Canadian Occupational Safety

June/July 2016 3 June Hand protection Young workers Fall protection July Emergency eyewash Con ned spaces Ergonomics 2016 Safety Leader of the Year The nationwide search for the most outstanding safety professional is on! We are now accepting nominations for the 2016 Safety Leader of the Year award. If you know an occupational health and safety professional who deserves to be recognized for exceptional leadership, we would like to hear from you. It's time to celebrate their accomplishments! The winner will attend the Canada's Safest Employers gala on Oct. 24 in Toronto, grace the cover of the December/ January issue of COS and star in a video of his/her safety accomplish- ments. Nominations close July 6. www.cos-mag.com/safety-leader.html on now @ twitter.com/cosmagazine Join Canadian Occupational Safety group on Follow us on Culture Shock Shawn Galloway, president of ProAct Safety, presents a monthly video on safety culture. Watch the latest video on how safety is like playing chess. Sun safety at work Occupational sun exposure is a signi cant risk factor for heat stress and skin cancer. Thomas Tenkate, project lead for Sun Safety at Work Canada, explains how to implement an effective sun safety program. DIRECTOR, CARSWELL MEDIA 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, CARSWELL MEDIA Mallory Hendry ART DIRECTOR Steve Maver PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR Pamela Menezes pamela.menezes@thomsonreuters.com 416-649-9298 ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Nicholas Cholodny nicholas.cholodny@thomsonreuters.com 647-537-4705 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 Training Glyn Jones Workers' Compensation David Marchione and Maurice Dransfeld CUSTOMER SERVICE Tel. 416-609-3800 (Toronto)/ 1-800-387-5164 (outside Toronto) Fax 416-298-5082 (Toronto)/ 1-877-750-9041 (outside Toronto) carswell.customerrelations@thomsonreuters.com Contents of Canadian Occupational Safety are copyright © 2016 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. Printed in 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: $64 including tax ($59.84 + $4.16 GST); US: $64, 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. AMANDA SILLIKER 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 Guy Chenard, Safety Consultant Maureen Shaw President, Act Three Consulting Dr. Ron Saunders Director of Knowledge Transfer & Exchange Institute for Work & Health cos-mag.com visit us online More videos at www.cos-mag.com/video.html coming up online latest videos RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 2075 KENNEDY RD., TORONTO, ONT. M1T 3V4 High times I n April, the federal minster of health announced legislation is coming next spring to legalize marijuana. While some people are skeptical whether or not this will actually go through, it's a good time for employers to get ahead of the curve and make sure all their policies address marijuana use. Our legal columnist, Loretta Bouwmeester, makes some very interesting points in her column on page 11. I never thought employees would be so bold as to smoke up during work functions, but if it becomes legal, apparently it's something employers need to consider. I supposed the argument would be if they are allowed to have an alcoholic beverage at a mid-afternoon retirement party for a colleague, why couldn't they smoke a joint, too? If it's legal, what's the problem? The prudent health and safety manager would take a look at all corporate policies and ensure marijuana use is explicitly called out as inappropriate on the job in any capacity, whether it be on a work site, during a lunch break or at a corporate event. While drinking one beer has essentially no effect on most people, smoking one joint certainly does. (That being said, I think this discussion is most suited to offi ce jobs. I can't imagine a construction worker being allowed to drink a beer and then go back to work.) I don't need to get into the obvious health and safety concerns associated with employees being high at work, but a recent case that came across my desk brought home this point. Wahhib Tariq was driving a dump truck at an Ontario construction site when Ken Campbell was crushed between the truck and the roll bar of a bulldozer cab. In the case, the justice of the peace said "…the detected blood concentration of THC indicated recent use of cannabis within the previous six hours... His motor skills, time and spatial perceptions and reaction times would have been impaired. Had he not used cannabis that day, this tragedy might have been avoided." But the justice of the peace wasn't talking about the driver, he was referring to the victim. This issue's cover story on page 16 looks at a topic with some of the most gruesome pictures I have ever seen: hydraulic fl uid injection injuries. We spared you the images, but a quick Google search will show you just how dev- astating these injuries can be. (Don't say I didn't warn you!) Hands are completely split open by these injuries and you see parts of a hand you didn't even know you had. I get squeamish just looking at the pictures, I cannot even imagine how devastating and painful it would be to suffer such an injury. I was fi rst introduced to hydraulic fl uid injection injuries at a trade show when I stopped by a booth promoting a dye that is added to hydraulic fl uid. If the worker thinks he has sustained an injection injury, he puts his hand under a blue light and the dye will glow under the skin if he has been pricked. This helps the medical professional pinpoint the exact location of the hydraulic fl uid to eliminate unnecessary surgery. I think this is something all mining companies — and other companies with hydraulic systems — should take a look at implementing. Don't forget to nominate a deserving safety superstar for our Safety Leader of the Year award. The winner is cel- ebrated at our Canada's Safest Employers awards gala in October, graces the cover of COS and participates in a video shoot about his/her exceptional safety leadership. Nominations close July 6. Lastly, it is with a heavy heart that we dedicate this issue to our late publisher, John Hobel, who passed away March 26 after a lengthy illness. (See dedication on page 8.) John was someone who always stood up for what he believed in. He was honest, passionate and quick-witted. Personally, I am grateful to John for always believing in me. He was a great supporter of my career from day 1 and he helped me learn the ropes when I was new in this role. One of the greatest pieces of advice he gave me was that life is too short to spend it doing things you don't love. I try to remember that every day. John, you are greatly missed. Amanda Silliker, Editor amanda.silliker@thomsonreuters.com

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