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/358616
August/September 2013 3 Latest COS videos Coming up online More videos at www.cos-mag.com/videos August Heat stress Forklify safety Discipline for safety Pandemic planning September Machine safety First aid Eye safety OHS Legal Update And the 2013 Canada's Safest Employers Award goes to... Find out which companies stood out as the best among the best as we announce the 2013 winners of Canada's Safest Employers Award. Watch for the October 2013 issue of Canadian Occupational Safety. 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 Roundtable discussion on construction safety A forum exploring the safety chal- lenges and improvements in the construction industry READER COMMENTS 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 Steve Maver 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, ,FOOFEZ3PBE5PSPOUP0/t 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. RE: IT'S A MAN'S WORLD, JUNE/JULY 2013 I enjoyed the story that you did on the Redpath miners and their health and safety superintendent in Snow Lake, Man. Growing up in Snow Lake, getting into mining was what you did because your father did it and grandfather. I started out in my early 20s diamond drilling then moved into the gold mine in production, and as a member and eventual captain in mine rescue in 1994. An accident in which I was crushed in 1999 shortened my career in that industry so I know fi rsthand the dangers that are ever present. I have since graduated with honours from the Occupational Safety and Health program at Algonquin College. My daily life now sees me working to bring the safety message to our workers, as an environment, health and safety instructor at Boeing Canada Winnipeg. e separation from an industry where I worked 4,000 feet underground to an industry where the sky is the limit is enormous but the hazards seem to remain fairly constant. ank you for this story, it was great to make a connection to the past. I was able to show others here, who have never seen that environment, how the "other half " lives, in a manner of speaking. — Neal Foy, Winnipeg In with the new I n recent years, leading indicators have been winning over organizations that have tradition- ally relied on injuries and incidents (lagging indicators) as a gauge of safety performance. Safety inspections, near-miss reports, safety observations and even leadership engagement — all considered leading indicators — are now generally accepted as a more proactive way of preventing injuries. By combining them with technology, leading indicators are even being utilized to help organizations predict the likelihood of an injury and where it will occur (see story on page 28). Diff erent organizations measure leading indicators diff erently. Some have kept it simple — using safety inspections, audits and near-miss reports as metrics — while others have taken a broader approach, adding leadership and employee engagement to their metrics mix. While it is true every workplace situation is diff erent and not all hazards are created equal, there is merit to developing a consistent, widely accepted set of guidelines for measuring leading indicators. is would not only serve as a valuable resource for safety professionals and employers, but will also ensure organizations continue to achieve success with these safety metrics. Safety professionals are in the best position to lead in this quest for eff ective leading indicators. Some may already have put in place this set of criteria for measuring safety. What are those measures that are proving to be successful in your organization — and have you shared them with your colleagues in the profession? ey say in safety there are no trade secrets. Unlike other professions, knowledge gained in safety is best shared so as to take full advantage of it and achieve success — like saving lives. e safety industry will probably never be able to veer completely away from lagging indicators as a measure of safety performance, but it doesn't mean that it should turn its back on other new and innovative approaches to old problems. Leading indicators are one of them, and they have to be explored and exploited (in a good way) to serve their full potential. e quest for "no harm" is an evolving beast — as long as workplace hazards continue to evolve as well. ere cannot be outdated solutions to new problems. Today, the breakthrough is leading indicators. Tomorrow there could be a new innovation in injury prevention. e key is continuous learning and fi nding new paths that ultimately lead to success. Speaking of which, I am taking on a new path of my own. is is the last issue of COS I will have the privilege of editing as I pursue a new career opportunity. I am sad because in the last fi ve-and-a-half years the safety industry has been my home and the safety community my friends. Yet I am optimistic, as I begin a new journey in my editorial career and look forward to a new home and new friends — to add to the ones I have gained in the safety world. I am happy to announce Amanda Silliker will be taking over as editor of COS. Amanda has been a senior editor with COS's sister publication Canadian HR Reporter. She can be reached at amanda.silliker@thomsonreuters.com. Mari-Len De Guzman, Editor mari-len.deguzman@thomsonreuters.com