Employers need to know the hazards in their workplace and manage the risks to provide a healthy and safe workplace. It’s ergonomics month and WorkSafeBC has some important reminders for B.C. manufacturers this October. I connected with Tami Der, an occupational health and safety consultant with WorkSafeBC on how employers can use in-house inspections and […]
Listening and responding to workers’ concerns and suggestions is an essential way that employers can improve the health and safety culture of their workplace. Recently, I spoke with an elevator mechanic who shared a very good example of positive health and safety culture. While repairing or modernizing elevators, he and his crew would often come […]
Employers must support workers during ongoing labour shortage that often leads to longer shifts, less supervision, and more responsibilities. Due to recent staff shortages, workers are finding themselves in situations they may not have experienced in the past. The labour shortage means that many hospitality workers are working longer hours, with less supervision and more […]
Employers can get valuable information and ideas to improve safety when they engage with front-line workers through a key risk inventory. A key risk inventory (KRI) is a process to summarize the key risks and controls in each area of your workplace. It involves engaging with workers to identify key hazards and risks specific to […]
Improve communication and support a respectful workplace by using inclusive language. Recently I spoke with WorkSafeBC occupational safety officer Caity Klaudt about the power of words and promoting equality. She co-presented an online seminar, ‘Inclusivity through language – starting off right’, at the Women in Forestry summit earlier this year. She and her colleagues, Carole […]
A young worker advocates for open communication at work, and gives his take on the B.C. government survey about hazardous work and youth. Are certain types of work too hazardous for workers under the age of 19? The B.C. government is asking the public this question in an online survey. The Hazardous work protections for […]
Supervisors looking to enhance their communication skills can register for a free course that covers leading meetings, sharing information, and more. “Communicating is and always will be a key part of being a good and effective supervisor,” says Cherie Whelan, director of SAFE Companies with the BC Forest Safety Council (BCFSC). She says that communicating […]
The B.C. Institute of Technology’s School of Construction and the Environment is reimagining how it makes health and safety an integral part of learning. During the month of April, Construction Month celebrates B.C.’s construction industry. These essential workers have kept going through the pandemic, the heat dome, floods, supply chain disturbances, and more. In 2021, […]
Read one woman’s story about her experience working in forestry and supporting workers who experience bullying, harassment, and gender-based violence. On International Women’s Day 2022, I applaud Caity Klaudt for her efforts to support a safe, inclusive workplace culture in B.C. forestry. Caity is a WorkSafeBC safety officer on the silviculture inspection team. As part […]
A presentation from WorkSafeBC safety officers about bullying and harassment can be a positive way to start conversations in your workplace. Kira Berntson, a prevention field services manager at WorkSafeBC, is one of the team members who gives presentations about bullying and harassment to individual employers, employer associations, and groups of employers and workers. I […]
