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FROM THE EDITOR
Canadian Occupational Safety's Editorial Advisory Board
Dave Gouthro, CRSP, CHSC, CHSO
Occupational Health & Safety Consulting
David Johnston, CRSP
Director, EHS, Toronto Hydro-Electric System Ltd.
Eldeen Pozniak
Director, Pozniak Safety Associates Inc.
Guy Chenard
Retired, Senior H&S Advisor, Ontario Power Generation
Maureen Shaw
President, Act Three Consulting
Dr. Ron Saunders
Director of Knowledge Transfer & Exchange
Institute for Work & Health
Fishing for safety
I
was born and raised in Moncton, N.B., just 20 minutes from Shediac, the lobster capital of the world. A massive,
decorative lobster greets tourists beside the beachside town and kids love climbing on top of it for a fun photo op.
I was lucky to have easy access to fresh seafood growing up — nothing beat frying up the rainbow trout that
my grandfather had just caught that day in the Miramichi River for dinner.
But even when I was young, I always knew being a fi sher was risky. It was something that seemed to be understood
as a Maritimer — it was just a dangerous industry. After writing this issue's cover story on fi shing safety (see page
14) I am happy to see people are not just accepting it as a dangerous industry anymore. The work of Fish SAFE in
British Columbia and the Safe at Sea Alliance in Nova Scotia is proof people are really starting to understand the
inherent dangers of working on a topsy-turvy vessel in the middle of the ocean and taking precautions to work safer.
But the truth remains that too many fi shers are dying in this industry every year all across the country and it's time
all stakeholders — from health and safety professionals to the families of fi shers — start to make sure safety is top
of mind before anyone goes out to sea.
This issue includes a feature article on ladder safety that was inspired by Robert Green (see page 20). After 30
years of maintenance, engineering and health and safety experience, he fell from an eight-foot stepladder which
resulted in a massive rotator cuff injury. Three out of the four tendons in his shoulder joint were completely torn
and doctors told him he could have broken his neck. If someone had asked him what type of accident or injury he
was most worried about, he would never had said falling from a ladder. I bet if you ask your employees that ques-
tion the response would be the same. Green's story is a good reminder to workers of the need to conduct a proper
ladder safety check before they start climbing.
Cheryl Edwards' legal column this month looks at sexual harassment in the workplace (see page 10). In March,
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne launched a public education campaign against sexual harassment. I was pleased
to see a TV ad that includes a man massaging a female co-worker's shoulders as part of several scenes of sexual
harassment in the workplace, schools, bars and social settings. More than one-quarter (28 per cent) of Canadians say
they have been on the receiving end of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours or sexually-charged
talk while on the job, according to an Angus Reid poll of 1,500 workers. Wynne's campaign includes expanding
occupational health and safety legislation to specifi cally call out sexual harassment and assault.
I know it may have been commonplace years ago, but now that women make up a full 47.3 per cent of the Cana-
dian workforce — compared to 37.1 per cent in 1976 — any behaviours or comments that are sexual in nature or
may make a woman feel uncomfortable are not welcomed. For example, making sex-related comments about a
person's physical characteristics, unnecessary touching or repeatedly asking for dates even after the person has said
no are all examples of sexual harassment — something many workers may not realize.
As a woman, I have certainly witnessed and personally been on the receiving end of sexual jokes or inappropriate
comments in the workplace (and I would wager a guess nearly every woman has). And to be fair, it can of course go
the other way, with men being sexually harassed by women in the workplace, but it is much less frequent. I believe
it's up to health and safety professionals to work with human resources to ensure they do not have a workplace that
perpetuates sexual harassment. It's important all workers are trained on what exactly constitutes sexual harassment
(with specifi c examples) and understand and sign the workplace policy against it.
Amanda Silliker, Editor
amanda.silliker@thomsonreuters.com
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