Five deaths a day “unacceptable,” say authors

A new report finds that more Canadians are dying on the job than ever before, and it says that Canada has a woeful record compared with other developed countries.

The report, Five Deaths a Day: Workplace Fatalities in Canada, 1993-2005, was published in December by the Ottawa, Ont.-based Centre for the Study of Living Standards.

“The numbers — and rates — of workplace fatalities are troubling,” says Dr. Andrew Sharpe, one of the study’s authors, and the executive director of the centre. “Other countries are making progress in this area and we are not.”

In 2003, the ILO Workplace Fatality database shows that Canada had the fifth highest incidence of workplace fatalities out of 29 OECD countries. Only Korea, Mexico, Portugal, and Turkey had higher rates of workplace fatalities.

The report found that the number of workplace fatalities in 2005 was the highest ever reported, 1,097 deaths, an increase of 18 per cent from 2004 when 928 deaths were reported. Canadians work on average 230 days per year, so there were nearly five work-related deaths per workday in Canada.

To read the full news story, please click the link below:
Five deaths a day

IAPA announces speakers for annual conference

The lineup of speakers is set, and the sessions are all lined up for this year’s Health & Safety Canada 2007 Conference and Trade Show, held by the Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA).

Billed as the largest safety event in Canada, it takes place April 16-18, 2007 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre’s South building.

In a news release, the IAPA says this year’s event will have four key streams: healthy workplaces, health and safety core practices, leadership and management breakthroughs and evolving innovations through research.

Attendees can check out the latest and greatest health and safety products and services on display from more than 400 exhibitors, and can attend dozens of workshops and presentations from industry experts. This year’s lineup includes workshops and presentations on topics such as confined space entry, ergonomics, respirators and confined spaces, world-class training, welding, conveyor safeguarding, transportation of dangerous goods, safety groups, disability management, pandemic planning, workplace violence, contractor safety, risk assessment, electrical safety, nanotechnology and much more.

Attendees will also get a chance to hear three top-notch keynote speakers:

• Craig Kielburger, a children’s rights spokesperson and the founder of Free the Children, who is also a Nobel Peace Prize nominee;

• Chris Gardner, President & CEO of the Chicago-based brokerage firm Gardner Rich & Co., whose autobiography, The Pursuit of Happyness, inspired a motion picture that (as of our press time) is now in theaters; and

• Stephen Lewis, recently former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Organizers say this year’s event also features a leadership forum on April 17 with a focus on health and safety and corporate social responsibility. Some of the featured speakers taking part in that event include former Prime Minister Joe Clark, and David Hughes, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity.

There will also be more than 70 presentations developed for the “who’s who” of labour inspection leaders, policy makers and professionals in Canada, when the International Association of Labour Inspection (IALI) members from more than 100 countries meet for the first time in North America.

For more information, or to register, visit www.iapa.ca.

Five myths about RSI

Debunking common myths.

February 28, 2007 is International RSI Awareness Day, a day dedicated to shining a spotlight on the painful cause of over 40,000 workplace injuries in Ontario each year — repetitive strain injuries, more commonly known as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the province of Ontario.

The Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA) created a document to help debunk five common myths to help eliminate pains and strains in the workplace.

Click on the link below to read the full news article from the IAPA.
Five Common Myths

Free heavy equipment safety posters

The Construction Safety Association of Ontario is offering three new heavy equipment safety posters for free from its website. The association says that the posters are designed to encourage good practices in how to:

• stay clear of equipment and make eye contact with operators;

• wear seatbelts for operator protection; and

• look out for powerlines.

Visitors can download portable document format (PDF) versions to print out, or companies can print them out with their own logos. Visit www.csao.org or email johnih@csao.org for more details.

