as men to report having SAD. While this condition is associated with the lack of sunlight, it is also believed to run in families. About 13 to 17 percent of people who develop SAD have an immediate family member with the disorder, CMHA notes.

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MYTHBUSTERS: Two myths that are associated with this condition is that “winter blues” are the same as SAD and the disorder hits suddenly.

While the former often shares similar characteristics as SAD, the latter’s symptoms are generally more severe and can include strong feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness, severe insomnia and suicidal thoughts or behaviours, notes information from Shepell·fgi. As well, the disorder develops slowly, increasing in severity as the days become shorter and the symptoms recede quickly as spring approaches.

WHAT WORKS: This season-related condition can be treated using one or a combination of the following therapies: • Light therapy: Sitting near a special fluorescent ‘light box’ for about half an hour a day can trigger a chemical change in the brain to improve mood and help relieve symptoms. This treatment should not be done without first consulting a doctor, as side-effects can include eyestrain or visual disturbances, headaches, agitation, nausea and sweating.

• Dawn simulation: A dim light that goes on in the morning while one sleeps and gradually gets brighter like a sunrise is another form of light therapy that has been found to be effective.

• Medication: Antidepressants can be used to treat all kinds of depression, including SAD. A health professional can determine the medication and dosage required to target chemicals in the brain that can get out of balance during depression.

• Counselling: Cognitive-behavioural therapy can help break the negative thoughts and actions that accompany depression.

This form of therapy is usually used along with light therapy or other treatments.

• Lifestyle modifications: Regular exercise, a healthy diet, good sleep habits, staying connected to others, practicing balanced thinking techniques and managing stress have all been shown to reduce the symptoms of depression. Maximizing exposure to sunlight — such as trimming tree branches that block light, keeping curtains open during the day, sitting near a window, installing skylights and adding lights — can also help alleviate mild symptoms, CMHA information notes.

WRITE IT DOWN: Knowing when to seek professional help is also key. Having the information about the disorder ready and well-organized can certainly help the doctor or mental health care professional better diagnose the problem, suggests an article from Mayo Clinic.

The following are some relevant details for the purpose of diagnosis: • what are the symptoms and when they begin to manifest; • the severity of symptoms and if they are elusive or persistent; • do symptoms display a pattern; • alcohol and drug use, prescription or otherwise, if any; and, • whether or not there is a family history of these problems.

AT home: Support from family and friends can certainly help those with SAD get through this trying period. Learn to accept that your friend or family member feels awful, as being hostile about it or teasing them is likely to make things worse, notes information from Mind, a United Kingdom-based mental health charity in Stratford, London.

As soon as you notice signs of lethargy, encourage the person to start a treatment program. If phototherapy is being used, build it into daily life. Help them to pace themselves and be sensitive about making too many demands on them, such as inviting a houseful of guests.

AT WORK: It can be difficult to determine exactly what impact SAD has on the workplace, as those experiencing the condition often present tendencies towards another mental disorder, Standard Life Canada reports.

In the workplace, accommodations include time off to see a doctor, frequent breaks, help in setting up a light-therapy lamp at the office, schedule changes, access to windows or other modifications.

If time and finances permit, travel may be the most expeditious (and enjoyable) way to lift one out of the depths of SAD. Travelling to a bright, warm destination also has the added benefit of increasing physical activity and offering a rejuvenating break from work, notes information from CMHA.

www.ohscanada.com

DECEMBER 2012

41

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

injury benefits

Staking Claims

By Jason Contant

tation and overturned its decisions. “In my view, the Appeals Tribunal has been correct all along,” Richard concludes.

W

orkSafeNB is digging deep into its pockets to pay back nearly $4 million to workers’ compensation claimants following a recent ruling from the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick, which found that the board had improperly clawed back injury benefit payments from recipients of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).

After the decision came to light in September, WorkSafeNB says the ruling that dealt with CPP and loss of earning benefits has been acted upon. “The Canada Pension Plan retirement benefits can no longer be offset against benefits paid by WorkSafeNB to our claimants,” says WorkSafeNB’s manager of communications, Mary Tucker. “We’re working diligently to ensure that all affected claimants are fully reimbursed — many have already received payments and others are in the process of being paid.” The ruling is expected to affect less than 1,000 potential claims over a 20year period, she adds.

Benefits The court case revolves around Wayne Douthwright, who started receiving longreceived term disability benefits after he was injured in October of 2002 while employed after an at J.D. Irving Ltd’s sawmill in Sussex. After he turned 60, Douthwright opted to collect injury retirement benefits at a diminished rate as is his right under the CPP, writes Justice J.C. are not Marc Richard in the decision.

Those benefits, totalling nearly $550 a considered month, began in September of 2009. By the a source following June, WorkSafeNB informed him that his long-term disability compensation benefits would be reduced by the amount of income. of his retirement benefits and that he would have to reimburse WorkSafeNB for overpayments.

In an unanimous decision, the Appeals Tribunal of WorkSafeNB allowed Douthwright’s appeal, concluding that CPP retirement benefits do not qualify as supplemental benefits and the deduction was improper as the pension is paid for a period not related to the time of the compensable injury.

“CPP retirement benefits are available at age 60, independent of whether one receives compensation or not and independent of whether one stops working or not,” Richard writes. “I simply cannot conceive how it might have been the intent of the Legislature in enacting s. 38.11(9) to reduce compensation payments when a worker draws on his or her savings, whether it is in the form of money in savings account, funds held in an RRSP, a vested pension or CPP retirement benefits,” he says, referring to an interpretation of the section of the Workers’ Compensation Act (WCA).

