Canadian Occupational Safety

April 2014

Canadian Occupational Safety (COS) magazine is the premier workplace health and safety publication in Canada. We cover a wide range of topics ranging from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards.

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April 2014 7 exposure. There were also large disparities by region — from 4.7 per 100,000 cases in some health units to 2,954.4 per 100,000 cases in others, found the review. While the OAWR is a useful source of information, there are concerns about the quality of data. Not all employers required to report do so, which leads to potential underestimating of the number of workers exposed. Also, orga- nizations have not been consistent in reporting every year; even among those that were consistent, there were some wide fl uctuations in the number of entries year to year, said OCRC. There are also concerns about whether the sample is representative of the population of interest. For example, out of asbestos removal services companies in Ontario, only 12 were included in the registry. Moreover, one company specializing in asbestos had 114 of its 125 employees registered, while another recorded none. As a result of the discrepancies, further work needs to be done to ascertain the proportion and characteristics of workers exposed, as well as distribution by industry. This analysis is already making an impact on enforcement practices at the MOL. As part of the strat- egy to protect worker health and safety on the job, MOL inspec- tors are checking that asbestos operations are conducted in accordance to regulation, said OCRC. Inspectors will also address asbestos worker registry reporting requirements. No charges laid in fatal Burns Lake sawmill explosion By Sabrina Nanji M ore than two years after the deadly blast at a sawmill in Burns Lake, B.C., which killed two workers and injured several others, the Crown has decided not to lay criminal charges. The decision came down in mid-January, with the Crown dismissing evidence gathered by WorkSafeBC on the basis that its investigation was fl awed. As such, no criminal charges could be laid. The Crown also decided to throw out other charges because there was no substantial like- lihood of conviction should the employer — Babine Forest Products — use the defense of due diligence in a courtroom. The court's ruling sent shock waves through the community and has sparked a province-wide uproar regarding health and safety at sawmills. Following the court's decision, British Columbia Pre- mier Christy Clark called WorkSafeBC's investigation unacceptable and ordered a review into its investiga- tion process. The report, released in mid-February by B.C.'s top civil servant, John Dyble, included recom- mendations to streamline the process and focus the relationship between WorkSafeBC investigators and the criminal justice branch. As part of the review, labour minister Shirley Bond cited a combustible dust strategy to help mitigate the risks associated with sawdust build-up. That includes inspections at each of the province's 144 sawmills and inspection courses for local area fi re commissioners. "Ensuring mill workers are safe on the job site has always been a priority, and efforts to enhance safety measures began immediately after the explosion and continue today," Bond said. "Given the tragic events of 2012, it is expected that every employer in the sawmill and wood product processing industry understands their safety responsibilities and is taking appropriate action." But WorkSafeBC said its investigation was carried out using the same strategy as any other investigation. "Our offi cers attended the Babine site within hours of the explosion and fi re and remained at the site for 13 weeks, conducting one of, if not the largest, scene examinations in the history of WorkSafeBC and the province," said Jeff Dolan, director of investigations at WorkSafeBC. One known factor at the root of the fatal explosion is sawdust. "The remaining admissible evi- dence does support, to the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, a theory that there was sawdust in the mill at the time of ignition and that the sawdust was at least one fuel for the fi re," explained Dolan. "At the time of the incident, there was an accumulation of sawdust in the sawmill. The preponderance of the evidence is that dust conditions in the mill were relatively good — but imperfect — at the time of the incident." WorkSafeBC's report concluded the elements for a wood dust explosion were present. That includes the concentration of dispersed wood dust in the air, fric- tion with the motor-reducer V-belt guard as an ignition source and ineffective wood dust control measures. Con- ditions of the wood and the effect of weather also played a part in the explosion, as did inadequate supervision of clean-up and maintenance staff. The B.C. Safety Authority also conducted an inves- tigation into the Burns Lake explosion. It determined the root cause of the Babine explosion was a failure to control the hazard created by combustible wood dust, and issued nine recommendations to sawmills, the CSA Group and the offi ce of the fi re commissioner. To employers, the safety authority recommended identifying hazardous locations, developing wood dust management practices and incorporating a fi re safety plan. Government of Nova Scotia expanding safety division T he Nova Scotia government is expanding its occupational health and safety division as part of ongoing efforts to improve workplace safety. A new outreach unit and 12 new positions are being created to focus on education, enforcement and compli- ance. These positions include senior directors, outreach and compliance staff, and an engineer. These are in addition to the fi ve new safety inspec- tors the province is hiring to help with more targeted inspections. "Our vision is to make the safety branch even stronger," said Labour and Advanced Education Minister Kelly Regan. "This is another step in making Nova Scotia a safer place to work. We need to support our staff so they can support Nova Scotia workers and employers." These changes, and several others, are being made as part of the prov- ince's workplace safety strategy and align with the auditor general's recom- mendations to improve the province's health and safety services. The province is also working with industry to ensure offi cers are getting to more high-risk workplaces, improv- ing compliance processes, and hiring a prosecutor who will focus solely on occupational health and safety. LIST OF NEW POSITIONS: • a new education and outreach unit, four new staff • director of technical and outreach services • fi ve new inspectors • an engineer • new senior director of compliance and inspection services • two new regional directors (central and northern regions) of compliance and inspection services • two compliance and inspection co-ordinators focused on the auditor general's recommendations • one clerical staff. There are also concerns about whether the sample is representative of the population of interest. For example, out of asbestos removal services companies in Ontario, only 12 were included in the registry. Moreover, one company specializing in asbestos had 114 of its 125 employees registered, while another As a result of the discrepancies, further work needs to be done to ascertain the proportion and characteristics of workers exposed, as ore than two years after Crown has decided not to lay Crown also decided to throw was an accumulation of sawdust

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