Kimber and Tucker Safety Coordinators

NEWSLETTER
Winter, 2022

Date: January 1, 2022

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.

N.S. Dept. of Labour and Advanced Education: Free Health and Safety e-Courses *

The Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Department of Labour and Advanced Education is pleased to announce the availability of free Safety Training to the people of Nova Scotia. These courses are delivered, in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), and provide up-to-date and relevant topics in both Health and Safety.

All CCOHS courses are available in both English and French. 24 online courses to choose from, limit 3 courses per person per calendar year. You must be a resident of Nova Scotia to qualify. Contact CCOHS Client Services for more information.

Safety Bulletin: N.S. Dept. of Labour and Advanced Education (Cold Stress) *

Cold is a physical hazard and cold stress can impact workers who are not properly protected against cold conditions. When the human body is unable to sufficiently warm itself, cold-related illnesses and injuries can occur that could lead to tissue damage and potentially death. Environmental factors include air temperature, wind speed, and humidity. Personal factors include physical activity, work/rest schedule, protective clothing, age, gender and medical conditions.

Cold related stress diseases include hypothermia, frostbite, trench foot and chilblains.

In Nova Scotia, the Workplace Health and Safety Regulations outline the requirements for cold stress, referencing to threshold limit values for cold stress established by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) for workplace cold stress monitoring. The threshold limit values outline cold working conditions that meet standards where it is believed nearly all workers can be repeatedly exposed without negative health effects.

All employers with employees who are at risk for cold stress must develop a cold risk management strategy, which includes hazard identification, hazard assessment, controls development, controls implementation, and supervision.

Safety Bulletin: N.S. Dept. of Labour and Advanced Education (Electrostatic Cleaning Equipment Hazards) *

The use of electrostatic sprayers to disinfect surfaces presents many potential hazards. Anyone who uses electrostatic sprayers to disinfect surfaces needs to know about the hazards associated with this equipment and how to control those hazards.

One such hazard is electrostatic discharge (ESD). An electrostatic discharge is discharged static electricity. Electrostatic discharges create a potential ignition hazard in areas with flammable liquids, gases, or dust that could lead to a fire or explosion. This equipment should never be used in an area with flammable or combustible substances. The risk for this ignition hazard is higher in the winter when the dry air allows static charges to build-up.

The electrostatic discharge hazard also presents a possible health hazard to people who have sensitive medical implants such as pacemakers, as it may affect their function. Note also that it is unsafe to use this equipment near a defibrillator. For industries with other sensitive electronic equipment, electrostatic discharge is destructive to semiconductor electronic devices.

Lastly, the chemicals used in the electrostatic sprayers may contain harmful components, specific training on the Safety Date Sheet is required and protective measures may be necessary. Ensure all hazards and safety precautions are communicated when training employees on the safe use of equipment. Always follow all safety precautions provided by the equipment and chemical manufacturer when using this equipment.

WorkSafeNB: Fall Protection Blitz **

At WorksafeNB, they know that falls continue to be a leading cause of serious workplace injuries in New Brunswick.

To help keep workers safe, and to continue driving a safety-first culture in New Brunswick’s roofing industry, WorkSafeNB’s Health and Safety Officers will be visiting worksites to ensure compliance with Safety Regulations. The blitz will focus on the use, care and maintenance of equipment, supervisor competency, and employee training.

WorkSafeNB has a wealth of resources to help workplaces improve Health and Safety, including inspection checklists to help employers prepare for future visits from Health and Safety Officers. These resources will be shared though industry partners, including the NBCSA, the New Brunswick Roofing Contractors Association and the Association of Municipal Administrators of New Brunswick.

WorkSafeNB recommends that anyone who works on a roofing site regularly review operations, ensuring that proper training and safe working procedures are in place, and to regularly review their Covid-19 Operational Plan for small businesses. Visit the WorkSafeNB website for more information, and Operational Plan templates.

 

WorkSafeNB: Administrative Penalties Now In Effect **

Administrative penalties are monetary penalties that can be issued by WorkSafeNB Health and Safety Officers. This represents a new and important measure to help Officers to enforce compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and associated regulations.

When workplaces operate unsafely, WorkSafeNB Health and Safety Officers have measures at their disposal including education, consultation, compliance orders and prosecutions. Administrative penalties are a new measure to motivate workplace parties to focus on Safety and Health. An administrative penalty is an alternative to prosecution that may be imposed on an employer, supervisor, employee or other workplace party for failing to comply with the OHS Act or Regulations.

