Canadian Occupational Safety

JUNE/JULY 2017 7 8 in 10 aviation inspectors predicting major accident: Survey A new survey among Transport Canada's front-line aviation inspectors reveals that most of them haven't fl own an actual aircraft in years. The survey, released by the Canadian Federal Pilots Associa- tion (CFPA), found many licenced pilot inspectors have fl own actual aircraft so infrequently that their licences have become, or are close to becoming, invalid. Pilot inspectors have largely been grounded after Transport Canada cut the Civil Aviation Flying Program budget by 60 per cent since 2008, the union said. Transport Canada said it revised its fl ying program to recognize the benefi ts of the latest simula- tor technology in training Canadian pilots. "These changes will allow Transport Canada to focus more resources on direct inspection and oversight, while making better use of technology," said Marie-Anyk Côté, spokesperson for Trans- port Canada. "The exemption from in-aircraft training provides an alternative means of compliance in a way that maintains a high standard of aviation safety." Transport Canada said this practice conforms to international requirements and those of its partners, such as the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States. When it comes to skills and qualifi cations, 70 per cent of the 243 survey respondents reported that they sometimes (43 per cent) or frequently (27 per cent) were assigned tasks for which they were not trained. "We have inspectors assigned to oversee helicopter companies who would not know how to fl y a helicopter if their life depended on it," said Capt. Greg McConnell, national chair of the CFPA. The state of aviation safety in Canada today has left eight in 10 (81 per cent) inspectors predict- ing a major aviation accident in the near future, the survey found. "The opinions of this expert group show that Transport Canada's aviation safety oversight has gone terribly wrong," said McConnell. Among the issues in play for inspectors is Transport Canada's safety management system (SMS), which transfers responsibility for setting acceptable levels of risk and monitoring safety perfor- mance to the airlines themselves. Because SMS imposes a heavy administrative burden, inspectors are now largely offi ce-bound spending more time reviewing paperwork than inspecting aircraft. Annual inspections have given way to SMS reviews that can happen as infrequently as every fi ve years, the union said. But Transport Canada said it continues to conduct scheduled and unscheduled inspections and certifi cation activities. It also reviews procedures and records and interviews employees to ensure the company is following all applicable regulations, said Côté. B.C. bans mandatory high heels in the workplace T he British Columbia government has banned mandatory high heels in the workplace. "In some workplaces in our province, women are required to wear high heels on the job. Like most British Columbians, our government thinks this is wrong. That is why we're changing this regulation to stop this unsafe and discriminatory practice and adding an enforcement element by WorkSafeBC," said Premier Christy Clark. The move came after reports of female workers being forced to wear high heels in the restaurant industry. The requirement to wear high heels in some workplaces is an occupational health and safety issue, the government said. There is a risk of physical injury from slipping or falling, as well as possible damage to the feet, legs and back from prolonged wearing of high heels while at work. The change was made by amending the existing footwear regulation (section 8.22) of the Occu- pational Health and Safety Regulation, under the Workers Compensation Act. The amended regulation ensures that workplace footwear is of a design, construction and mate- rial that allows the worker to safely perform her work and ensures that employers cannot require footwear contrary to this standard. To determine appropriate footwear, the following factors must be considered: slipping, tripping, uneven terrain, abrasion, ankle protection and foot support, crushing potential, potential for musculoskeletal injury, temperature extremes, corrosive substances, puncture hazards, electrical shock and any other recognizable hazard. "This change will let employers know that the most critical part of an employee's footwear is that it is safe. I expect employers to recognize this very clear signal that forcing someone to wear high heels at work is unacceptable," said Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour Shirley Bond. WorkSafeBC is developing a workplace guideline for employers and employees to support the amended regulation. Safety professionals are 'changing the world': Keynote By Amanda Silliker B ill Carr captivated a room of 550 safety professionals at the Safety Services Nova Scotia conference when he discussed how they are changing the world. "Every single day you get out there, you are touching peo- ple's lives and touching lives now that you are not going to know you affected them for years — and you may never hear about it — but what you're doing is absolutely transforma- tive," Carr said at the conference's closing session on April 11 in Halifax. He explained how the world is a confusing place right now and safety needs to push through all the other existing pressures that workers are facing. Individuals need to be reminded to pause, step back and breathe before anything else — what the Greek refer to as "epoché." "There is nothing more important than that very activ- ity. To walk into a situation, how long does it take to stop, pause, step back, breathe and say 'Am I safe here? Is this a safe situation? Is this a safe moment?' But if economic pressures are on, social pressures are on, if pressure from the boss is on, if pressure from co-workers is on and all of a sudden everything is in your way, the opportunity to epoché — pause, step back, breathe and ask if it's safe — becomes secondary," he said. Carr explained how safety professionals are helping work- ers see their world differently. If they can take the time to pause and assess if they are entering a safe situation, every- thing shifts, he said. "Nobody gets up in the morning and says 'I think I will go to work today, screw up, have an accident and come home early.' Nobody does that and yet it happens all the time. Why? Because they were thinking and feeling in a way that wasn't conducive to safety. They didn't put safety fi rst. They didn't put it in a place of simplicity where it belongs in how they see the world." Carr explained the effect of mirror neurons, when you mirror inside what you see outside. For example, how you smile when someone is smiling at you. This has signifi cant safety implications. "If you get people thinking safety, then other people will think safety along with them; mirror neurons will kick in. It's not just behaviour; it's perception and thought. It's about getting people communicating this idea to one another at a mirror neural level that it can absolutely transform what happens in a group and an organization," says Carr. As it turns out, safety and "unsafety" are contagious activi- ties of the brain that can become infectious with mirror neurons, he said. Carr closed his keynote speech by encouraging safety professionals to keep doing what they're doing, even in the face of adversity. "It's necessary; it's needed. I don't care how many times it gets dismissed or people say it's obvious or any other crap that goes down. What you do at its most fundamental and human level is changing the world and we need you to keep doing it. Get out there and do your job." B.C. bans mandatory high heels in the workplace T required to wear high heels on the job. Like most British Columbians, our government thinks this is wrong. That is why we're changing this regulation to stop this unsafe and discriminatory practice and adding an enforcement element by WorkSafeBC," said Premier Christy Clark.

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