When domestic violence enters the workplace
April 26, 2012
This new video tells the story of Tony McNaughton, a Starbucks manager in downtown Vancouver, who was stabbed to death at work while protecting a staff member from her violent husband. It’s part of a new toolkit from WorkSafeBC that helps employers and workers reduce the risk of domestic violence entering the workplace.
“If, by this, we can raise the issue of domestic violence – and violence generally – and do something to counter it, then that’s part of Tony’s legacy,” says Allen Sawkins, Tony’s partner. It must have taken so much strength and courage to tell the story on video, and I’m grateful to Allen for sharing it.
For more resources, see the Domestic Violence section of WorkSafeBC’s Violence Prevention portal, where there are also resources related to violence in health care, retail, and tourism and hospitality, as well as working alone and workplace bullying.
Asbestos Awareness Week
April 05, 2012
From WorkSafeBC video: Asbestos
The first week of April is designated as Global and National Asbestos Awareness Week.
Many groups – like the Mesothelioma Center – are working hard to share information on the deadly effects of asbestos exposure. Last fall, on CBC radio, I heard the story of Heidi Von Palleske, who recorded a plea from her mother in the last days of her life with mesothelioma – a rare cancer nearly always caused by asbestos exposure. She asked government and the asbestos industry to end Canadian mining and exports.
The same week I heard about Heidi and her mom, I received an email from Ben Leer, public outreach coordinator for the Mesothelioma Center. He introduced himself and the US-based Center, which according to its website is “a one-stop resource for all asbestos- and mesothelioma-related issues, from occupational exposure to treatment options.”
I wrote about Ben’s introduction and his offer to share any information I might need. I contacted him again this week for his suggestions on what to include in this post on asbestos awareness resources – and here they are:
Asbestos: An Overview of Types, Exposure, Veterans & Diseases
Asbestos Exposure in Jobsites and Occupations
Designating a week to a cause
Global and National Asbestos Awareness Week was designated by the U.S. senate as the first week of April. One group who lobbied hard for this recognition is the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, formed in 2004 to raise public awareness and connect affected workers.
Here in BC, WorkSafeBC released a new asbestos website this year – HiddenKiller.ca.
The new WorkSafeBC site describes how to handle asbestos safely. If you are concerned about exposure in your own workplace, or want more information, call 604 276-3100 in the Lower Mainland or 1 888 621-7233 toll-free elsewhere in BC. Call 1 866 922-4357 for after hours emergencies.
If you think you’ve been exposed to asbestos (or any harmful substance), this information can help you get medical attention ASAP if needed. It’s alarming to think about these possibilities, but good to know there are options and support in numbers.
Asbestos in the news
Asbestos campaign aims to halt deadly exposures from WorkSafe Magazine, March/April 2012
Asbestos in Brakes: One community’s struggle from CBC News, Mar 12, 2012
Demolition firm sentenced over demolition danger from the UK’s Health and Safety Executive, Mar. 20, 2012
OHS practitioners urged to take greater role in anti-asbestos lobby from Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine, Jan 4, 2012.
Magazine recognizes employers who go above and beyond
October 27, 2011
A Canadian safety magazine has announced its first annual list of Canada’s Safest Employers. I was curious to find out more about who is on the list, how they were chosen, and why the magazine decided to start a new award program, so I emailed Mari-Len De Guzman, editor of Canadian Occupational Safety to find out more.
“We wanted to create a national recognition program for companies that deserve to be acknowledged for going above and beyond in promoting health and safety in the workplace,” Mari-Len said, via email.
In its first year, the contest attracted more than 100 employers whose nominations were judged by a a panel of reps from Canadian workplace safety organizations, including WorkSafeBC.
Social media shout-out
Many of the nominees responded to a call for nominations on the COS Online website www.cos-mag.com, via Twitter – @cosmagazine, the COS Facebook Group, and on COS’s YouTube channel. Acklands-Grainger, the national founding sponsor for the Canada’s Safest Employers Award program, and other people and organizations also promoted it through their social media channels.
Manufacturing was the award team’s focus for this first year and in 2012, targets will include construction, mining, oil and gas, natural resources, and the service industries. Nominations for 2012 will open in December 2011 – and as a born and bred BC resident, I’m hoping to see some representation from my home province.
“We are planning to work with the various industry safety associations in all provinces and solicit their support in both judging the nominations and/or helping us promote the award to their member companies to encourage more submissions,” Mari-Len said.
Image from GEAviation's YouTube channel
Who won?
Five winners were honoured September 27 by Canada’s Labour Minister Lisa Raitt in Toronto. In the coming weeks, I’ll follow up with more details about what they did to earn the honour. Congratulations to:
- Atotech Canada (Ontario)
- CCI Thermal Technologies (Ontario)
- GE Aviation (Quebec)
- Innovative Automation (Ontario)
- Pratt & Whitney Canada – Halifax Operations (Nova Scotia)
Here’s a link to Mari-Len’s article rounding up the first year of the award.
