Canadian Occupational Safety

APRIL/MAY 2018 3 Contents of Canadian Occupational Safety are copyright © 2018 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. The publishers accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, colour transparencies or other materials. Manuscripts or other materials must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Canadian Occupational Safety is published six times yearly by Thomson Reuters Canada Limited, 2075 Kennedy Road, Toronto, ON 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: $69 plus tax; US: $69,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. Webinars The COS webinar library is filled with on-demand topics, such as mental health, safety culture, fall protection and ISO 45001. The one-hour sessions are delivered by health and safety experts from across Canada. Keep watching for new topics added regularly. www.cpdcentre.ca/cos Safety MVPs We are looking for safety's most valuable players. Nominations are now open for the 8th annual Canada's Safest Employers awards. Do you have what it takes? Apply by June 1. www.safestemployers.com Safety Leader of the Year The nationwide search for the most outstanding safety professional is on. The winner will grace the cover of the December/January issue of Canadian Occupational Safety and star in a video. Nominations close July 6. www.cos-mag.com/safety-leader Readers' Choice Vote now for your favourite PPE suppliers, consultants, trainers, educational institutions and more. Enter for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. Voting closes April 27. www.cos-mag.com/readerschoice2018 Follow us: @cosmagazine Join our group: Canadian Occupational Safety Subscribe: Canadian Occupational Safety Subscribe: Safety Tips for Workers Health&Safety Q&A We have launched a brand new video series called Health&Safety Q&A where experts answer your most pressing questions. In the second video of the series, an OHS specialist from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety answers the question: How can shift workers stay healthy? www.cos-mag.com/HSQAshiftwork Safety Tips This month's Safety Tip video looks at working with or near 3D printers. As this technology becomes more commonplace, workers need to know how to protect their respiratoty health. www.cos-mag.com/3Dprintervideo DIRECTOR, MEDIA SOLUTIONS, CANADA Karen Lorimer karen.lorimer@thomsonreuters.com 416-649-9411 PUBLISHER Todd Humber todd.humber@thomsonreuters.com 416-298-5196 EDITOR Amanda Silliker amanda.silliker@thomsonreuters.com 416-649-9502 ASSISTANT EDITOR - VIDEOGRAPHER Alexia Kapralos ART DIRECTOR Steve Maver PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR Pamela Menezes pamela.menezes@thomsonreuters.com 416-649-9298 ADVERTISING: SALES MANAGER Paul Burton paul.burton@thomsonreuters.com 416-649-9928 MANAGER, MEDIA PRODUCTION Lisa Drummond lisa.drummond@thomsonreuters.com MARKETING MANAGER Robert Symes rob.symes@thomsonreuters.com CIRCULATION CO-ORDINATOR Keith Fulford keith.fulford@thomsonreuters.com 416-649-9585 COLUMNISTS Legal Cheryl A. Edwards and Norm Keith Professional Development Glyn Jones Safety Culture Dave Fennell CUSTOMER SERVICE Tel. 416-609-3800 (Toronto)/ 1-800-387-5164 (outside Toronto) Fax 416-298-5082 (Toronto)/ 1-877-750-9041 (outside Toronto) customersupport.legaltaxcanada@tr.com CANADIAN OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY'S EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Guy Chenard, CRSP, C.E.T. Safety Consultant Dave Gouthro, CRSP, CHSC, CHSO Occupational Health & Safety Consulting David Johnston, CRSP Director, EHS, Toronto Hydro-Electric System Ltd. Eldeen Pozniak, CHSC, CHSMSA, CRSP, Director, Pozniak Safety Associates Inc. Laura Rourke, EHSS manager, Tigercat Industries Dan Strand, CRSP, CIH, ROH Director, Prevention Field Services, WorkSafeBC AMANDA SILLIKER FROM THE EDITOR visit us online cos-mag.com THOMSON REUTERS CANADIAN OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY ON NOW LATEST VIDEOS Printed in EMPLOYERS SAFEST 2018 CANADA'S WEBINAR SERIES Don't just sit back J anice Martell has spent countless hours researching McIntyre Powder. When she first heard of the practice of requiring miners — which included her father — to breathe in aluminum dust before each shift, she was stunned. "I was in complete disbelief," she said. "It was beyond comprehension that workers would be required by their employers to inhale a dust to fight another dust. I couldn't wrap my brain around it. No dust is good for you." After her father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and his claim was rejected by Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, she could have just sat back and accepted the decision, but something felt off. Instead, she decided to devote her life to finding an answer to whether or not the black aluminum powder is responsible for her father's disease, and several other neurological disorders experienced by miners across the province, Canada and the world. Let this serve as a reminder: If you think something's not quite right, look into it. Take it seriously. Don't sweep it under the rug or dismiss it as a crazy thought. There are many examples in OHS where people thought a practice was safe — or just didn't question it — and years later the truth comes out about the damage it has done. Martell is adamant she will not stop until she gets answers. She has already overcome many roadblocks and has been sharing her research with media, conference attendees, university researchers, basically anyone who will listen — and it's working. Thanks to her, people have taken notice in McIntyre Powder and its potentially dangerous effects, and researchers are getting closer to finding an answer. See page 20 for more. For his column, Glyn Jones tackles exactly what you need to do following a workplace fatality or serious incident. You might not like it, but you will be the go-to person. You need to have a plan and be prepared to answer lots of questions, not just from OHS inspectors, but also from senior leadership, employees and the affected family mem- bers. No one wants to think someone will die on their watch, at their organization, but we are far from completely eliminating workplace fatalities and serious incidents, and having a plan in place now will pay off in spades later. Office workers spend the vast majority of their time — arguably too much time — sitting at a desk. We rounded up the top ergonomic complaints that your office workers have and asked the experts for the proper solutions. Neck pain, eye strain and feet not touching the floor can lead to more serious issues and shouldn't be ignored. There are more ways than ever for you to interact with us at COS. First, we are accepting nominations for Canada's Safest Employers award until June 1. Along with 10-industry specific awards (including a new award for the chemistry sector) we also have awards for psychological safety, wellness and overall best culture. We also have a specific award for companies with a lot of workers under the age of 25 — the Young Worker Safety Award. Second, we have opened nominations for the Safety Leader of the Year award. Here at COS, we truly believe safety professionals are the unsung heroes — so it's time to start singing! Nominate an exceptional safety leader by July 6 for this prestigious annual award, now in its 13th year. Last but not least, we have launched our third annual Readers' Choice Awards. This is your chance to vote for your favourite safety vendors, suppliers and service providers. The winners will be featured in the August/September issue and will act as a cheat-sheet for you when searching for a particular vendor in more than 50 categories. I am also pleased to announce a new Convictions page on cos-mag.com. Our reader survey revealed a whopping 79 per cent of you want a section on the website that gives updates about OHS fines and penalties against employers across Canada — so we listened. You can find the page at cos-mag.com/convictions, or simply click on the "Convictions" tab in the top grey menu on the home page. Due to the overwhelming interest in this type of coverage, I decided to include a new section in the magazine (page 8) that outlines a few recent safety fines and penalties. Amanda Silliker, Editor amanda.silliker@thomsonreuters.com

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