WorkSafeNB maintained its position even though the Appeals Tribunal had consistently rejected the board’s interpre-

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DEFINING INCOME “It is a complicated case in the sense that it was a statutory interpretation case,” says Dan Leger, a lawyer with Pink Larkin in Fredericton, who represented Douthwright in the appeal.

Leger, who notes that the WCA has seven or eight different sections dealing with situations related to clawbacks of CPP disability pensions, argued that benefits received after an injury are not considered a source of income because they were being held in a vehicle, such as a pension plan, and inaccessible until a certain point in time. “It is not meant to be replacement income like workers’ comp is,” he explains. “It is intended to be savings, a pension in effect.”

Leger says it is hard to determine what effect this decision will have on other jurisdictions. If there are incidents involving clawing back benefits based on similar language, the appeal decision would likely be a compelling case. However, he notes that every provincial statute is different and some already have the statutory authority to claw back benefits.

Take Ontario for example. Daniel Pugen, a lawyer with McCarthy Tétrault LLP in Toronto, says although detailed policies from the province’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board do not have the force of law, the board uses them to interpret and apply the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. Policy 18-01-13 of the Act says when a worker receives CPP or Quebec Pension Plan disability benefits and WSIB future economic loss or loss of earnings benefits, the WSIB offsets 100 per cent of the disability paid in relation to the work-related injury or disease from the future economic loss or loss of earnings benefits. In New Brunswick, the WCA makes specific provisions for offsetting CPP disability benefits, but no reference to deducting CPP retirement benefits.

Pugen points to a principle called double recovery, citing the example of a wrongfully dismissed employee who finds a new job the following day, but still wants to receive both wrongful dismissal awards and money from their new employment. “You don’t get the court damages and the money from your new employment because then you’re in a better position than if you weren’t fired in the first place,” he explains.

Tom Barron, a labour consultant and chief executive officer of Barron T. Labour Relations in Moncton, says the decision is only the tip of the iceberg. “There are thousands and thousands of appeal decisions that are going through the revolving door,” he contends. Although WorkSafeNB has changed its practice regarding CPP retirement benefits, “they are still going right down that same road with other deductions they consider to be earnings.”

Follow us on Twitter @OHSCanada

Jason Contant is managing editor of

ohs canada.

SPECIAL REPORT

social media

Networking for Safety

By Jean Lian

T

he electrocution of a utility worker in Sarnia, Ontario while repairing a power line damaged by Hurricane Sandy points to the dangers outdoor workers face. Before the so-called Frankenstorm hit parts of the United States and eastern Canada, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour issued safety tweets warning outdoor workers of imminent hostile weather and their right to refuse unsafe work.

Bruce Skeaff, social media planner with the provincial labour ministry in Toronto, says social networking sites offer a good way of getting news and information directly to interested parties without having to go through the slower process of mainstream media, such as television, radio, newspapers and association newsletters.

“People who are interested in our news — for instance labour lawyers or people who work in health and safety — could get the news delivered to their cell phones as soon as we tweeted it,” he says.

“The person Using social networking sites to communicate safety messages seems to be an on the spot emerging trend. But these platforms have also raised concerns over productivity with the and indiscretion, like inappropriate remarks about the workplace or colleagues. image has From a workplace incident management perspective, it also creates challeng- the authority es. Consider a video of a worksite acciabout the dent — recorded and posted on YouTube by a co-worker or a man-on-the-street story.”

— reaching the next-of-kin before anyone else can. “We now have the capacity to capture high definition video in real time and distribute it anywhere we want around the world. It’s an extraordinary behaviour change,” says Trefor Munn-Venn, president of Social Catalyst Inc., a consulting firm in Ottawa.

“The person on the spot with the image has the authority about the story; not someone back in the office who is issuing a message,” Munn-Venn said from the Health, Safety and Environment conference and trade show held in Toronto. He delivered a conference on social media use before, during and after a workplace incident on October 3.

He points out that information used to be filtered through a more formalized channel, such as the corporate communications department, prior to being announced by a representative. “Now, you have got someone saying, ‘Here, I’ll just show you.’ It’s pretty compelling.”

Phil La Duke, associate of Rockford Greene International in Monroe, Michigan says he has seen safety messages being disseminated through blogs during the hunting season. In the same vein, he is of the mind that social networking sites can be used to raise awareness of specific workplace safety issues,

such as sending out safe work reminders or a pre-shift checklist. “It is about informal education. It also makes a workplace safer as people gather together and start to talk about safety in a proactive and positive way,” he adds.

Safety alerts posted on social networking sites also offer an immediacy that captures attention, unlike safety posters which “quickly become wallpaper; people don’t see it anymore,” Munn-Venn suggests.

ON BOARD Many safety organizations have started using social networking sites to promote workplace safety. They include WorkSafeBC, British Columbia’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Threads of Life (a London, Ontario-based association for workplace tragedy family support) and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).

“When we first started in 2009, we were kind of the lone wolf out there,” says Krista Travers, marketing communications officer with the CCOHS in Hamilton, Ontario. Social media serves as an extension of the agency’s use of technology to make oh&s information available to workers.

“Social media should not be used exclusively as the only tool to grow health and safety,” Travers notes, adding that it should complement traditional media. Apart from having a dedicated team to monitor social media and develop an overall strategy, buy-in from senior management and employee access to technology are also key, she offers.

