Kimber and Tucker Safety Coordinators

NEWSLETTER
Winter, 2020

Date: January 1, 2020

Attention: Current Safety Clients

Again this season, Kimber and Tucker have a few announcements relating to your Safety program. Please take a few minutes to review the following, initiated as part of our continued commitment to effectively coordinate your current Safety requirements.

WorkSafeNB “Hire a Training Provider” *

Employers are legally obligated under section 9 of the OHS Act to provide occupational health and safety training to their employees. In addition, employers must also ensure training for all joint health and safety committee (JHSC) members, and for designated first-aid responders.

WorkSafeNB believes they need to work more closely with New Brunswick’s workplaces to improve workplace health and safety. As there are many reputable and knowledgeable agencies that can deliver health and safety training, they will focus their resources and services to work more directly with the province’s workplaces and will no longer offer workshops. Instead, they will approve agencies to deliver the JHSC Educational Training Program.

WorkSafeNB will not make recommendations or provide a list of available health and safety training providers as it would be difficult to collect the names of every health and safety provider, list their services, and to keep such a list updated. It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that any provider they hire will meet their training needs.

Kimber and Tucker Provision of Training

In response to industry request, and as a value added feature to our clients, we have been offering compliance training on a demand basis for many years.

A detailed list of training courses accompanied all December 2019 invoices to our clients per province. Please contact myself, or your Safety Coordinator directly, if you wish a formal quote or would like to schedule training.

Major Change to COR (trademark) Program **

The NBCSA Board of Directors has approved a motion at the most recent board meeting to start the process of eliminating the COR (trademark) “In Process” status. When NBCSA originally began issuing Letters of Good Standing there was a learning curve associated for companies within the construction industry. Letters of “In Process” were issued to assist those companies that required time to develop and implement safety programs as a requirement within the COR (trademark) program.

Due to having the program in place for the past 15 years along with the updated regulations that now require most companies with the updated regulations that now require most companies to have safety program in place, the need for the “In Process” status is no longer needed.

Starting on June 1st, 2020, NBCSA will no longer be issuing “In Process” status letters. Letters that have been issued prior to this date will be honored until they expire.

This will not impact any currently active COR (trademark) companies. Companies not currently active in the COR (trademark) program will be required to meet the “Audit Pending” status in order to have a valid COR (trademark). These changes will be implemented into the affected COR (trademark) courses immediately.

WCB of PEI New App for Health and Safety Information ***

The WCB of PEI, in collaboration with the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), has launched a new app to help Islanders better access workplace health and safety information.

The new app provides mobile access to the OHS Act and provides relevant, up-to-date information on 20 common health and safety topics, with further topics to be developed over the coming years. In addition to the new mobile app, WCB has also created a web version that provides users with a consistent look and feel when navigating on a desktop or laptop computer.

Current app topics include: confined spaces, duties of employers and workers, fall protection, impairment, noise, violence in the workplace, and working alone. Each topic links to related resources, such as summaries, legislative interpretations, prevention updates and hazard alerts. The app does not presently address all workplace health and safety legislation: therefore users should always refer back to the legislation or regulation for specific requirements that relate to their applicable industry.

The PEI Guide to OHS Legislation app is free and can be downloaded through the App Store or Google play, depending on the device you use. More information can be found at www.wcb.pe.ca/ohsguide.

WorkSafeNB Now Offer E-Courses *

WorkSafeNB now offer online course in the following:

• Hazard Identification, Assessment and Control
• Incident Reporting and Investigations.
• Workplace Inspections
• Effective Joint Health and Safety Committees.
• New Brunswick Health and Safety Legislation.

SiteDocs Safety Management Software Update

We are currently 13 months into our new SiteDocs Safety Management Software system. Both our clients and coordinators are indicting this new tool is having a great effect on managing safety requirements from the construction industry, and fulfilling the desired outcomes.

SiteDocs is an intuitive and easy to use mobile solution utilizing tablets and smartphones, giving us the ability to provide real time delivery of completed paperwork. This mobile app allows our coordinators to assist with the completion of digital safety forms at your jobsite. All safety forms are stored and organized online for easy access and real time tracking.

SiteDocs has allowed us to move your entire safety program from paper, clipboards and filing cabinets to mobile devices and the web. From the jobsite, our coordinators can login to the SiteDocs app from their mobile device and view all safety documentation. The forms they assist with are then instantly uploaded and automatically organized for easy viewing.

Whether on the jobsite or in the office, we have the ability to monitor your safety program. Our goal is to help you maintain the highest standard of safety possible, making your safety program more efficient, effective, and significantly enhanced.

Drug and Alcohol Testing ****

Drug and alcohol testing has become one of the most contentious contemporary issues in Canadian labour and environment law.

Everyone understands that the use of alcohol and certain drugs can impair an individual’s ability to work safely and, depending on the workplace, lead to serious injury, property damage and associated liabilities. Rapid and significant changes to the legal status of marijuana have also led to broader concerns about impairment at work.

Testing for drug and alcohol use in the workplace may reduce risks in some circumstances, but often raises concerns regarding privacy, unlawful discrimination and the reasonable exercise of management rights.

An employer’s right to test and discipline employees for workplace drug and alcohol use or impairment comes down to a balancing of competing interests:

• The employer’s interest in maintaining a safe workplace, and;
• The employees’ right to privacy and, where the employee has a dependency or addiction, accommodations for disabilities.

