Canadian Occupational Safety

JUNE/JULY 2018 7 B.C. introduces PTSD presumption for first responders F irst responders in British Columbia will have greater access to services and compensation for mental disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), that can arise from traumatic workplace incidents, said Labour Minister Harry Bains. "These changes are about fairness and support for workers who put their lives on the line, to protect British Columbians as part of their jobs," Bains said. "First responders, sheriffs and both provincial and federal correctional officers who experience trauma on the job and are diagnosed with a mental disorder, should not have the added stress of having to prove that their disorder is work related, in order to receive support and compensation." If the proposed amendments to the Workers Compensation Act are approved by the legislature, these amendments will add PTSD and other mental disorders to the list of conditions that are recognized as being presumptive conditions associated with specific types of jobs. The list includes conditions that are presumed to have been caused by the nature of the work, rather than having to be proven to be job related. "We are so grateful for the heroic work that first responders do in our communities every day," said Bains. "This proposed change ensures that when the people who protect us need support, B.C.'s workers' compensation system supports them to ensure a full recovery." The new mental disorder presumption will apply to firefighters, police officers, paramedics, sheriffs and correctional officers. The government said it will consider, over time, expanding presumptions to other types of workers who experience traumatic events at work. But for now, the government says the legislative changes are a first step toward providing more support to workers who are "first on the scene at challenging, and sometimes dangerous and trau- matic, situations." Currently, seven other Canadian jurisdictions — Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Yukon — have legislation around PTSD/mental disorder presumptions for workers' compensation. Industry specific training to be provided for youth in Saskatchewan S askatchewan will become the first jurisdiction in North America to offer industry specific safety training to all youth between the ages of 14 and 21. "The significant rate of youth injuries and fatalities in our Saskatchewan workplaces is a topic that concerns us all and one that has not been ignored," said WorkSafe Saskatchewan in a release. "All youth in Saskatchewan (will) have access to free, career-focused safety education before starting their first jobs to better prepare our future workforce and, in so doing, reduce or eliminate workplace injury for our youth." Brought together by the Saskatchewan Safety Council, a stra- tegic alliance of organizations and educational partners, this initiative is launching after a five-year pilot project that involved more than 20 school divisions and six First Nations. More than 63,000 hours of safety training were delivered as part of the pilot project. The online components of Career Safety Education are specifically designed by industry safety experts to address the most common injuries to new workers in their respective fields. The online components can be complimented with practical on-site training if community sponsorship is available. The program requires three safety courses to be completed. The mandatory courses are: Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS 2015) and the Young Worker Readiness Certifi- cate Course. Depending on the youth's career interest, she can choose one of the following industry orientations for the third course: • Agriculture: Online Agriculture Training System • Heavy construction: Roadbuilders Safety Training System Online • Construction and trades: Safety Construction Orientation Training • Health care: Workplace Assessment and Violence Education • Energy : Electronic General Safety Orientation. More online courses will be added to the list as they become available. "Within the Saskatchewan curriculum, there are outcomes that include safety and preparing youth for their career. Participating in Career Safety Education allows secondary students to access training that may be required for summer employment or for their future careers at no cost, while ensuring safe practices in their future," said the Saskatchewan Safety Council. Educators can choose to deliver Career Safety Education by including components in existing high school credit courses, such as the Wellness 10 course. Students would be required to take the courses during class and homework time. Along with the curriculum option, the training is available as a self-study or in hosted groups. If completed through their school, a number of additional electives are available for either practical or online training once the core modules are complete. Violence, harassment top OHS violation in Ontario T he Ontario Ministry of Labour (MOL) has released a "top 10" list of violations to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and violence and harassment takes the number 1 spot. In 2017, the ministry issued 11,662 orders for workplace violence and harassment. "Simply unacceptable in this day and age," said Peter Augruso, assistant deputy minister, operations division, for the MOL, speaking at the Partners in Prevention conference in Mississauga, Ont. on May 1. "We have lots of work to do on this one." Specific legislation against violence and harassment (Bill 132) was introduced in Ontario in Sept. 2016, so 2017 marks the first full year of it being in effect. The ministry has dedicated enforcement officers specifically trained to deal with violence and harassment, but they cannot keep up with the work, Augruso said. As a result, every industrial inspector is now being trained in this area. Coming in second place is fall protection, with 9,658 violations, which has historically taken the top spot. In 2017, 67 per cent of tickets issued by MOL inspectors in the construction sector were for workers not being adequately protected by fall protection. "It continues to amaze me," said Augruso. "Seems kind of commonsense, logical that you go out working at heights and you're going to use fall protection or guardrails." But it's not just the construction sector that's having prob- lems with fall protection. During its Stop Falls inspection blitz last year, the MOL issued 206 stop work orders across the construction, industrial and mining sectors. "That means there was an imminent danger to a worker. That's the only time we issue a stop work order is when something is going to happen that's going to be tragic, so we issue a stop work order. Stop everything," Augruso said. Rounding out the top three is lack of personal protective equipment with 8,318 orders. But the fourth on the list — 6,472 orders for improper access and egress — seemed to particularly frustrate Augruso. "Come on folks. Make sure the fire doors don't have boxes around them so if somebody has to get out of the building, they can," he said. "The majority of those, I bet you for sure, are blocked entrances and exits." The top 10 violations list informed the ministry's key pri- orities for fiscal year 2018-19 as well as its inspection blitzes. Blitz schedules are posted well in advance on the ministry's website, so employers should be prepared for a potential visit from an inspector. "We're going to tell you what it is, we're going to tell you the dates of it, shame on you if we come out there and actu- ally issue orders," Augruso said. "We can't do anything more than hold your hand." TOP 10 OHS VIOLATIONS • Workplace violence and harassment (11,662 violations) • Fall protection (9,658) • Lack of personal protective equipment (8,318) • Improper access and egress (6,472) • Health and safety representative and JHSC (6,239) • Administrative (6,007) • Basic OHS awareness training (5,232) • Improper use/maintenance of ladders/scaffolding (4,846) • Lack of machine/equipment guarding (4,276) • Housekeeping/work surfaces (4,269) Source: Ontario Ministry of Labour

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