Skeaff reports that the ministry’s Twitter site has garnered more than 5,700 followers since it was created three years ago.

In 2010, it also launched Facebook and YouTube to respond to questions and post educational videos.

“There’s a profound difference between putting it on the website and the fact that it is being pushed to you all the time” through personal devices, suggests Munn-Venn, who encourages using infographics to make safety information engaging.

In the event of a workplace incident, social networking sites can also be used to demonstrate transparency and manage the flow of information by providing regular updates.

This can include reinforcing safe work procedures, providing directions if operations are affected (such as a plant shutdown); warning workers of related risks and responding to questions, which typically surge after a workplace injury or fatality has occurred. “The truth is, the news is going to break with or without you. And I think probably you want to be part of that,” Munn-Venn suggests.

As for post-incident management, he advises employers to think about “what you want people to do differently after an incident; what you want people to know so that it won’t happen again.”

Follow us on Twitter @OHSCanada

Jean Lian is editor of

ohs canada.

www.ohscanada.com

DECEMBER 2012

43

Just asking In 2012, ohs canada magazine covered diverse issues on the workplace safety front. From dust explosions, bringing sex workers under oh&s legislation and random testing to transitioning to the new global system for classifying and labelling hazardous chemicals, these are some of the significant events or issues in the oh&s landscape this year.

Through our online reader poll, we have gathered responses on a range of safety topics, including open-concept offices, the threat of corporate terrorism and the influence of multitasking on health and safety.

Here is a summary of what readers had to say:

Whistleblower Protection Should whistleblower legislation prohibit employees from using the media to publicize suspected wrongdoing?

38% 62% 188

Yes No Total voters:

Legislation Should sex workers be covered under occupational health and safety legislation?

56% 44% 178

Yes No Total voters:

Office Environment Is an open-concept layout better for productivity than an office with cubicles?

Yes No Total voters:

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39% 61% 198

Workplace Violence Is corporate terrorism a real threat to workplace health and safety?

Yes No Total voters:

53% 47% 108

Worker Injury Do you think opioid use prolongs an injured worker’s absence from work?

Yes No Total voters:

77% 23% 105

Globally Harmonized System (GHS) Is your company ready for GHS, the new global system for classifying and labelling hazardous chemicals?

12% 88% 101

Yes No Total voters:

Random Testing

Do you think random drug and alcohol testing improves job safety?

Yes 65% No 35% Total voters: 203

Multitasking Does multitasking give rise to more mistakes that can put worker safety at risk?

Yes No

Total voters:

88% 12% 157

Go on — have your say.

Check out www.ohscanada.com to vote in our latest poll.

www.ohscanada.com

DECEMBER 2012

45

SAFETY GEAR

high-visibility apparel

Catching The Eye

By Sabrina Nanji

A

s the saying goes, “’tis better to be seen than heard.”

It should, therefore, come as no surprise that when it comes to the workplace — especially those involving hazardous environments — the same rules apply.

For employees who work under low light conditions or around vehicular traffic, wearing high-visibility safety apparel (HVSA) is the first line of defence and helps alert drivers or machine operators of workers’ presence.

Construction and transportation are among the sectors in which workers may be required to work under low-light conditions and in environments with moving traffic. First responders, such as firefighters, emergency services personnel and police officers, are another group of workers in which high-visibility apparel is becoming an integral part of their uniform.

High-visibility apparel can discharge its protective function only if “You can have the appropriate type of gear is selected to suit prevailing work conditions. hazardous The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Standard Z96-09, High-Visibilenvironments ity Safety Apparel, offers some guidance on the selection, use and care of on the high-viz gear, which includes jackets, brightest, vests, jumpsuits and headwear.

Under the standard, high-visibility garments are grouped into three class- sunniest day.” es based on the body coverage provided. Class 1 provides the lowest recognized coverage and good visibility, comprising a basic harness, stripes or bands over the shoulders and encircling the waist. The apparel is suitable for directing vehicle operators to parking or service locations and retrieving shopping carts in parking areas or warehouse operations.

Class 2 gear offers moderate body coverage and superior visibility, with full coverage of the upper torso (front, back, sides and over the shoulders) and minimum side coverage of 50 per cent from the bottom edge of the garment to shoulder point. Class 2 apparel is the most commonly used and is worn by traffic operators on roads or highways, and plant employees working around fast-moving machinery.

Class 3 affords the greatest body coverage and visibility under poor light conditions and at great distance. Apparel in this category meets the same requirements as Class 2, with the addition of bands or stripes encircling both arms and both legs. These bands should be made up of a combination of retro-reflective and background material. Class 3 apparel is most often used in environments where vehicle speeds exceed 80 kilometres per hour or where there is a high traffic volume with unmonitored equipment movement.

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While the amount of reflective trim — which varies according to the three aforementioned classes — is a protective factor, having that reflective trim appear “in a pattern that not only creates visibility, but also helps define that worker as a person” is also key, notes Andrew Wirts, sales and marketing director with NASCO Industries, a rainwear and HVSA manufacturer in Washington, Indiana.

Under the CSA Standard, the reflective trim takes the form of an X and is placed on the back of an employee’s vest or jacket. “People know that if they see that X, they know that that person does not see them [as] they have their back to them,” Wirts explains. Not only does this enhance visibility, but also signals that caution should be exercised by the approaching party — be it a vehicle or heavy machinery.

