Canadian Occupational Safety

August/September 2013 7 A woman holds a photograph of a garment worker who is still missing after the collapse of the Rana Plaza building. REUTERS/Andrew Biraj By Jessica Wohl (Reuters) — Nearly 20 North American retailers including Wal-Mart and Gap unveiled a fi ve-year safety plan for Bangladesh ga rment factories on July 10 that would include inspecting every factory within a year. e announcement in Washington by the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety comes a er 1,129 workers were killed in the collapse of a Bangladesh garment plant in April and another 112 people died in a November fi re at a Bangla- desh factory. A separate safety plan including co-ordinated inspections was announced by a group of mainly European brands on July 8. A few student protesters were outside the build- ing in Washington, where the plan was announced. e group United Students Against Sweatshops handed out fl iers, saying "Gap and Walmart: Ban- gladeshi workers reject your fake safety plan." Funding for the North American plan is based on how much production each retailer has in Ban- gladesh; those at higher levels will pay $1 million each year for fi ve years. So far, $42 million has been raised for the proj- ect. ey will set aside 10 per cent of the funds to assist workers temporarily displaced by fac- tory improvements or if a factory closes for safety reasons. e money will also support a non-gov- ernmental organization chosen to implement it. e 17 current members of the alliance include: Canadian Tire; Carter's; e Children's Place Retail Stores; Gap; Hudson's Bay; IFG; J.C. Penney; Jones Group; Kohl's; L. L. Bean; Macy's; Nordstrom; Public Clothing; Sears Holdings; Target; VF; and Wal-Mart. Hong Kong sourcing company Li and Fung, which does business with many of the companies involved, is serving as an adviser. Additional mem- bers are expected to join in the future. " e safety record of Bangladeshi factories is unacceptable and requires our collective eff ort," member chief executives said in a joint statement. "We can prevent future tragedies by consolidat- ing and amplifying our individual eff orts to bring about real and sustained progress." Goals include developing common safety standards within three months, sharing inspec- tion results, and getting factories to support the democratic election and operation of worker par- ticipation committees. An independent board chair will oversee the plan. Four retailers and four others will also be on the board. e plan, called the Bangladesh Worker Safety Initiative, was developed with assistance from former U.S. Senators George Mitchell and Olym- pia Snowe, who acted as independent facilitators at the Bipartisan Policy Center. e group has asked Mitchell and Snowe to verify the eff ectiveness of the program over at least the fi rst two years. Some companies are also set to off er a combined total of over $100 million in loans and access to capital to help factory owners improve safety. e North American group's plan is being backed by the American Apparel and Footwear Association, Canadian Apparel Federation, National Retail Federation, Retail Council of Canada, Retail Industry Leaders Association, and the United States Association of Importers of Tex- tiles and Apparel. A larger number of mostly European retailers and brands backed a safety accord put together with the help of labour unions. e group behind that plan includes the world's two biggest fashion retailers, Inditex SA, owner of the Zara chain, and H&M. A small number of North American companies such as PVH Corp signed onto that accord. North American retailers set 5-year Bangladesh factory plan Health Canada launches consultation for GHS implementation By COS staff H ealth Canada has launched a consultation that begins the process of applying the Globally Harmonized System of Classifi cation and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) for work- place chemicals in Canada. Chemicals used in the work- place are produced and sold around the world. ese prod- ucts o en have diff erent label information depending on the safety rules in place where they are produced and sold, Health Canada said. e purpose of the GHS for workplace chemicals is to promote both workplace safety and international trade by applying defi nitions and safety information requirements that are globally accepted. "For workers, applying the GHS would make it easier to understand and reduce their exposure to hazardous materials in the workplace. For employers, it would mean a safer workplace and simpler rules for compli- ance," Health Canada stated. "For producers, it would mean reduced barriers to selling their products in Canada and the United States and other countries where the GHS is applied." Health Canada and the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently signed a memorandum of understanding, which allows OSHA and Health Canada to collaborate on implement- ing the GHS in their respective jurisdictions, as well as any future developments of the GHS. More detailed nformation about the proposed regula- tory changes is available on the Health Canada website at www.hc-sc.gc.ca Health Canada is encouraging any person to provide comments on the proposed regulatory changes. Public comments will be accepted until Sept. 15, 2013. Feedback may be sent to the Workplace Hazardous Materials Directorate, Health Canada, 427 Laurier Ave. West, 7 th fl oor, Ottawa, Ont., K1A 0K9 or by e-mail at whmis_simdut@hc-sc.gc.ca By COS staff T he directors of a Toronto propane facility have been found guilty of workplace safety and environmental violations in the 2008 explosion that killed a worker and a fi refi ghter and forced the evacuation of 12,000 people from their homes. Sunrise Propane Energy Group and directors Shay Ben-Moshe and Valery Belahov were convicted of nine of the 10 charges against them. Two charges fell under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act, while seven were under the Ontario Environmental Protection Act. Sunrise employee Parminder Saini was "incinerated" in the Aug. 10, 2008 blast when propane vapours ignited during a truck-to-truck trans- fer. e explosion created a massive fi reball that was visible across the city. Bob Leek, a 55-year-old off -duty Toronto fi refi ghter who responded to the call, died of a heart attack. e two directors were found guilty of being directors of a corporation that "failed to take all reasonable care to prevent the corpo- ration from contravening a provincial offi cer's order," Justice Leslie Chapin of the Ontario Court of Justice said in her 135-page ruling. An Ontario Fire Marshal's report noted that tank-to-tank and truck- to-truck transfers are illegal in the province. The company had been warned about the problem two years prior to the date of the explosion. Sunrise lawyer, Leo Adler, said he is "disappointed" with the judge's verdict. "Nothing can bring back the young man who died," Adler said a er the ruling. "Our thoughts will always be with the family of the young man who died. It was a confl uence of factors that were totally unforeseeable." Sunrise will be back in court for a sentencing date to be set. Sunrise and its directors could face millions of dol- lars in fi nes at sentencing. Another lawyer has also signed up thousands of Downsview residents in Toronto for a class-action lawsuit against the company. Company, directors guilty in 2008 Toronto propane plant explosion

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