It can take months for restoration workers to clean a fire-damaged structure. They face a range of hazards, such as exposure to hazardous materials. Justin McConville, laboratory manager and hazmat department supervisor at On Side Restoration, has seen hundreds of fire-damaged buildings during his career in the restoration industry. He tells me that, depending on […]
Actsafe’s conference on event safety is all about sharing knowledge and equipping workers. On the agenda: crowd safety, mental health, opioids, and more. Actsafe’s annual Event Safety Conference brings industry stakeholders together to share knowledge about how to make live events and performing arts workplaces safer. “The conference is about equipping people at all levels […]
B.C.’s craft beer industry is booming. Brewery employers need to look at safety issues like heavy lifting, confined spaces, and carbon dioxide exposure. Ten years ago, there were 54 craft breweries in B.C. Now there are 145. Personally, I’m a big fan of craft beer and it’s always a pleasure to talk with brewers who […]
Using explosives to blast trees that are too dangerous to fall by conventional methods helps keep fallers away from the hazard. Dave “Dazy” Weymer trains certified fallers to blast trees that are too dangerous to remove by conventional methods. He’s worked in forestry for more than 50 years, starting with rigging and hauling. Later, he […]
Make sure you can identify toxic plants if you work or play outdoors. Giant hogweed is hard to miss, but poison ivy leaves don’t always look the same. It’s pretty easy to spot a giant hogweed plant. Recently, I read about a Vancouver Island woman who identified two of them in her garden. Kudos to […]
Flood waters move fast. Flood season is a hazardous time of year if you drive on resource roads to get to work. It’s important to make sure you’re prepared. It’s flood season in B.C. As I write this post, the waters are rising in many places throughout our province. Almost 3,000 residents remain out of […]
2017 was B.C.’s worst fire season ever. Now, many of these damaged trees are unstable, so people need to know about the hazards of working near them. First, many of the trees in B.C. were devastated by mountain pine beetles. Then more were burned in the 2017 wildfires. Now the province’s forests are filled with […]
Safety check-ins are crucial if you’re working alone or in isolation. This applies whether you’re outside in a remote location, in an office, or in a store. Happy Valentine’s Day! On this day of the couple, let’s talk about being alone – more specifically, being alone at work. If we work alone or in isolation, […]
Moving equipment is all around us. It’s used in most if not all industries. Securing mobile equipment is essential to safety of workers and the public. “Since 2006, more than 220 workers have been seriously injured by improperly secured vehicles in B.C. Sixteen of these incidents were fatal,” reads Improperly secured vehicles put workers’ lives […]
2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of B.C.’s workers’ compensation system. New videos share highlights of WorkSafeBC’s past 100 years. This is a milestone year for WorkSafeBC, the organization that sponsors this blog. Over the past 100 years, the workers’ compensation system has evolved in many ways. To learn more about its rich history, you can […]