FIRSTS FIRST As with the selection of any safety gear, assessing the risks present in a workplace is the very first step that needs to be taken. The CSA strongly recommends that employers perform a hazard assessment at each job site to determine which type and class of high-visibility apparel will be suit-

Wear It Right As with any personal protective equipment, workers need to be equipped with knowledge on how to care for and put the gear to good use.

Training on the proper donning and maintenance of high-visibility safety apparel must be provided to ensure that workers are aware of the following: • when to use high-vis apparel; • fitting instructions; • how to put on and take off the apparel; • the importance of using the apparel as specified; • limitations of use; • how to store and maintain the apparel correctly; • how to check for wear and tear; and • how to clean or decontaminate the apparel correctly with complete washing or drying cleaning instructions.

It is also important to keep high-visibility apparel clean and well-maintained, as contaminated or dirty retro-reflective materials provide lower visibility, notes information from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety in Hamilton, Ontario.

Garments should be replaced if there are signs of wear and tear, soiling or contamination as it will no longer be able to provide acceptable levels of visibility. Purchasers of high-visibility safety apparel should also obtain that the materials used and the design of the garment meet the requirements of the CSA Z96-09 Standard.

photos: clockwise from top left - nasco industries; 3m.

able for the work at hand. Factors that need to be considered include the background or environment of the workplace and weather conditions. Fog, overcast, rain and snow can all diminish visibility.

Exposure to surrounding hazards, such as moving vehicles and whether or not there is adequate distance and time for workers to respond to oncoming traffic, and vice versa, also needs to be taken into account. This means calculating the speed of oncoming vehicles to determine the warning distance required and keeping in mind sight lines of vehicle operators, especially when vehicles are operated in reverse.

Compatibility with existing personal protective equipment and other specific occupational needs is also key. Proximity to hazardous substances — think heat, fire, electricity or chemicals that can splash onto a worker’s attire and damage its reflective function — will require workers to don HVSA with flameor electrical-resistance properties.

Chris Ransome, president of Simcoe, Ontario-based Ranpro Inc., which manufactures outdoor protective clothing for extreme weather conditions, says the need to be visible applies not only to outdoor workers.

“Like plant facilities, there is still a risk of accidents in low-light conditions,” Ransome suggests.

For indoor work environments, lighting conditions need to be assessed to determine if there are pockets of space or areas where visibility issues can pose a risk to worker safety.

Mobile equipment, such as forklifts and other material-handling equipment, warrants the need for workers to be attired in reflective clothing to make them readily visible to equipment operators, notes information from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) in Hamilton, Ontario.

“It is going through workplaces and asking, for one, have we had accidents in the past involving pedestrians or when someone didn’t see someone else and someone was injured? That’s a good place to start,” offers Gerry Culina, manager of general health and safety services with the CCOHS. SEEING COLOURS Brightness, fit, design, colour, maintenance and reflectivity are elements of a high-viz wardrobe that collectively help keep workers safe.

High-visibility garments are made of two types of materials: fluorescent and retro-reflective. While the fluorescent material provides the background or base fabric for daytime visibility, the retro-reflective tape serves as a contrast and throws back the light for nighttime visibility. The pinwheel of colour choice for the base fabric of such garments ranges from fluorescent yellow-green, fluorescent orange-red, fluorescent red and bright yellow-green to bright orange-red.

For instance, a high-viz vest, such as those typically worn by construction workers or public transit technicians, may be in bright orange with contrasting greenish-yellow stripes, Culina illustrates. The orange — which is brighter than a regular coloured T-shirt — serves as the fluorescent backing, while the retro-reflective stripes have an inherent prism-like design. As the retro-reflective trim bounces light back towards the source, the combination of both materials make for the utmost distinction.

“Over the last few years, they have made the retro-reflective material much better; you can see it from much farther away,” Culina adds.

Ransome notes that orange is among the most popular colour as it is the most eye-catching, although yellow hues are steadily gaining in popularNASCO’s rain wear ity each year. (left) offers high-vis Wirts, who would like to see protection from the high-visibility garments being elements and is offered in additional hues, says flash-fire resistant, “one [colour] that comes to while 3M’s Scotchlite mind is fluorescent pink.”

Reflective Material (bottom) can be added to all kinds of footwear, headgear and attire.

DAILY GRIND Choosing the right material for the right job is only half the battle won. The demands of the job also have an influencing role on the gear’s design.

“All of our garments are outerwear, so they are being worn on top of other garments and they need to be sized properly,” Wirts says. “And they need to have the right features to allow the people to do the job.” For example, high-visibility apparel that comes with a hood can present a snag hazard for workers in the oil and gas sector.

And any gear that serves a protective function must also be comfortable to wear, as discomfort can result in improper donning. “If he is not wearing the garment properly, he is compromising its protective capabilities,” Wirts suggests.

“Keeping workers comfortable and compliant means they are more likely to maintain the agility and peak performance that busy job sites require — while also standing out to those around them,” adds Lori Wood, market manager of performance safety materials at 3M’s occupational health and environmental safety division in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She cites compliance, safety and durability as among the top three factors when choosing a high-visibility uniform.

The prevailing season also needs to be considered, says Matt Grabiak, chief merchandising officer of online personal protective equipment retailer, All Safety Gear, based in Aurora, Ontario. “High-visibility is not the only safety concern when deciding the apparel item to purchase,” he says. “For example, you would want to make sure that you are choosing items that are insulated as well as high-visibility for jobs in freezing temperatures.”

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photos: ranpro inc.