Are you ready to ShakeOut in BC?
October 18, 2011
From the ShakeOutBC website
It’s scary to think how bad the The Big One could be here on the West Coast. Like many, I’m hoping it’s after my time – but since no one really knows, I’ll do what I can to be prepared.
On Thursday, October 20 at 10:20 a.m., I’ll join hundreds of thousands of my fellow British Columbians to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” during the Great British Columbia ShakeOut.
Last year more than 470,000 people participated in this event for the first time, and now it’s annual – every third Thursday in October.
What if there’s an earthquake when you’re at work?
Here in BC, companies are not required to buy earthquake supplies for their staff. You may need to take things into your own hands and be prepared to be stuck at work for a few days if nearby bridges and roads are destroyed.
From the ShakeOutBC website
I wrote about this topic after last year’s ShakeOut. Scott Larsen of Krasicki and Ward Emergency Preparedness gave me this advice on how to be prepared if there is an earthquake when you are at work.
Scott said:
1) Read earthquake preparedness info on your municipality’s website.
2) Store heavy books on bottom shelves so they won’t fall on you.
3) Keep a spare supply of critical medications with you, in case you can’t get home or go to a pharmacy.
4) Make sure you have shoes you can wear to evacuate the building. Keep a pair of boots handy if you wear pumps or dress shoes because you will have to walk on glass and sharp debris.
5) Keep cash with you in case ATMs stop working.
6) If you are a parent, make sure you have a plan for your kids and who will pick them up.
ShakeOut on social media
Like ShakeOutBC on Facebook and follow them on Twitter to connect with other participants. Feel free to email me if you have any questions about using Twitter or Facebook to do this. If you’re not already using social media, you’ll see it’s easier than you imagined!
Mesothelioma Center reaches out
October 13, 2011
Recently I heard a conversation on CBC radio between Heidi Von Palleske and her mother, in the last days of her life with mesothelioma – a rare cancer nearly always caused by asbestos exposure. The mother asked the daughter to record her plea to government and the asbestos industry that they end Canadian mining and exports.
She really wanted people to know about what happened to her – how her husband came home from work every day at the asbestos plant, covered in “fairy dust” and hugged her and the kids. She wanted to stop it from happening to others – here in Canada and elsewhere.
Asbestos.com
I thought about this recorded interview when I received an email from Ben Leer, introducing himself as the new Public Outreach Coordinator for the Mesothelioma Center (Asbestos.com). Ben said his organization is working hard to connect with other organizations and individuals – so I’d like to help by sharing their social media coordinates.
Connecting online
You can Like the Mesothelioma Facebook page that links people, resources, legal aid, and information on all asbestos issues ranging from occupational exposure to mesothelioma treatment options.
Follow them on Twitter @TheMesoCenter and on LinkedIn as “The Mesothelioma Centre.”
Their website Asbestos.com is “a comprehensive one-stop resource for all asbestos- and mesothelioma-related issues, from occupational exposure to treatment options.”
In July, I wrote about Paul Douglas, who survived 11 years after a mesothelioma diagnosis and an estimated six months to live. He wrote about his experiences in an online forum for others with his condition. WorkSafeBC created hiddenkiller.ca so you can “tune into the facts so that you, your coworkers, your friends, your family are protected.”
Slow down in the cone zone
July 26, 2011
Slow down in the Cone Zone
When you enter the “Cone Zone,” you should reduce your speed, pay attention, and be respectful of the roadside workers and their workplace.
That’s the message from Work Zone Safety Alliance. Their new roadside worker safety awareness campaign is aimed to protect thousands of workers on the roads – and I’m glad to see it!
We need as much attention as possible directed at this group of vulnerable roadside workers that includes municipal workers, landscapers, flag people, tow-truck drivers, road-construction and road-maintenance workers, telecommunications and utility workers, and emergency and enforcement personnel.
In the last 10 years, 386 WorkSafeBC claims were made by workers — typically working in Cone Zones — who were struck by motor vehicles. That’s way too many injuries, which is why it’s good to see all these organizations working together to reduce them:
* BCAA Road Safety Foundation
* BC Ambulance Service
* BC Construction Safety Alliance
* BC Flagging Association
* BC Hydro
* BC Landscape and Nursery Association
* BC Municipal Safety Association
* BC Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association
* FortisBC
* ICBC
* Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
* Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
* Telus
* The Community Against Preventable Injuries
* Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services
* Lower Mainland police
* WorkSafeBC
For more info, or to download a campaign poster, visit Slow Down in the Cone Zone from WorkSafeBC. Drivers, please pay attention to this important message. Too often people speed through, thinking of where they are going, without caring enough about the people they pass. It’s time to change that!
New construction safety signs in BC
July 05, 2011
Construction safety sign in Vancouver
I stopped by the new BCIT campus under construction to check out the new safety signs unveiled on June 9 by WorkSafeBC and The Community Against Preventable Injuries (a.k.a. Preventable).
