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/351674
6 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com HEALTH & SAFETY NEWS SafeCare BC aims to cut long-term care injuries By Liz Foster B ritish Columbia has a new agency aimed at reducing injuries in the health-care sector. SafeCare BC is a workplace health and safety association focused on reducing the severity and frequency of injuries in the province's continu- ing health-care sector. It will provide health and safety training, educational services and industry safety perfor- mance information. The long-term care sector has the highest number of time-lost claims of any industry in the province. Long-term care workers face more time lost due to injury than those in manufacturing, construction and for- estry — industries more traditionally associated with workplace injuries, according to SafeCare BC. "Because the injury rate is so high… we were created at the behest of the industry," said SafeCare BC's executive director Jennifer Lyle. "We're looking to be a member-driven organization that's responsive to the needs of the long-term care sector, whether that's providing training or access to educa- tion or developing sector-specifi c tools and resources." SafeCare BC will cover facilities providing 24-hour skilled care and acting as the primary residence for clients. Facilities operated by health authorities, sub- s t a n c e a b u s e treatment centres and retirement homes are excluded from this list. In total, the association covers 348 employers in the province. It is funded by employ- ers registered with WorkSafeBC under the long term care classifi cation. "We expect that SafeCare BC will help reduce WorkSafeBC claims in the long-term care sector and sup- port injured long-term care workers in safely returning to work more quickly," said WorkSafeBC's vice- president of employer, industry and worker services Ian Munroe. The vast majority of reported inju- ries in the long-term care sector are related to over-exertion or repetitive motion. Following closely behind are injuries caused by slips and trips as well as those resulting from vio- lence or aggression, often exhibited by patients. Managing a workforce with a high rate of injury can make it diffi cult for employers to retain workers and can lead to additional costs related to backfi lling positions. A high-risk industry like the long- term care sector is also subject to considerable WorkSafeBC premiums, Lyle said. "We pay three-and-a-half times the health sector average in WorkSafeBC premiums." Just as costly — though less easily defi ned — is the toll working in a high-risk environment takes on employees. "As a front-line worker, if my risk of getting injured is lower, I'm going to have a better quality of life," Lyle said. "It has a huge impact on everything from your home-life right through to your fi nancial life." By engaging both employer orga- nizations and front-line workers — something Lyle said SafeCare BC is uniquely positioned to do because of its status as an independent association — the new organization hopes to address industry concerns more effectively. In addition to bridging the gap between front-line workers and employers, the association hopes to create connections between the programs currently working in the province. "We're not looking to reinvent the wheel," Lyle said. "There are a lot of great programs that are out there and it may be a question of those pro- grams aren't known, or aren't specifi c enough to long-term care, or facilities just don't have the resources to access them at this time. So what we're look- ing to do is leverage the great work that's been done in the sector and make that available to our members as well as make it applicable." Liz Foster writes for Canadian Safety Reporter, a sister publication of COS. Suncor's drug, alcohol tests shut down By Nia Williams C anada's largest oil producer, Suncor Energy, said it will appeal a legal decision preventing the company from carrying out random drug and alcohol tests on workers at its northern Alberta oilsands sites. Suncor has been embroiled in a row with union Unifor over random testing since July 2012 after the union fi led a grievance against the policy on the grounds it violated employees' privacy, dignity and human rights. On March 26, an independent arbitration panel sided with Unifor, which represents 3,600 workers in the area around Fort McMurray, Alta., ruling there is no evidence of an out-of-control drug or alcohol culture at Suncor's sites. "We are disappointed with the outcome and will be appealing," said Suncor spokeswoman Sneh Seetal. "Over the last 20 years, we have tried to address safety concerns around drugs and alcohol but none of those measures have appropriately mitigated the risk." The appeal will be heard before the Court of Queen's Bench in Alberta, at a date which is yet to be set. There have been three deaths in the last seven years at Suncor in which drugs and alcohol were a factor. The company already tests workers before they are certifi ed to work and after any incidents. The booming oilsands region around Fort McMurray has gained a reputation for drug and alcohol abuse in recent years as workers poured in from across Canada and around the world, lured by high wages and plenti- ful work. During the arbitration hearing, Suncor senior security adviser Ian MacPhee gave evidence about drugs being found hidden in roof panels, vents and laundry rooms on oilsands sites and said there are indications of drug traffi cking, such as fi nding weighing scales and a sawed- off 22 calibre rifl e. MacPhee also said between 2004 and August 2013 there were 2,276 security incidents at Suncor involving drugs and alcohol. But Roland Lefort, head of Unifor local 707a, said Fort McMurray and its surrounding work camps had no worse a drug and alcohol problem than any other city and the bad reputation was undeserved. The dispute between Suncor and Unifor has become a test case for random drug and alcohol testing in the Canadian energy industry. Unlike in the United States, where random tests are common, in Canada they are only used in the transport industry. Suncor intended to start randomly testing workers in safety-sensitive jobs in October 2012 under a program called the Alberta Drug and Alcohol Risk Reduction Pilot Project (DARRPP). Participating companies, including Total Canada and Canadian Natural Resources, fund the initiative. "Certainly there are issues relating to alcohol and drugs on the sites, they have always been a pressing concern," said DARRPP co-ordinator Pat Atkins. "From our perspective, we understand the need for privacy but we also think it's important to protect workers, their co- workers and the public." Nia Williams is an energy correspondent with Thomson Reuters. N.S. to introduce fi shing safety action plan T he government of Nova Scotia is inviting fi shermen, their families and communities to help form the Safe at Sea Alliance and develop a fi shing safety action plan to reduce fatalities and improve fi shing safety. About 30 members of the fi shing industry met in March in Halifax to talk about what needs to be done to improve fi shing safety in Nova Scotia. "We've certainly come a long way in the industry and there has been a shift in the safety culture over the past couple of years," said Leonard LeBlanc, of Cheticamp, N.S., and a member of the Gulf Nova Scotia Fish- ermen's Coalition. "But more needs to be done. We need to take things a step further, be more proactive as an indus- try, and that's what this new approach is all about." The fi shing industry contributes more than $1 billion to the Nova Scotia economy annually. It is also one of the most dangerous industries. In 2013, there were eight fi shing fatalities in the province. In early March, a fi sh- erman died in a tragic fi shing accident off the coast of Port Mouton, N.S. There are also numerous risks of working at sea, including drowning, hypothermia, heat-related injuries, eye injuries from hooks, and cuts and punctures. "Fishing is a proud, vibrant industry at the very core of our heritage, but it's also one of the most dangerous jobs in the province," said Minister of Labour and Advanced Education Kelly Regan. "This industry has been touched too deeply by tragedy, and it doesn't have to be this way. Together, we can help improve safety across the industry." Fishing safety is a key part of the province's workplace safety strategy, and was also recently identifi ed as a key pillar of the province's new Com- mercial Fishing Strategy. Once the fi shing safety action plan is developed, provincial and federal government and industry association partners will join the Safe at Sea Alli- ance to help move the plan forward and implement recommendations. "Too many people are dying at work in Nova Scotia's fi shing sector and we need to change that," said Stuart MacLean, CEO, Workers' Compensa- tion Board of Nova Scotia. "But in order for there to be real change, it has to be led by the fi shing industry. That's why we're reaching out to fi shermen, their families and communities. We're asking them to help drive this change." introduce action plan he government of Nova Scotia is inviting fi shermen, their families and communities to help form the