And that applies even when days are warm and bright. “If you have a delivery truck driver that steps out from his vehicle even on a sunny day and steps into the shadow of his truck, there is nothing to engage that retro-reflective trim and he just disappears in the shadow with dark clothing on,” Ransome cites by way of example.

“I think it really comes down to job-site awareness or hazard awareness and fully understanding what the risks to other employees are,” he suggests. “You can have hazardous environments on the brightest, sunniest day.”

The cost of high-viz apparel, which varies significantly depending on the class and added features, is another deciding factor. Grabiak says a basic HVSA Class 1 vest may cost as little as $15, while a Class 3 flame-retardant high-visibility vest can cost upwards of $100.

Variations in cost aside, there is also likely to be a difference in quality, durability and safety effectiveness. Grabiak advises that employers do their due diligence in researching the range of products available in the market and assessing it against workplace requirements.

“Just because a product does not have a recognizable name does not necessarily mean that it is a lower-end line,” Grabiak says. “We recommend that you learn about the technology used when manufacturing the clothing. This will help you determine the quality, durability and safety effectiveness.”

SECOND LOOK The proper care and maintenance of reflective gear is integral to its safety function — an area that Wirts says is often overlooked. “I don’t know how many times I have driven by a work zone and seen something that is so dingy and dirty that could not possibly be compliant with the standard,” he notes.

“I think there needs to be an education as to what is acceptable — like an in-use care and maintenance Ranpro’s standard — that will be able to de- high-visibility termine that this garment is not as Utili-Guard series clean or as bright as when we first of waterproof put it in service, and it needs to be protective wear offers workers cleaned or replaced,” he opines.

The durability and cleanliness protection from of high-viz apparel also depends electrical arc. largely on work conditions. For instance, a baggage handler on an airplane runway is less likely to be exposed to dirt and grime than, say, an oil rig operator.

But knowing when to replace a high-viz garment that has outlived its protective function may not be as straightforward as it seems, Culina suggests. The wear and tear from work, combined with multiple laundry cycles, can cause the reflective material to peel and fade.

“A garment’s authenticity and wash durability are two specific details to consider,” Wood says. “To the untrained eye, all reflective garments may seem equal. However, many are apt to break down and deteriorate after enduring repeated wear and washing,” she notes, adding that imitation materials often do not meet industry regulations or the requirements needed to keep workers safe.

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Determining user application and estimating the required garment durability are two factors that employers should keep in mind when considering the lifetime of the reflective material, she advises.

To address this concern, Wood cites 3M’s new Scotchlite Reflective Material Series 9500 Fire Coat Trim, which has been tested to ensure that the trim maintains its brightness, even after exposure to common chemicals and extreme heat conditions, such as those that firefighters commonly face.

One way to check reflective apparel for signs of overuse is simply to conduct a visual check. Grabiak says signs of discoloration and loss of reflectivity is most apparent when the item first comes out of the washer and dryer. Users should also follow the instructions on the tag.

“Most items will not only tell you how to wash the garment, but it may also indicate how many times it can be washed before it should be replaced,” he adds.

Wirts strongly recommends that employers or supervisors conduct an annual inspection to monitor the quality of the safety apparel. The way garments are stored is also critical. “If you use it regularly, I would suggest that supervisors constantly, at every job, monitor the quality of the safety apparel,” he advises.

NEW DIRECTIONS While high-visibility apparel is made up of several basic components, new features are being incorporated to enhance its safety function.

One emerging trend that Ransome observes is the concept of integrated clothing. “It is not enough to just throw a piece of retro-reflective trim on a uniform to satisfy a high-visibility requirement,” he says. “What ends up being more functional is integrated clothing — permanent-wear clothing that incorporates high-visibility-wear background colours and reflective trim. So it is just part of your everyday uniform.”

For example, instead of donning highvisibility vests, outdoor workers can wear fluorescent T-shirts with reflective tape printed on the fabric.

Wirts observes that the incorporation of biomotion pattern — distributing retro-reflective strips across the body to present a pattern of biological motion — into the design of safety garments to enhance visibility appears to be gaining ground. With this type of attire, workers are visible from 360 degrees as it defines each of the limbs with retroreflective trim by using directionality in a pattern that marks its wearer as a person, and warns the approaching onlooker to exercise caution.

While these innovative trends may push the envelope and improve the design and construction of high-visibility safety apparel, understanding the importance of proper selection, maintenance and routine inspections can mean being protected by eye-catching, reflective hues or have one’s safety comprised by a feeble flicker.

Follow us on Twitter @OHSCanada

Sabrina Nanji is editorial assistant of

health and safety news.

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DECEMBER 2012

49

Annual Index 2012

C A N A D A

Accident Prevention

Combustible Dust

Entertainment

Busting the Blues

Dust to Dust

Make-believe gets safety boost with release of guide

December..............................40

Crack in the Sky July/August............................44

Harvesting Safety September..............................34

Inside Out January/February..................42

Seeing the Light October/November...............52

Sound and Safe March.....................................54

Super Safe April/May..............................42

When Dusts Settle June........................................44

Alcohol & Drugs Enhanced driver safety within a hair: company

By Angela Stelmakowich & Greg Burchell January/February..................22

Grow-ops offer smoke, fire and chemicals, too

By Jason Contant April/May..............................20

Put to the Test

By Jason Contant September..............................36

To Test or Not to Test

By Donalee Moulton January/February..................48

Plane overshooting runway prompts investigation

By Sabrina Nanji October/November...............22

TSB renews call for helmet use among helicopter pilots

By Jason Contant June........................................20

Warning system upgrade proposed for select planes

By Greg Burchell March.....................................24

Certification

Not Seeing Eye to Eye

By Greg Burchell July/August............................46

Safer way to haul beers needed

By Greg Burchell December..............................17

Dispatches Are tattoos still taboo in the workplace?

