A WorkSafeBC prevention officer shares how his personal experience with workplace injury helps him make a difference for employers and workers. Occupational safety officer Carl Howells reinvented his career after a life-changing workplace injury. In 2011, Carl was working as a carpenter on a construction site when he was injured. As a result, he spent […]
BC 1 Call reminds homeowners, and commercial contractors to “click or call before you dig” into the ground for any outdoor project, big or small. In 2020, a worker was seriously injured while operating an ATV at a vineyard. The worker was driving down an 11% slope when the ATV lurched ahead unexpectedly. The ATV […]
One worker was seriously injured while driving an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) downhill in a vineyard. In 2020, a worker was seriously injured while operating an ATV at a vineyard. The worker was driving down an 11% slope when the ATV lurched ahead unexpectedly. The ATV and its driver fell down two steep slopes. They landed […]
Safer Spaces raises awareness of sexual harassment in tourism and hospitality workplaces. In 2020, 25 percent of women and 17 percent of men reported that they’d experienced inappropriate sexualized behaviours in their workplace in the past year. More than 25 percent of employees did not feel like their employer had given them information on identifying, […]
A new resource makes it easier to prevent interactions between people and vehicles before they happen. When it comes to preventing struck-by incidents at work, simply telling workers to “pay attention” is not enough says Heather Kahle, a human factors specialist at WorkSafeBC. “We need to recognize that people can’t ‘pay attention’ to all things […]
An online health and safety orientation course provides an introduction to how to work safely on a construction site. Recently, I spoke with Erin Linde, director of health and safety services at the B.C. Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA). Erin is the project lead for SiteReadyBC, an online health and safety orientation program that provides an […]
B.C. workers in the film industry will have to take Actsafe’s general safety awareness course by March 31, 2024. Recently, I learned that Actsafe’s Motion Picture General Safety Awareness course will be mandatory for all workers in the motion picture industry. Everyone is required to complete it by March 31, 2024. To find out more […]
New safety training is available for workers in collision shops, the towing industry, and other workplaces where there are electric vehicle batteries. Just over a year ago, I wrote about the need to raise employers’ awareness of electric vehicle (EV) safety. I spoke with Percy Chua, a manager in WorkSafeBC’s Risk Analysis Unit, who advised […]
An app is in development that will enable forestry employers to use smart devices to fill out and manage health and safety paperwork. B.C. forestry employers are trying out a new app that will make it easier to manage safety-related paperwork. The Forest Industry Reporting System (FIRS) App will enable forestry employers to fill out […]
Demand for cannabis remains steady, and on-going training is essential for workers using new technology and tools to process, store, receive, and ship products. Ever since cannabis was legalized in 2018, Canadians have seen many new products become available. The industry uses new types of machinery and processes for extracting active ingredients from cannabis plants. […]
