Canadian Occupational Safety (COS) magazine is the premier workplace health and safety publication in Canada. We cover a wide range of topics ranging from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards.
Issue link: https://digital.thesafetymag.com/i/1315990
U P F R O N T F I N E S A N D P E N A L T I E S 6 www.thesafetymag.com/ca THREE B.C. FIRMS FINED FOR LACK OF FALL PROTECTION IN B.C., three firms have been fined for fall protection violations. Top Notch Roofing, in Chilliwack, was fined $18,236.44 following an inspection by WorkSafeBC. The latter noticed that while the construction company was applying asphalt shingles on a new two-storey house, two workers were not using fall protection systems. This includes no toe-holds installed. WorkSafeBC determined that lack of protection exposed the workers to a fall risk of 6.1 metres (20 feet). WorkSafeBC says that the firm "failed to ensure fall protection was used and failed to ensure toe-holds were installed as required, both high- risk violations. The firm also failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure their health and safety." These were all deemed to be repeated violations. Construction firm Roy Dennis Roofing (2005) Ltd. was fined $16,964.56 for a similar offence. Indeed, WorkSafeBC inspected the firm's worksite, a new two-storey laneway house in Vancouver and found two workers walking along the leading edge of the roof. One of the workers, a supervisor, was not using personal fall protection systems and there was no other form of fall protection in place. WorkSafeBC estimates that this lack of protection exposed them to a fall risk of 5.2 metres (17 feet). The firm failed to ensure that fall protection was used, which is a high-risk violation. In addition, Roy Dennis Roofing also did not provide its workers with the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure a safe workplace. WorkSafeBC says that these were both repeated violations. Lastly, MacBeth Roofing Corporation in Coquitlam, B.C. was fined $20,082.60 after a WorkSafeBC inspection found that three of the firm's workers, who were working on the flat roof of a commercial building, were not using personal fall protection systems — and no other form of fall protection was in place. This was despite the fact that the workers were leaning over the edge of the building and lifting equipment, with the workers exposed to a fall risk of 12.2 metres (40 feet). WorkSafeBC says that "the firm failed to ensure fall protection was used, a high-risk violation, and failed to ensure a fall protection plan was in place as required. These were both repeated violations." COS recently covered the importance of fall protection in our July/August issue. We shared that, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), 42,000 workers get injured annually due to fall accidents in Canada. Sixty-seven per cent of falls happen on the same level (slips and trips), while the remaining 30 per cent are falls from heights. Fall incidents represented 18 per cent of "time-loss injuries" in 2016 as per the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada. In the article, Erica Cole, product manager at Pure Safety Group, said, "Make sure you're working safely and make sure your equipment is up to date and up to standard. It's really just about making sure that people are getting back home the same way that they came in." Fatal electric shock results in $120K fine Great Lakes Greenhouses Inc. of Leamington, Ont. was fined $120,000 following a fatal electrical shock incident involving one of its workers. The incident took place in November 2018, when workers were adding to an existing production greenhouse. While completing the job, the worker was working with a wire containing 600 volts of power. The worker received a fatal electrical shock. The subsequent Ministry of Labour inspection found that, at the time of the incident, the power to the wires on which the worker had contact were not locked out as required by the regulation. "Make sure your equipment is up to date and up to standard. It's really just about making sure that people are getting back home the same way that they came in." Erica Cole, Pure Safety Group Workers faced violence from patient in mental health unit Southlake Regional Health Centre, in Newmarket, Ont., was fined $80,000 following an incident that occurred in January 2019. The incident took place in Southlake's emergency department, in the Mental Health and Wellness Area Unit (MHWA). The MHWA is an emergency psychiatric assessment area. On the day of the incident, a patient was brought to the unit, was flagged as being a moderate violence risk and was placed in the MHWA. The patient then proceeded to demonstrate escalating behaviour. Two workers attempting to enter a nursing station were struck by the patient, resulting in serious injuries to both workers. Two Manitoba employers penalized for worker injuries Portage la Prairie-based Cobalt Industries Ltd. was fined $52,000 for critical injuries to one of its workers. In 2017, a worker was covering an opening located at the top of a flour bin and fell approximately 54 feet to the ground below, suffering critical injuries. Also, Brandon-based J & R Excavating Ltd. was fined $17,500 for another 2017 incident. A worker was attempting to free a gravel truck and trailer, which were stuck at a gravel pit located near Pierson. The worker's jacket sleeve became entangled in the wheel of the truck, causing critical injuries.