By Samuel Dunsiger January/February..................21

Bite, bluster and bother of the Great White North

By Greg Burchell January/February..................20

Firefighters concerned solar panels may be “shocking�

By William M. Glenn January/February..................22

Ministry probes stage collapse in fair weather

By Greg Burchell July/August...................................23

Newly-created association to boost fishing safety

By Jason Contant December..............................18

Ontario beefs up building code requirements for glass Prolonged space travel causes brain, eye problems

By Jean Lian June........................................22

Small group interactions diminish intelligence: study

By Jean Lian June........................................18

The Buzz on Bites and Stings

By Samuel Dunsiger March.....................................62

Turn on the charm for the extra mile in negotiations

By Jean Lian December..............................16

Under Current

By Jean Lian January/February..................36

DECEMBER 2012

Court Rulings

By Jason Contant September..............................20

Aviation

50

By Jean Lian July/August............................24

ohs canada

By Greg Burchell July/August............................20

Stage Fright

By William M. Glenn March.....................................40

Environment Safety Goes Green

By Greg Burchell September..............................46

Ergonomics & Musculoskeletal Injuries iPain in the Neck

By Ann Ruppenstein April/May..............................50

New approach to studying silviculture injuries

By Greg Burchell September..............................23

Safer way to haul beers needed

By Greg Burchell December..............................17

Slipping into beds helps send discomfort goodnight

By Riva Gold March.....................................24

Smooth Descent

By Greg Burchell October/November...............48

Stretching the Truth

By Greg Burchell January/February..................46

Foreign Workers Surviving migrant workers recall deadly collision

By Sabrina Nanji December..............................16

Union, Mexican states ink pacts to bolster TFW safety

By Ann Ruppenstein April/May..............................20

Unions see red over changes to foreign worker program

By Jason Contant July/August............................21

Hazardous Exposures Asthma aggravated by paint vapours on the job

By Jason Contant January/February..................20

Avoiding Invisible Waves

By Greg Burchell April/May..............................52

Death by Design

By Jason Contant March.....................................30

D-fending Against Infections

By Danny Kucharsky September.............................24

Dust to Dust

By Jean Lian July/August............................24

Full Metal Racket

By William M. Glenn April/May..............................24

Making a Comeback

By Jason Contant September..............................32

Mixing of chemicals prompt two evacuations

By Greg Burchell September..............................22

New Letters, Old System

By Donalee Moulton July/August............................30

Review confirms cancer risk for shipyard workers

By Jason Contant June........................................22

Suspended Concern

By Danny Kucharsky January/February..................44

Tailpipe Troubles

By William M. Glenn June........................................30

Health & Well-Being Bill eyes greater protection for pregnant workers

By Jason Contant & Angela Stelmakowich April/May..............................22

Counselling helps promote early return-to-work

By Jean Lian October/November...............21

D-fending Against Infections

By Danny Kucharsky September..............................24

Diagnosis: Wellness

By Jean Lian April/May..............................44

Getting to the heart of shift work health risks

By Greg Burchell March.....................................28

Long work schedules linked to obesity among nurses

By Jean Lian October/November...............21

Moving company putting some heart into heart safety

By Greg Burchell April/May..............................21

Police work poses adverse health outcomes: study

By Jean Lian September..............................20

Taking Over the Reins

By Jean Lian October/November...............50

Human Rights & Labour Standards A New Life

By Sabrina Nanji October/November...............26

Doctors under fire for showing patients support

By Jason Contant March.....................................27

Employees with disabilities face unseen barriers: survey

By Jean Lian December..............................17

Indoor Air Quality Airing on Caution

By Ann Ruppenstein June........................................36

Counselling helps promote early return-to-work

By Jean Lian October/November...............21

Feeling frustrated at work?

