A brave mother shares her experience and advocates for workplace safety changes in the maritime industry so that no one ever has to suffer a loss like she has.  Charley and Genevieve Cragg. Photo courtesy of Genevieve Cragg. “It was 100 percent predictable and 100 percent preventable.” That’s how Genevieve Cragg describes the incident that took the life of her 25-year-old son Charley in February 2021. Charley was on board the MV Ingenika, a small tugboat scheduled for a 10-hour journey through the Gardner Canal from Kitimat to Kemano. Although he was no stranger to the water, it was Cha ..read more

Whether your business is large or small, employers are responsible for ensuring a healthy and safe workplace.  I recently spoke with Tami Der, manufacturing consultant in Prevention Programs and Services at WorkSafeBC, who gave me an overview of how employers can find resources to help them meet their health and safety obligations. Photo credit: © WorkSafeBC (Workers’ Compensation Board of B.C.), used with permission Q: How can I reduce the chance of workplace injuries? According to Tami, the key to preventing workplace injuries and illness is to use a risk management approach to creat ..read more

BC Construction Safety Alliance can lighten the load of managing a construction business and make safety simpler.  Photo credit: © WorkSafeBC (Workers’ Compensation Board of B.C.), used with permission As a business grows, reviewing workplace health and safety obligations is one of the many tasks employers need to address. Thankfully, the BC Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA) is here to help. “When [employers are] trying to run their business, increase production, and do all the right things, sometimes the safety seems like a big, heavy burden on their shoulders,” says Tanya Steele, a ..read more

New protections to help keep everyone safe from the danger of asbestos came into effect on January 1, 2024 in British Columbia.  Photo credit: © WorkSafeBC (Workers’ Compensation Board of B.C.), used with permission By Marnie Douglas, Guest contributor to Speaking of Safety Starting January 1, 2024, all asbestos abatement contractors must be licensed to operate in British Columbia. Additionally, anyone performing asbestos abatement work must complete training with an approved provider and earn a certificate. The provincial government has introduced these new protections to help keep eve ..read more

The Lone Hunter video encourages construction workers to reach out if they are experiencing mental health challenges.  Video still from The Lone Hunter The narrator in The Lone Hunter speaks in the dramatic tones of a 1960s-style nature show. While the approach is whimsical, the subject matter is serious – it features a construction worker who suffers inside but hides it at work, until he can’t. The video is part of RE-MIND, an ongoing program to help improve construction workers’ access to mental health services. RE-Mind is a collaboration between the BC Construction Safety Alliance (B ..read more

An important date for employers and workers in the asbestos abatement industry in British Columbia is fast approaching.  Photo credit: © WorkSafeBC (Workers’ Compensation Board of B.C.), used with permission By Marnie Douglas, Guest contributor to Speaking of Safety Exposure to asbestos can cause serious long-term health issues and even death. Anyone who repairs, renovates, or demolishes buildings is at risk of exposure, as asbestos was widely used in thousands of building materials in B.C. and it can still be found in many buildings even today. It’s why come January 1, 2024, asbestos a ..read more

Employers need to know the hazards in their workplace and manage the risks to provide a healthy and safe workplace.  Photo credit: © WorkSafeBC (Workers’ Compensation Board of B.C.), used with permission It’s ergonomics month and WorkSafeBC has some important reminders for B.C. manufacturers this October. I connected with Tami Der, an occupational health and safety consultant with WorkSafeBC on how employers can use in-house inspections and risk assessments to prevent musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs). “The employer’s first step in protecting workers involves identifying potential hazards ..read more

OHS specialist Glenn Russell recalls how seeing a worker’s serious, life-changing injury inspired his motivation to raise awareness of fall protection.  Photo credit: © WorkSafeBC (Workers’ Compensation Board of B.C.), used with permission A worker on a steep slope roof fell and fractured his leg when his fall protection equipment failed. The vertical lifeline was old and it broke, according to the summary of a recent incident reported to WorkSafeBC. To find out more about inspecting fall protection systems. I spoke with Glenn Russell. Glenn is an occupational health and safety speciali ..read more

The guideline outlines the requirement for personal protective equipment (PPE) to be available for all body types, not just sized for men’s bodies.   Photo credit: monkeybusinessimages/istock via Getty Images A new guideline addressing the issue of ill-fitting PPE, which can compromise worker safety, came into effect in November 2022. I instantly thought about Jodi Huettner when I read a recent WorkSafeBC media release about this addition to the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Guidelines. Jodi left mechanical engineering on a mission to improve access to PPE. She has been advo ..read more

Employers need workers’ insight into tasks that cause discomfort so they can find solutions that foster safety.  Photo credit: Gettyimages/Smederevac You know those huge bins of fruits and vegetables we see in grocery stores? Stocking these items are one of the many tasks that put workers at risk of musculoskeletal injury (MSI). MSIs account for approximately 30 percent of all workplace injury claims in B.C. Recently I spoke with Brian Kossey, a supervisor in Prevention Field Services at WorkSafeBC. He and his team are reaching out to supermarket workplaces throughout B.C. Their first v ..read more