The new safety posters emblazon the sides of buildings, fencing, guardrails, and magnets on equipment – part of a joint WorkSafeBC–Preventable Construction Signage Pilot Project. The messages, with their bold white on black, aren’t just for people working on construction sites, but for everyone who sees them as they pass. They’re a reminder that we all need to stay safe, no matter what we do at work.
I walked around the perimeter of the site to get a good look at the signs and ended up chatting with some workers on the way back from their coffee break. I asked them to be in my photos, but they said no and joked around about how they would pose!
New construction safety signs in Vancouver at Stuart Olson Dominion's Broadway Tech
Focus on construction
They are focusing on this industry because it is so high-risk.
According to WorkSafeBC, there were 14,405 claims from construction worksites across BC in 2010. Of these, 7,620 were health-care-only claims, 6,014 were short-term disability claims, and 739 were long-term disability claims.
There were 32 fatal claims, and of those, 19 were due to occupational diseases.
Stuart Olson Dominion’s Broadway Tech Centre #4 is one of eight sites participating. Five are in the Lower Mainland, and the others are in Esquimalt, Kamloops, and Prince George. The other employers are ITC Construction Group, Kindred Construction Ltd., Lafarge Aggregate & Concrete, and PCL Construction.
Thanks to all for spreading the word in such a visible way. For more information on construction safety, please visit the BC Construction Safety Association.
Father and baby remind us to slow down
May 10, 2011
So cute! Baby Alistair and dad Alden were photographed for a new Slow Down poster
This father and son are among the latest BC families to be photographed for the Slow Down poster campaign, which I wrote about last summer.
Alden Calleja is a 35-year-old father who works for the City of Vancouver’s Waterworks Department. He and his baby son Alistair, 10 months, were photographed for the campaign in March. The new poster was unveiled on May 7.
Alistair’s mom Anastasia Andrews (who I connected with via Facebook) is “excited and proud” that images of her son and husband will be used. Their names were drawn from a hat after the City invited road staff to take part.
“Alden is very proud to be involved in something like this that the City’s putting on,” Anastasia told me via phone. “When we see those signs at the side of the road, it’s a reminder that families work there, and they do belong to somebody.”
City of Vancouver truck
The City of Vancouver is one of 15 BC employers taking part in this campaign. WorkSafeBC and construction industry partners launched it as a pilot project in 2007 with a focus on traffic control people. Since then, it has expanded to include awareness of all workers on the road – such as carpenters, equipment operators, and utility workers like Alden.
Today more than 100 Slow Down signs are posted throughout BC. Many are along high-profile projects like the Sea-to-Sky Highway, the William R. Bennett Bridge, the Canada Line and the Simon Fraser Bridge and on municipal trucks.
Thanks to everyone for your part in conveying the Slow Down message. Your time, effort, and funding is sure to save lives by reminding drivers about the actual person behind a job. That guy working on the road could be Alden, who wants to go home safely to his baby and wife at the end of the day.
High-five video competes at film fest
February 24, 2011
Last September I wrote about Paralympic medalist and injured worker Josh Dueck and his Guiness World Record for the most high-fives by one person in 24 hours.
As part of WorkSafeBC’s Raise Your Hand campaign to raise awareness of young worker safety, Josh high-fived 9,307 people at the PNE last summer.
WorkSafeBC made a video about Josh’s high-five record and they have entered it in the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship’s Film Festival 2011.
The public is asked to vote for their favourite video submissions from February 23 to March 10 – and I encourage you to watch and vote for the story about Josh.
For those who don’t know Josh’s story, he suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a ski jumping accident at 23, working as a coach for the 2004 Canadian junior nationals. He was paralyzed from the waist down, but this has not stopped his career on the ski hill. Within nine months of his injury, he was back on the hill, on a sit-ski. In 2010, Josh won a silver medal for Canada in the men’s slalom at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
Congrats again to Josh – and good luck to WorkSafeBC on the submission.
Time to think about NAOSH Week
February 22, 2011
Last fall, I had a great time hearing about all the NAOSH Week 2010 winners at the annual awards ceremonies – and now it’s time to plan for this year’s activities.
This year’s theme for NAOSH Week is “Safety & Health – What’s Your Plan?” and it runs from May 1 to 7.
“We encourage participants in Safety & Health Week to use this question to focus on what it is that aids people in ensuring they know what to do, and how to keep themselves and others safe,” says BC Rapid Transit Company Ltd‘s Buck Page, president of the NAOSH Week Steering Committee.
Need any ideas?
The NAOSH Week planning guide for BC is full of ideas, such as:
- Organizing a family safety fair and picnic
- Planning contests with safety-related prizes
- Conducting a young worker safety presentation
- Displaying a NAOSH Week banner in a prominent location in your community
- Hosting a public open house using displays, videos, speakers, or demonstrations
Many NAOSH Week participants will enter to win awards, and I’m really looking forward to hearing about them in the fall. Good luck to all!