New Bill C-45 charge in Quebec gets lots of attention

What are the implications of this case for employers and workers across Canada?

by Norm Keith, B.A., LL.B, CRSP

The big occupational health and safety (OHS) news late last year is a development that came out of the province of Quebec. Through press releases and now by obtaining and reviewing a copy of the criminal indictment personally, I can reliably confirm the second OHS Criminal Negligence charge under the Bill C-45 amendments to the Criminal Code.

This charge is the first charge against an organization and will necessarily result in a consideration of many new and complex questions that arise from the specific language of the Bill C-45 amendments to the Criminal Code, that remain as of yet unanswered by the courts. In this column I will provide some details regarding the second “Bill C-45” charge, briefly discuss the resolution of the first Bill C-45 charge, and first, confirm what exactly Bill C-45 is and does and what it does not do.

To read Norm Keith’s full column click on the link below:
Legal Connection Column

SAFETY NET: Safety sites worth a look

Help for health care workers

Our Safety Net columnist Phil Tiessen from the CCOHS reviews some excellent sites with links and resources for health care workers.

by Phil Tiessen

My father once said he avoided hospitals because so many people died in them. While he may have confused the cause and effect relationship, there are certain health risks in hospitals and to health care workers in general that are more prevalent than in other workplaces.

At their excellent website, http://www.heu.org/occupational_health, the British Columbia Health Care Union (HEU) has seven links to detailed information. One link, “Health and Safety Hazards,” lists five main categories of risk to the health and safety of health care workers. The five areas of risk they cite are workload and stress, workplace violence, injuries, exposure to chemicals, and needlestick injuries. Under each area of risk are links to further information, some from the HEU, but a few from other organizations. These five categories are a good guide to searching for information on this topic.

The OSH Answers section of the website for the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has information on each of the five risk areas.

To read Phil Tiessen’s full column click on the link below:
Safety Net Column

Lightweight and flexible

Degil Safety says its JS700 Blue Tip safety eyewear product line is extremely lightweight and comfortable to wear. The product features ultra soft comfort tips on the temple arms, wide vision single lens design with built-in side shields, nylon frame and sliding adjustable temple arms. The company says the lenses are impact and scratch resistant and the coated polycarbonate lenses provide 99.9 per cent UV protection. The lenses come in clear, blue, mirror, indoor/outdoor clear mirror.
For more information, visit: www.degil.ca

Prescription inserts for popular models

North Safety says its prescription inserts can help save money and look great. The company says it developed its new breed of protective eyewear, the N-Vision 5600 Series featuring the innovative new RX insert for the prescription-wearing aging Canadian work force. The RX insert converts protective eyewear into prescription safety glasses.
For more information, call 1 877-956-6784 or visit: www.northsafety.ca

Glove helps reduce vibration

Ergo Glove says its Ergodyne 9015 anti-vibration glove features a protective micro-injected dorsal shell with vent slots, breathable padded stretch spandex back and fourchettes for better fit. The company says the durable woven elastic cuff has a micro-injected hook-and-loop closure for quick cinching as well as a handy pull on tab. The glove’s palm is made with an abrasion resistant pigskin with natural lifelines for better fit and flexibility and the patent pending Nu2 02 polymer covers the palm, fingers and thumb offering ISO 10819 certified anti-vibration protection, says the company.
For more information, visit: www.ergodyne.com

Custom footbeds for tired feet

SOLE Custom Footbeds are heat moldable insoles that provide orthopedic support and industry leading cushioning that is customized for your unique feet, says the company. The company says that generic factory insoles don’t provide the same level of support and comfort that heat moldable SOLE Custom Footbeds offer. The products provide a semi-rigid custom fit with cushioning immediately next to the foot. This provides superior shock absorption at a fraction of the cost of anti-fatigue matting, says the company. SOLE insoles come in a variety of thicknesses to accommodate various types of footwear and are available in men’s size 3 to 17. The company says that apart from reducing fatigue, they also provide stability, balance and support, which protect the knees, hips and the lower back.
For more information, visit: www.yoursole.com