Get a room and go postal

By Samuel Dunsiger June........................................19

Giving a Lift to Depression

By Danny Kucharsky June........................................52

Lingering Shadows

By Jason Contant October/November...............38

Sizing up Invisible Hurt

By Jean Lian and Jason Contant July/August............................52

Mobile Devices App Awakenings

By Samuel Dunsiger December..............................34

Smart phone application rats on distracted drivers

By Jean Lian July/August............................20

Oil & Gas Taming the Wild West

By William M. Glenn December..............................22

Prevention Blood Loss

By Peter Kenter January/February..................24

Near-miss incident prompts alert on welding

By Greg Burchell July/August............................21

The Buzz on Bites and Stings

By Samuel Dunsiger March.....................................62

Privacy Eye in the sky sets work relations on edge

By Greg Burchell March.....................................26

Password to getting a job is giving up your password

By Jean Lian July/August............................22

Stalled privacy protections in need of support

By Jean Lian March.....................................25

Star-struck waiter fired for posting celebrity tip online

By Riva Gold September..............................23

Mental Health

Productivity

Change of Mind

Balancing Act

By Angela Stelmakowich March.....................................36

By Donalee Moulton October/November...............32

Falling Partitions: Plus or Minus

By Ann Ruppenstein March.....................................56

New survey yields old finding on employee engagement

By Jean Lian September..............................21

Training Emergency training takes reality to new virtual heights

By Greg Burchell June........................................20

Occupational medicine courses available online

By Jason Contant July/August............................23

Safety Gear A Helping Hand

By Jason Contant July/August............................48

A Safety Heads-Up

By Jason Contant April/May..............................46

Breath of Life

By Jason Contant October/November...............44

Catching The Eye

By Sabrina Nanji December..............................46

Designed for Comfort

By Greg Burchell June........................................48

Fountain of Care

By Greg Burchell September..............................26

Heat in a Flash

By Jason Contant March.....................................58

Warming Trend

By Jason Contant January/February..................50

Sex Workers Foreign strippers stripped of new work visas

By Sabrina Nanji September..............................21

Rough Trade

By Greg Burchell January/February..................30

Workplace safety education gets creative — and retro

By Jean Lian October/November...............23

Transportation Off the Rails

By Greg Burchell June........................................24

Violence Assaults on bus drivers in Winnipeg on the rise

By Greg Burchell June........................................23

On Alert

By Jean Lian April/May..............................30

Workers’ Compensation A Safer Way to Numbing Pain

By Jean Lian and Greg Burchell June........................................46

Compromising Positions

By Angela Stelmakowich July/August............................38

Nurse with MRSA wins battle for benefits

By Myron Love April/May..............................23

Reimburse benefits, tribunal tells compensation board

By Greg Burchell October/November...............20

Staking Claims

Shift Work Getting to the heart of shift work health risks

By Greg Burchell March.....................................28

Long work schedules linked to obesity among nurses

By Jean Lian October/November...............21

Internet/Social Media Getting out the right oh&s message… in the right way

By Astrid Van Den Broek January/February..................23

Keeping on the straight and narrow with road safety

By Greg Burchell April/May..............................23

Virtual ties prove beneficial in uncertain economic times

By Jason Contant December..............................42

Whistleblowers Ruling sets stage for better whistleblower protection

By Angela Stelmakowich March.....................................28

Workplace Culture Avoid on-the-job blunders, bungles and gaffes

By Angela Stelmakowich March.....................................25

Constructing Culture

By Angela Stelmakowich April/May..............................36

Driving Change

By Ann Ruppenstein September..............................42

By Angela Stelmakowich April/May..............................22

www.ohscanada.com

DECEMBER 2012

51

PRODUCT SHOWCASE an advertising feature

3M™ Virtua™ CCS Protective Eyewear with Foam Gasket 3M™ Virtua™ CCS Protective Eyewear with Foam Gasket features a comfortable seal that helps limit eye exposure to nuisance dust while providing additional cushioning. The anti-fog lens coating and removable foam-lined gasket with airflow vents make this protective eyewear ideal for humid environments.

Virtua CCS eyewear includes the Corded Earplug Control System (CCS). The versatile design helps keep eyewear and earplugs attached, untangled and ready to use. Earplugs sold separately.

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Tie-Back Safety with a Self-Retracting Lifeline Miller Fall Protection announces the new Miller Turbo T-BAK Personal Fall Limiter – the first and only self-retracting lifeline designed to tie-back anywhere along the lifeline for greater mobility and convenience.

Miller

by Honeywell Download the brochure from our web site at http://www.millerfallprotection.com

MSA’s V-Gard® Accessory System product line is now available in Canada.

The V-Gard® Accessory line includes: • V-Gard® Frames - for slotted caps and non-slotted caps, with and without debris control.

•V -Gard® Visors - Impact polycarbonate, Chemical molded propionate, Elevated temp molded polycarbonate and mesh.

•V -Gard® Chin Protectors - standard and unique retractable that allows head movement.

Visit www.msanet.com

52

DECEMBER 2012

ohs canada

www.ohscanada.com

ADVERTISING DIRE C T O R Y

www.ohscanada. com

C A N A D A

3M

Carswell

MSA

BCRSP

Concept Controls

Nasco

Blackline GPS

Glove Guard

Radiation Safety Institute of Canada

www.3M.ca/ppesafety For ad see page 56 www.bcrsp.ca For ad see page 8 www.blacklinegps.com For ad see page 10

www.carswell.com For ad see page 14

www.msanet.com For ad see page 2

www.conceptcontrols.com For ad see page 13

www.nascoinc.com For ad see page 9

www.gloveguard.com For ad see page 11

www.radiationsafety.ca For ad see page 19

advertising DIRECTORY

Lakeland

www.lakeland.com For ad see page 12

Canadian Occupational Health & Safety News

DuPont Personal Protection many safety hazards – one solution provider

How do you select protective clothing and gloves?

Search with the most powerful tool from DuPont 1-800-387-9326 www.SafeSpec.com Copyright © 2012 DuPont. All rights reserved. The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, The miracles of science™ and all products denoted with ® or ™ are registered trademarks or trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates.

So, what’s on your mind?

DECEMBER 2012

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012

Does multitasking give rise to more mistakes that can put worker safety at risk?

Do you think random drug and alcohol testing improves job safety?

Yes

88%

Yes

65%

No

12%

No

35%

157

Total Votes

203

Total Votes

Go on — have your say.

Check out www.ohscanada.com to vote in our latest poll.

www.ohscanada.com

DECEMBER 2012

53

TIME OUT

TINY TERROR: Hazards come in all shapes and sizes. A

three-pound chihuahua has been designated a dangerous dog after a letter carrier in Windsor, Ontario says she was bitten on the ankle. The worker’s manager filed a police report about the dog attack, as required by Canada Post policies, CBC reported in October. The dog’s owner is required to muzzle the canine in question and display a warning sign on the property.

