Canadian Occupational Safety

December/January 2016 7 Kee Safety, Ltd. Call: 1-877-505-5003 www.KeeGuard.ca Separating People from Hazards SM Permanent or Portable Rooftop Fall Protection • Install without welding, drilling or penetrating the roof membrane • Models also available for skylights, hatches, stairs, and walkways • Modular design to fit virtually any flat or low-sloped roof configuration • Galvanized for corrosion-resistance KeeGuard ® permanent roof edge railing systems KeeGuard ® Contractor portable systems with environmentally-friendly recycled PVC bases. CSA & OHS Compliant! Federal cuts undermining workplace safety: CCPA F ederal underfunding and understaffi ng of safety inspectors are putting employees in federally regulated workplaces in harm's way, according to a study released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). The study, by CCPA research associate John Anderson, examined occupational health and safety developments between 2007 and 2012 in sectors under federal jurisdiction, including banking, communications, broadcasting, postal services, road, air, rail and water transport, as well as the federal government. In 2012, almost 1.2 million employees worked in the federally regulated sector. According to fi gures obtained by the Public Service Alliance of Canada in April, there were 67 inspectors to oversee health and safety in federally regulated employers across the country. However, the Labour Program of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) said there are 92 inspectors today. In 2005, there were 151 inspectors. "The overall situation is a recipe for both potential dangerous occupational health and safety issues and injuries," said Anderson. "Inspection is absent or so highly limited it cannot create the safe workplace environment that is surely everybody's goal and wish." ESDC said it has plans to up the number of inspectors to 100 in the near future. "The number of health and safety offi cers may fl uctuate from year to year as a result of normal turnover, such as retirements and departures," said Evelyne Wildgoose Labrie, a spokesperson for ESDC. The study highlights amendments to the Canada Labour Code in 2013 that reduced the power of health and safety inspectors and critically weakened the defi nition of workplace "danger," which can be used by employees to refuse unsafe work. These changes, combined with the dismantling of the tripartite oversight committees for health and safety, have left the system much dimin- ished in its regulatory oversight powers, said CCPA. "While certain injury indices for federally regulated workplaces have improved since 2007, the improvements are small compared to those at the provincial level and absolute numbers remain very high," Anderson said. In the federally regulated sector, there were nearly 21,000 disabling injuries in 2012, and 684 employees died from workplace injury between 2002 and 2013. While the overall provincial disabling injury rates declined by 46 per cent from 2002 to 2012, the decline in federal rates for the same period was only 12 per cent. The CCPA report made 10 recommendations, including increasing staffi ng to 2005 levels. It also called for fi xing the pay gap for health and safety offi cers who are currently paid $3,000 less per year than Transport Canada inspectors and $10,000 less than their peers in Ontario. Another recommendation was for regular fi eld inspections in all workplaces and unadvertised blitzes on targeted employers and business sectors. New training program to reduce workplace injuries at personal care homes in Manitoba M anitoba has launched a new training pro- gram for personal care home staff on lifting and transferring residents that is meant to help reduce workplace injuries. The province is investing $300,000 in the program. "This funding will be used to develop prov- incewide training to prevent injuries, as well as monitoring and reporting processes to better track information from personal care homes across Manitoba," said Health Minister Sharon Blady. The program was developed under the leader- ship of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority in partnership with representatives from all regional health authorities to reduce the number of lift and transfer-related workplace injuries to personal care home staff. "The health and safety of the region's staff is a priority," said Shaun Haas, regional direc- tor, occupational and environmental safety and health, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. "We are in full support of any improvements that will provide greater safety, health and wellness for our greatest resource: our people." The province plans to: • review safe resident handling practices, includ- ing a statistical analysis of injuries by region, current practices and challenges • develop a provincial safe resident handling manual • create a standardized provincial training pro- gram for staff and supervisors • create standardized monitoring and injury reporting criteria and processes. Previous investments to support safe lifting have included the purchase and installation of new ceiling lifts and other equipment for per- sonal care homes. "This initiative provides a safer work environ- ment for nurses, health-care aides and other health-care workers," said Labour and Immigra- tion Minister Erna Braun. "By offering standard training programs across the province, we can better reduce workplace injuries and help front- line staff stay on the job." Alberta farms to be subject to OHS legislation T he government of Alberta has introduced a bill that would extend occupational health and safety legislation to farm and ranch workers in the province. If approved, Bill 6, the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act, would ensure the 60,000 farm and ranch workers in Alberta have the same basic safety rights and protections that other workers in the province have received for decades. Alberta is the only province where OHS legislation does not apply to farms and ranches. "The changes we are proposing would give farm and ranch workers the duty to refuse to perform unsafe work or do work they're not trained for without the fear of being fi red," said Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour Lori Sigurdson. Under the proposed legislation, workers, regardless of age, would be covered by OHS legislation. This would include the children of farmers and ranchers who are helping out on the commercial operations of the farm. There were 25 deaths related to farming in 2014 in Alberta — nine more than the previous year. "These proposed changes mean if a farm worker is seriously injured or dies on the job, an occupational health and safety offi cer could investigate the incident to see what went wrong and work with the employer and industry to prevent future incidents," said Sigurdson. In addition, the bill would make farm and ranch workers eligible for Workers' Compensation Board insurance coverage so that workers can continue to support their families if they are injured on the job, and farm and ranch owners can be protected against the impact of workplace injuries and illness. Farm and ranch workers will be protected by the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Workers' Compensation Board coverage as of Jan. 1. The government said it will work with industry over the next year to develop detailed occupational health and safety technical rules for farms and ranches. The rules are expected to be in place in 2017. "Farming operations are a unique business and approaches to improving safety have to be well thought-out," said Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Oneil Carlier, who comes from a farming family. "We all have a shared vision: to build a culture of increased safety on Alberta farms. We need to maintain that vital element of safety while ensuring producers are in a position to get the job done." Bill 6 also includes farm and ranches in employment standards and labour relations legislation. These changes will come into effect in the spring of 2016, following consultations with industry regarding exemptions that may be needed for unique circumstances, such as seeding or harvesting.

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