Canadian Occupational Safety

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017 7 Ontario adopting 16 recommendations to prevent injuries, fatalities in construction O ntario is hoping to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities for workers on construction sites across the province through the implementation of its Construction Health and Safety Action Plan. Created with input from construction employers, work- ers and other industry stakeholders, Ontario's plan contains 16 recommendations to strengthen the prevention of work-related injury and illness for construction work- ers on sites of all sizes. "Construction deaths continue to be unacceptably high. We are committed to preventing tragedy so construction workers can go home safe and sound at the end of each work day. To do this, we must all work together. We all have a role and responsibility to make our workplaces healthy and safe," said Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn. Through these recommendations, the government and its safety partners are working to develop online tools, apps and web portals to provide easy access to construction health and safety information, such as key hazards. The government is also exploring options for increasing and expanding fi nes for violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulation for Construction Projects as well as consulting with stakeholders on an accredi- tation program that would recognize employers who successfully implement occupational health and safety programs. It also wants to embed construction OHS topics in existing school curricula and apprenticeship training programs. "This action plan is designed to ensure the health and safety of all construction workers through more targeted enforcement, exploring opportunities to expand the application of tickets, enhanced worker awareness and training by building partnerships and ensuring effective outreach strategies," said George Gritziotis, chief prevention offi cer. A number of initiatives in the Construction Health and Safety Action Plan have already been completed, including: training, blitzes and underground econ- omy enforcement by the Ministry of Labour targeting working at heights and residential roofi ng projects; implementing an advanced training program for construction supervisors to improve their skills in communicating health and safety information to workers; and establishing Ministry of Labour partnerships with municipalities to pilot a web-based software program that enables munici- pal building inspectors to report unsafe work practices to the ministry. About 30 per cent of all work-related traumatic fatalities and occupational disease fatality claims for workplaces in Ontario occurred in the construction sector, yet it comprises only 6.7 per cent of all provincial employment. Psychological trauma widespread in federal public safety employees: Union A report released by the Union of Solicitor General Employees (USGE) calls for federal measures to protect and recognize public safety and justice workers who are at signifi cant risk of suffering psychological injuries from exposure to second-hand trauma at work. The national survey reveals public safety employees are negatively affected by the violent nature of criminal histories, victim statements, graphic evidence and related materials that they manage in high-stress work environments. Of the 92 per cent of respondents across all departments who work with written material or statements during a typical workday, 84 per cent said they are exposed to traumatic content. These include parole offi cers, teachers and others working in federal prisons as well as employees in RCMP detachments, federal courts and the Parole Board of Canada. USGE represents more than 16,000 members in 17 federal departments. "The toll from constant exposure to trauma on front-line workers such as police, paramedics and fi refi ghters is widely-recognized," said USGE national president Stan Stapleton. "Yet public safety and justice workers working behind the scenes are disproportionately affected by exposure to second-hand trauma. These workers receive almost no training or preparation, few protections and little recognition for their injuries." The respondents, predominantly female, included RCMP public employees who transcribe hundreds of hours of victim statements describing horrifi c child sexual abuse; parole offi cers who document detailed histories of violent offenders; and program offi cers who work in the assessment and treatment of sex offenders. More than three-quarters (79 per cent) of those surveyed said they had expe- rienced at least some personal impact from viewing traumatic material. "We could write a book and nobody would believe what we see, read, hear, endure and deal with every day," said a female parole offi cer. "How do you read some of the most traumatic, horrifying and terrifying material and then come home to your family and not bring this with you?" Eighty per cent of respondents said they experienced at least one of the follow- ing: insomnia, nightmares, depression, increased alcohol and drug consumption and relationship problems. The report recommends amending the Government Employees Compensation Act to recognize operational stress injury for public servants exposed to both direct and vicarious trauma, as well as providing access to specialized trauma counsellors. ntario is hoping to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities for workers on construction sites across Construction Created with input from construction employers, work- ers and other industry stakeholders, Ontario's plan contains Nova Scotia's injury rate reaches historic low W orkplace injury in Nova Scotia reached a historic low last year. In its 2016 annual report, WCB Nova Scotia reported 5,847 time-loss claims, compared to 6,014 the previous year. The province's workplace injury rate dropped to 1.74, the lowest it has been since the WCB started measuring time-loss injuries in this manner. "Our time-loss injury rate in Nova Scotia has been improving every year for the past decade," said Stuart MacLean, CEO of WCB Nova Scotia. "There are also thousands fewer claims than there were 10 years ago, and close to 300,000 fewer days lost to workplace injury. That's great progress, but there is still a lot more work to do." The report indicates that it's taking longer for workers who are hurt on the job to make a safe and healthy return to the workplace. In 2016, the composite duration index, a measure of how long workers are off the job due to injury, increased to 110 days. Nova Scotia has one of the highest claim duration rates in Canada. Durations are affected by a number of factors, including claim complexity, population health and an aging workforce. There were two acute fatalities in 2016 — one on a construction site and one at a sawmill. There were eight acute fatalities the previous year. There were also 18 chronic fatalities due to health problems and occupational disease in 2016, compared with 19 the previous year. The positive trends in commercial fi shing continued in 2016. Injuries in the sector were down and no one drowned or was lost at sea, the WCB said. Health and social services did not fare so well. In particular, there are challenges in long-term care and home care. About nine out of every 100 home care workers and fi ve out of every 100 nursing home workers suffers a time-loss injury on the job — primarily related to lifting and moving people. Long-term care and home-care account for less than 30 per cent of the overall health-care payroll, but 60 per cent of time-loss claims. Canadian Safety Reporter is an essential resource for the creation of a safe workplace. This monthly newsletter illustrates techniques and strategies on how to keep the workplace safe from hazards and in full compliance with the latest legislation. Learn the practical knowledge and skills to confidently lead and manage your employees, ensure uniformity and consistency in day-to-day operations and provide the framework for business planning. 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