When you’re driving, you’re driving. That’s your only role. Do a “self-check” to focus before getting in your vehicle. Tell yourself “Okay, I’m driving now.”  Our state of mind influences how we drive. Driving while angry, for example, is well-known as a bad idea. Just look at all the crazy road rage videos on YouTube! […]

When you work in the forest – whether for forestry or oil and gas – it’s not uncommon to be working amid wildfires. How can employers be prepared for this?  I’ll never forget the footage of people driving away from the Fort McMurray fire. One year ago, on May 3, 2016, more than 90,000 people fled […]

Those in the motion picture and performing arts industries often work long hours. Actsafe offers recommendations to help workers manage their fatigue.  My friend who works on film crews says an average shift on set is 14 hours. “It’s cheaper to pay overtime and work the crew long days than it is to pay for […]

A subcontractor was using a rock saw to cut asphalt but not wearing eye protection. An employee saw this and asked him to stop work until he had suitable eye protection. Once the protection was in place, he was allowed to continue. That’s one of the near-miss incidents reported in the “learnings database” on the […]

Proper maintenance is an important part of workplace safety. We’ve heard this many times before, and I wrote about it in my post Training and equipment maintenance key to safety. But it’s also critical to keep safety in mind while doing maintenance and repairs. This topic came up recently when I was talking with WorkSafeBC […]

Without proper ventilation and personal protective equipment, workers may be exposed to levels that can put them at risk of adverse health effects.

If you are a person who drives during a work shift – or you employ people who do – please read these tips

Falls are one of the leading causes of injuries to B.C. construction workers – and falls from ladders are the cause behind most construction-related falls.  “The humble ladder: everybody just looks at it and thinks that’s the tool to grab.” Construction industry specialist Kathy Tull told me this when I asked her about people’s attitudes […]

“Because skiing is obviously seasonal, too often we jump back into it thinking we were in the same shape as the end of the previous season, and we can get hurt.”

More than half of all injuries suffered by firefighers in BC occur away from emergency scenes. Of these, one-third happen in fire halls.