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CSA responds to reader about policing counterfeits
CSA appreciates comments made by Bob Hydman in the Nov/Dec. 2006 issue, Canadian Occupational Safety, asking for better policing of uncertified and counterfeit products. CSA
is very supportive of the idea of more enforcement and inspections as
raised by Mr. Hydman, however, as a not-for-profit, non-government
organization it does not have the power to make a standard mandatory or
to inspect products that do not bear the CSA International
certification mark. While CSA does not have the authority to ask
distributors and sellers to identify non-compliant safety equipment,
provincial and federal OHS regulators can require that equipment be
properly and clearly identified in accordance with CSA standards. CSA
advises all Canadian employers and workers to look for the label or
mark that identifies the product as meeting the CSA standard. The best
way to know if a product does not meet the applicable CSA standard is
that it will not have a CSA International certification mark on the
package or the product itself. Through
our volunteer standards committees, CSA works closely with
manufacturers and distributors to ensure that packaging, labels, tags,
and product information supplied at the point-of-sale are clear in
their statements or mark of compliance with the applicable CSA standard. For
example: the CAN/CSA-Z96-02 High-Visibility Safety Apparel standard
requires garment tags and information that clearly identifies the
product as being compliant with the standard and informs the buyer of
the class and level of performance. The
same level of identification is required for hard hats, helmets,
eyewear, face protection, hearing protection, protective footwear, and
fall protection equipment. For respirators, the standard stipulates the
appropriate NIOSH compliance marking. In addition, CSA's safety
equipment selection guidelines help buyers to locate compliant
equipment and select the right level of protection for the job. Dave Shanahan I just received the latest edition of Canadian Occupational Safety
magazine and as Chair of IAPA's Board of Directors I'd like to thank
you for the great coverage you provided on the opening of the Centre
for Health and Safety Innovation. I would also like to offer special thanks for the article you ran on the Threads of Life organization (www.threadsoflife.ca).
As you may know, Threads of Life is one of the organizations that IAPA
supports and it has a special place in my heart for what they do. The
display is so emotionally overwhelming I have difficulty getting near
it. Passing the message on as you have done and providing this support
is always appreciated. David Johnston, CRSP |
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| In The News | |||||||||||||||
LifeQuilt on display to remember young workers
A
giant LifeQuilt that pays tribute to 100 young Canadians who died on
the job and helps raise awareness about young worker safety was on
display at the recent grand opening of the new Center for Health and
Safety Innovation in Mississauga, Ont. One
of the parents whose son went to work one day and never came back home
was on hand to promote the LifeQuilt. Shirley Hickman’s son Tim was
killed in an industrial explosion in March 1996 in London, Ont. ''The
LifeQuilt travels across Canada, and it has been to the World Health
and Safety Congress in Florida,'' says Hickman in an interview. ''On
the LifeQuilt there are tributes to children between the ages of 14 and
24 from every province and every territory,'' she says. Each
of the 100 patches tells the life story of one young worker killed on
the job, and each quilt patch is made up of items and mementos unique
to each young person. As a whole, the LifeQuilt helps represent the
hundreds of young workers killed on the job over the years. Their
families agreed to publicly share their stories to help raise awareness
about safety. ''Out of awareness, of course, comes prevention,'' says
Hickman. The
LifeQuilt is a popular mobile tribute that is often on display at
health and safety events. Laurie Swim, a Toronto, Ont.-based artist
designed and created the quilt. For more information, visit: www.youngworkerquilt.ca Support for families Hickman
also started up Threads of Life, a not-for-profit volunteer led group
that helps provide support for those families whose children die or get
injured on the job. The organization's mission is to ''help families
heal through a community of support and to promote the elimination of
life-altering workplace injuries, illness and deaths.'' Threads
of Life started in 2003 with the launch of the LifeQuilt and the group
trains families to be family guides. ''Families have all found that by
talking with another family, that by having peer support, it makes
their journey a little easier,'' says Hickman. ''We are not
professionals but we have walked the journey and we are living the
journey.'' For more information, visit: www.threadsoflife.ca |
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Feature Story:
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In her own Words In
our last e-newsletter, we announced the winner of the first-ever COS
Safety Manager of the Year Award. Now, we learn more about the winning
candidate Melony Erickson, as she describes her approach to safety. By Melony Erickson When
Todd Phillips contacted me, I thought that maybe he wanted to include
Alberta Oil Tool (AOT) in an article on some facet of our safety
program. AOT has come such a long way in the last 10 years with respect
to our health and safety practices and I'm always happy to share our
challenges, success stories and future plans for the journey towards
safety excellence. When
Todd said, however, that I had received an award for COS magazine's
Safety Manager of the Year, I was humbled. It is my belief that AOT's
success is less about what I have done than it is about the culture of
our company and the mindset of our top management team and frontline
staff. Safety
managers who have effective systems in place will tell you that they
also have complete support from their management. Frustrated safety
leaders who are dealing with struggling programs and skeptical
employees will nearly always say that their team at the top is not
providing resources, setting examples or supporting efforts to make the
worksite a safe and healthy place to be. Our
President, (Daryl Harrington) and Manufacturing Managers (Terry Harnack
and Perry Harnack) are completely committed to the success of AOT’s
safety program and the health and welfare of our people. We
also have dedicated frontline people at Alberta Oil Tool. Angie Rice,
our Safety Coordinator works hard to ensure that everyone knows the way
things are done at AOT and the safety committee (Andre Beavan, Dean Van
Horne, Nathan Watson, Carson La Pierre, Ken Sherstan, Shane Siegel,
Xuong Loi, Shawn Chrapko and Kenny Quan) are the eyes, ears and hands
that keep the program running on track. When we first formed this
committee years ago, we had trouble convincing people to help out. Now
whenever we rotate members, we vote on who gets to join from a long
list of volunteers. Once silent committee meetings are now filled with
open discussion from employees at all levels and employees have even
begun to report themselves when they have committed a safety infraction. To read more of Melony’s article, please click here. |
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Tools of the Trade
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Draeger
Safety, Inc. is offering a trade-in program on its new X-plore half and
full face pieces. Users can trade in existing half or full face masks
and Draeger Safety will provide them with brand new half or full face
masks in return, on a one-to-one basis, at no cost. Users only need to
purchase the appropriate filters or cartridges. The X-plore 3500
half-mask is manufactured with a proprietary ''Draeger-Flex'' material
that is hypoallergenic, soft and comfortable to wear, says the company.
The X-plore 5500 full face piece is made of an EPDM material with a
triple edge seal. Contact the company’s customer service department at
800-615-5503. |
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SICK,
a leading manufacturer of sensors, safety systems and automatic
identification products for industrial applications, released its S300
Safety Laser Scanner. The company says this device is ideal for
applications where the hazardous area to be monitored is less than two
meters. The S300 augments the company's existing line of non-contact
safeguarding solutions for use in a variety of manufacturing and
warehouse distribution environments, and provides an economical option
for smaller scanning ranges. The company says its S300 reduces downtime
and can help eliminate damage, injuries and accidents in a wide variety
of safety applications. Its compact housing and low power consumption
make this device a good choice for providing oncoming fork detection on
AGVs, or safeguarding workers in the path of manned fork lifts and
transfer cars, says the company. The S300 has a 270-degree scanning
angle, which helps eliminate gaps in the area being safeguarded. |
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Coming Events
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Company trade in program
Safety laser scanner