 

Responsibility for making this crucial balance falls not to legislators, but courts, arbitrators, human rights and other tribunals who have to draw the lines in particular cases.

 

WCB of PEI Campaign to Reduce Accidents in the Construction Industry ***

With growing demands on the construction industry on PEI, safety officials want to insure that workers and employers are taking the proper precautions to work safely.

Over the coming weeks, there will be a focused education and compliance initiative, where Occupational Health and Safety Officers will be visiting construction sites across the province. The Officers will be checking to see that workers are wearing their PPE and following provincial regulations.

Given the nature of the work in the construction industry, there is a higher risk for workplace accidents. They have developed a campaign that will help supervisors have important conversations about safety with their staff, which should lead to safer workplaces.

To obtain a copy of the posters or Safety Talks for your worksite, contact WCB of PEI at 902-368-5680.

Exposure to Extreme Cold ****

Under OHS laws, employers have the duty to protect workers against exposure to extreme cold regardless of which part of Canada you are in and whether exposed workers are indoors or outdoors.

Winter weather exposes workers to cold temperatures, high winds, icy conditions, snow and sleet, and increases the risk of cold stress and dangerous conditions, such as frostbite and hypothermia.

New Brunswick Violence and Harassment Policy *

The new regulatory requirements for Workplace Violence and Harassment came into effect on April 1, 2019.

WorkSafeNB members are encouraged to become familiar with the new regulations which can be accessed at www.worksafenb.ca.

Construction Sees Fewer Injuries *****

Fewer people are being hurt on the job in the residential construction industry in Nova Scotia, leading to lower workers’ compensation premiums.

The industry rate in residential construction is set to decline by 9 % in 2020. WCB NS announced, as part of its release of 2020 employer rates for workplace injury insurance.

Over the years, the construction community in Nova Scotia has made progress through education and training, thanks to safety association initiatives, access to resources and awareness campaigns.

In 2008, there were 773 time-loss injuries in construction and an injury rate of 3.2 time-loss injuries per 100 covered workers. Last year, the board indicates there were 560 time-loss injuries and an injury rate of 2.02.

Overall, WCB NS employer assessment rates will remain stable for 2020. The 2020 average assessment rate is $2.65 per $100 of assessable payroll, which has been the average assessment rate for 16 years. There are approximately 19,500 covered employers in Nova Scotia.

The Atlantic Collaborative on Injury Prevention

The human and financial toll of preventable injuries is alarming. Every year, thousands upon thousands of Atlantic Canadians suffer injuries that could have been prevented. Preventable injuries are one of the largest burdens on our health care system, with estimated costs of almost 1.7 billion a year to the Atlantic Provinces.

Every year in Atlantic Canada:

• More than 200,000 Atlantic Canadians seek medical attention for an injury.
• Over 15,000 are hospitalized, 890 will die.
• In fact, preventable injuries are the leading cause of death for Atlantic Canadians aged 1-44 years.

 

The Community Against Preventable Injuries is a collaborative and innovative partnership between businesses, government, and community groups whose combined energy, effort, and resources are focused on building awareness, shifting attitudes, and changing behaviours towards the causes of serious preventable injuries.

The following Atlantic community leaders help Preventable to raise awareness and change attitudes about preventable injuries in Atlantic Canada:

• All Atlantic Canada Worker’s Compensation Organizations.
• Chalmers Hospital Foundation
• New Brunswick Medical Society
• New Brunswick Trauma Program
• Newfoundland and Labrador Injury Prevention Coalition
• Government of Nova Scotia
• Government of Prince Edward Island
• Insurance Bureau of Canada
• Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation

 

WCB of PEI- Upcoming Changes to Workplace Harassment Regulations ***

The WCB of PEI has introduced changes to the OHS Act and Regulations on Workplace Harassment.

The amendments to the OHS Act outline the responsibilities of employers and workers to prevent harassment in the workplace.

In keeping with legislation in other Canadian jurisdictions, the new regulations must provide a definition of harassment to clarify what is unacceptable behaviour in the workplace, and set out the requirement for all employers to develop a policy to prevent workplace harassment.

The new regulations will come into effect July 1, 2020.

“Terms of Reference” Reminders

Our Terms of Reference document was initiated in early 2015. This document has been well received, and now forms the basis of our relationship with your firm. By better defining our role, we have also better defined the complete package of services we offer.

Within the document is Section F, titled “Roles and Responsibilities of the Client Company”. Articles 1, 5 and 6 read as follows:

• Inform coordinator of all worksite locations and scope of work prior to commencement of project.
• Provide a worker with knowledge of the project to assist with Hazard Assessments.
• Provide a Supervisor/JOHSC Rep for assistance with Site Inspections.

Reminders:

• Our website can be located at www.kimbertuckersafetycoordinators.com.
• We continue to accept Visa/MasterCard payment. Please contact this office if you wish to add your company to the growing list of firms who are taking advantage of this service.

Regards,
Jim and Nevin

References

• *          Excerpts taken from an article located on WorkSafeNB website.
• **        Excerpts taken from an article located on NBCSA website.
• ***      Excerpts taken from an article in WCB of PEI website.
• ****    Excerpts taken from OHS Insider articles.
• *****  Excerpts taken from an article located on WCB of Nova Scotia website.