The owner and her spouse, who claim that the city is forcing them to purchase a $1 million insurance policy on the pintsized terror, say they are clueless when it comes to finding a muzzle that fits the tiny mouth of their pet dog. Go figure.

BUTTON-HAPPY: Panic buttons are usually reserved for moments of, well, panic. But when police responded to a call in October at a council meeting in Richmond Hill, Ontario, what they found was a budget meeting that had gone off the rails. A councillor had interrupted the meeting when his assistant was fired against his wish. As tempers flared, another councillor pushed the panic button, thinking that it would summon the building’s security, Toronto Star reported. Apparently, panic buttons in city councils across the Greater Toronto Area are almost exclusively connected to building security. As with all things in life, there are always exceptions. moose on roof: An RCMP officer in British Co-

lumbia suffered a bruised shoulder following an unnerving encounter with a pair of moose. On October 25, the officer was filing a report in his cruiser when he saw two moose crossing the intersection. As the officer moved his vehicle towards the animals in an attempt to intercept a vehicle travelling towards the pair, the bull moose attacked the police car, breaking the front grill and bumper, notes a statement from Prince George RCMP. The beast upped the ante by stepping onto the cruiser, stomping and kicking until one of its hooves slid off the roof, breaking the driver’s side window and bruising the officer on his left shoulder. The officer completed his shift and went home to recuperate, the statement notes.

STALLED BALLOT: Talk about running away with the elec-

tion. Two federal polling stations in Labrador were closed for an hour on election day last year after an Elections Canada employee drove away with ballet boxes before voting even began. The matter came to light after former Liberal MP Todd Russell, who lost his seat to Conservative Peter Penashue by a 79-vote window, raised concerns about missing ballot boxes in an interview with QMI Agency in October. The employee, who had thought that the empty boxes were meant for training, had left with the materials before being called back prior to the opening of the stations. Elections Canada says these types of “hiccups” do occasionally occur on E-Day.

WRONG LINE: The last thing that residents in Florida had on their minds when they called a toll-free number for information on a deadly meningitis outbreak was some naughty chat, but that was exactly what they got. Florida governor Rick Scott mistakenly gave out the phone sex number — which was just one digit off from the Florida Fungal Men54

DECEMBER 2012

ohs canada

ingitis Hotline number — during an update on the outbreak at a cabinet meeting on October 9. A radio station in Tampa posted the number on its website, only to be notified by a member of the public of the mix-up, Reuters reported. Callers were surprised by the sultry greeting of a woman saying, “Hello boys, thank you for calling me on my anniversary.”

Welcome to the sunshine state.

POT BUST: An assistant city attorney in New Orleans was

on the receiving end of the long arm of the law after a joint fell from his pocket in full view of police in court. Jason Cantrell, 43, was issued a summons for simple possession of marijuana and suspended from his job at the Orleans Parish magistrate court without pay following the unscripted revelation on October 1, Reuters reported. Lesson learned? Have deeper pockets if you have got something to hide — lawyer or not.

NO FREE PASS: Bullets for takeaway? It was a meal that

two patrons at a sushi restaurant in Winter Park, Florida were unlikely to forget after they complained about the food and service at the eatery. One of the patrons agreed to foot his own bill, but the other refused to pick up the tab as he had sent back nearly the whole dish, the Huffington Post reported in mid-October. When they tried to leave, the owner and chef followed them to their car and started kicking and banging on the vehicle. Gunshots were reportedly heard as the vehicle backed out of the parking lot. Police later recovered a bullet from the car’s rear bumper, along with another shell casing.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY: Attending one’s very own funeral

is not something that one typically gets to do in a lifetime, but a man in Brazil has had the morbid honour of doing just that. The 41-year-old car washer shocked his family by turning up at his own wake after his family had mistakenly identified a murdered local man at the morgue, Reuters reported in October. The car washer was spotted in the street by a friend who informed him of his demise. The dead-man-walking, who had not seen his family for months, called an acquaintance at the wake, but his call was dismissed as a prank. Seeing is believing, so when the man showed up at the sombre gathering, some guests reportedly fainted while others fled at the impossible sight. The corpse in this case of mistaken identity has since been returned.

LEAKPROOF COUTURE: Some fads die a quick death, while others linger a little longer. It is unclear which category this latest trend in Japan falls under, but the fad of wearing adult diapers is becoming increasingly popular, especially among women looking to save time. A 25-year-old employee of a real estate agency in Tokyo has been wearing diapers to work almost every day for the last six months, Japanese SPA! magazine reported in October. This waterproof accessory is worn under a skirt, which is more forgiving in hiding the additional padding than pants. For the first time in Japan, sales of adult diapers in May surpassed that for babies, although the nation’s greying population has a part to play.

Follow us on Twitter @OHSCanada

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Don’t Go to Work Without Us. 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material is recognized as the leading high performance retroreflective material for

enhancing worker visibility. Our 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material brand provides increased peace-of-mind to people who wear safety garments. They know that their garment contains material that will enhance their visibility in low-light and nighttime conditions. And they value that their reflective material comes from 3M, a trusted name known for quality and innovation.

SCAN HERE TO COME REFLECT ON THE SUCCESS OF 3M™ SCOTCHLITE™ MATERIAL IN THIS EDITION OF 3M SAFETY TALK OR GO TO: HTTP://GO.3M.COM/2ZV