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.
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May 2013 3 Latest COS videos Coming up online More videos at www.cos-mag.com/videos May Safety tools Confi ned space Distracted driving OHS Legal Update Emergency management June Fire prevention Electrical safety OHS Legal Update Do you work for one of Canada's Safest Employers? Nominations are now open for Canada's Safest Employers 2013. If you work for a company that values and promotes the safety of the employees in meaningful ways, we would like to hear from you. Visit www.safestemployers.com for details visit us online cos-mag.com On now FROM THE EDITOR @ twitter.com/cosmagazine Join Canadian Occupational Safety on Follow us on Safety Tips Safety best practices to keep your workers and your workplaces safe Health benefi ts of stand-up desks Freshbooks' great idea for a healthier workforce PUBLISHER John Hobel john.hobel@thomsonreuters.com 416-298-5197 MANAGING EDITOR Todd Humber todd.humber@thomsonreuters.com 416-298-5196 EDITOR Mari-Len De Guzman mari-len.deguzman@thomsonreuters.com 416-649-9502 PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR Pamela Menezes pamela.menezes@thomsonreuters.com 416-649-9298 ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Kathy Liotta kathy.liotta@thomsonreuters.com 416-649-9920 Stephen Hill stephen.hill@thomsonreuters.com 416-298-5090 MANAGER, MEDIA PRODUCTION Lisa Drummond lisa.drummond@thomsonreuters.com 416-649-9415 MARKETING MANAGER Mohammad Ali mm.ali@thomsonreuters.com 416-609-5866 ART DIRECTOR Robert Russell CIRCULATION CO-ORDINATOR Ellen Alstein ellen.alstein@thomsonreuters.com 416-649-9926 COLUMNISTS Legal Cheryl Edwards Norm Keith Training Alan D. Quilley Workers' Compensation David Marchione CUSTOMER SERVICE Tel. 416-609-3800 (Toronto)/1-800-387-5164 (outside Toronto) Fax 416-298-5082 (Toronto)/1-877-750-9041 (outside Toronto) carswell.customerrelations@thomsonreuters.com RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 2075 KENNEDY RD., TORONTO, ONT. M1T 3V4 Contents of Canadian Occupational Safety are copyright © 2013 Thomson Reuters Canada Limited and may not be reproduced in whole or part without written consent. Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. disclaims any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the contents of this publication and disclaims all liability in respect of the results of any action taken or not taken in reliance upon information in this publication. HST/ GST # 89717 6350 RT0002 QST # 1019064405 TQ0005 Canada Post – Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement 40065782 International Standard Serial Number 0008-4611. Printed in The publishers accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, colour transpar- encies or other materials. Manuscripts or other materials must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Canadian Occupational Safety is published eight times yearly by Thomson Reuters Canada Limited, 2075 Kennedy Road, Toronto, ON • M1T 3V4 Telephone 416-649-9926 Fax 416-609- 5840; www.cos-mag.com Issue dates are February/March, April, May, June/July, August/September, October, November, December/January. Subscription price: Canada: $64 including tax ($59.84 + $4.16 GST); US: $64, International: $96 Canadian Occupational Safety makes every effort to ensure accuracy in all items reported, but cannot accept responsibility for the representations or claims made by sources used. M y 10-year-old son recently did a presentation for his current events report at school on gun violence, a er reading a news report on a shooting incident at a Gatineau, Que., daycare centre. Two men — including the perpetrator — had died of gunshot wounds. Luckily, none of the 48 children at the daycare centre were hurt. You know gun violence has taken a turn for the absolute worse when even helpless, inno- cent children are now fair game to the criminally inclined and the psychologically twisted. Who could forget the horrifi c shootings last December at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where 20 children and six school workers were killed? is kind of violence, that is putting people's lives at risk, is not just occurring on the streets of a bad neighbourhood. It is hitting us closer to home — in our schools, at child care centres and in our workplaces. One of the two men killed in the Gatineau incident was a 38-year-old daycare worker. According to news reports, the gunman also attempted to harm the daycare director. Fortunately, she survived. Viewing the workplace as a target of a violent perpetrator may not seem as farfetched today as it was 10 or 20 years ago. Recent history has taught us the workplace is an evolving entity with constantly changing dynamics. Today the danger workers face does not only come from the physical hazards that form part of the workplace and their jobs. It could, quite possibly, come from the most unexpected parties — a violent spouse, a bitter ex-employee or a mentally unstable co-worker. Legislation, regulation and standards introduced in recent years are refl ective of this changing workplace dynamic. ey are indicative of the increasing need for employers to pay particular attention to the not-so-apparent workplace hazards. Workplace violence, harassment, bullying, mental health issues, natural disasters, pandemic threats — even terrorism — are all, unfortunately, realities that workplaces may fi nd themselves facing. Any proactive organization's workplace health and safety policies and emergency plans should refl ect a recognition of these potential hazards, and be able to communicate them to the workers. e hope is to never have to execute these plans, but there should be comfort in knowing that if the worst does happen, the company is ready to deal with it — or, at least, has a plan to deal with the situation. Being prepared for the unexpected is always better than not being prepared at all. Mari-Len De Guzman, Editor mari-len.deguzman@thomsonreuters.com Making the case for worst-case scenarios READER COMMENTS RE: SAVING LIVES WITH SOCIAL MEDIA (FROM THE EDITOR, FEB/MARCH 2013) I read your observation about Facebook with interest and thought I'd tell you about my own realization about the power of the medium as a whole — before the social networking ease of Facebook. Back in the early '90s, when I fi rst started using the Internet, I subscribed to a number of listservs, one of which reported the following: A medical cadre in China was trying to help a woman who was very ill. Her condition was serious, the cadre had no idea what, exactly, was wrong with her or how to help her. ey posted a description of her symptoms to the listserv, where it was read by an MD who was a retired American navy admiral. at fellow recognized the symptoms, identifi ed the disease, had access to medi- cation that could be used to treat it, and was able to get that medication sent to the cadre in China. at's when I knew that the worldwide web was going to change all our lives. Of course, it is not and cannot be a substitute for face-to-face life, nor should it be. But the power of information exchange is formidable: if the freedom and integrity of the Internet remains a constant, perhaps there is hope for us all, yes? RuthClaire Weintraub, New Denver, B.C.