Compliance with the OHS and having Health and Safety measures in place will not only avoid penalties, but most importantly will mitigate the risk of injury to employees.

To learn more about administrative penalties, and when they may be issued, visit the WorkSafeNB website.

WCB PEI: Working At Heights Plan Underway ***

Beginning last summer, WCB PEI launched a widespread education and enforcement campaign surrounding working from heights, which includes a package of new safety resources, posters, media, and mini training videos to assist employers and workers in understanding their legal obligations.

The goal of the initiative is to protect workers by ensuring compliance with the OHS Act and Regulations, and raising awareness of the importance of workplace safety.

In 2019, on a PEI worksite, a worker suffered life altering injuries as a result of falling approximately 5.5 meters from unguarded scaffolding to the concrete surface below.

As the result of fines levied on this case, the WCB developed the focused Working at Heights Campaign to ensure proper precautions and legal obligations of employers and workers regarding working from heights are taken, to prevent further accidents like this from happening again.

Any person working at a height of 3 meters or more is required to have a fall protection system in place. This includes work on scaffolding, elevated work platforms, roofs or any other place that presents a fall hazard.

As part of the campaign, WCB Occupational Health and Safety Officers are visiting work sites across the province with an increased focus on fall protection use. It will also include an education component about roles and responsibilities under the OHS Act and Regulations and resulting consequences for non-compliance, including orders and/or prosecution. The campaign was developed in partnership with the CAPEI and CHBA.
WCB PEI: Experience Rating Program Changes ***

Changes will soon come into effect for the WCB’s Experience Rating program. The Experience Rating Program offers a financial incentive to employers to invest in safety and work disability prevention programs by adjusting assessment rates based on their claims cost history.

There are two main changes to the Experience Rating program:

• Previously, the program was limited to employers who have paid at least $3000 in total WCB assessments over 3 years. It will now include all employers in the experience rating program in order to promote a culture of safety in both large and small workplaces.
• The maximum surcharge for employers will move into closer alignment with other jurisdictions by adjusting the order in which steps are applied to calculate their annual rate adjustment.

 

The new enhancements will encourage safety and proactive prevention of work disability, expand access to more employers, and will see an adjustment to the formula used to calculate rates to limit the negative impact on small employers.

WCB PEI: Workplace Safety Information Sessions (2022 Winter/Spring) ***

The WCB of PEI offers a number of educational sessions to support healthy and safe workplaces across PEI. Sessions are provided free of charge, and will be hosted either virtually or through Zoom or in-person.

All virtual sessions are 1 hour in length. Courses include Health and Safety Committee Basics, Workplace Harassment Regulations, Workplace Safety for Supervisors, OHS Legislative Awareness, Workplace Inspections, Incident Investigations, and Health and Safety Orientations.

In-person sessions run from 8:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. Courses include Health and Safety Committee Basics & Workplace Inspections, and Workplace Safety for Supervisors & Health and Safety Orientation.

Contact the WCB PEI for course dates and times.

WCB PEI: Health and Safety Posting Requirements ***

To protect the Health and Safety of workers, Island workplaces are required by law to post certain documentation and signage. The specific posting requirements depend on the nature of the workplace and are set out in the OHS Act, OHS Regulations, and Scaffolding Regulations. A guide document can be viewed online at www.wcb.pe.ca.

All workplaces must have the following items posted:

• OHS Act
• OHS Regulations
• WCB reporting telephone number.
• Compliance Orders issued by an Officer.
• Names and contact of First-Aid providers.
• Signs indicating where First-Aid kits are located.
• Signs indicating where smoking is permitted and not permitted.

 

There are additional OHS documentation and signage posting requirements, depending on the size of the workplace and the nature of the work. Please visit the above noted website for more information.

NBCSA: Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee Training****

Under the New Brunswick Health and Safety Act, Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committees (JHSC) are required at workplaces (non-project sites) with 20 or more regularly employed employees. In addition, projects that are classified as medium or large sites must also establish a JHSC. Medium project sites have 30- 499 employees and are greater than 90 days in duration. Large project sites have more than 499 employees working at any time.

NBCSA is now recognized by WorkSafeNB as an approved provider for both the 3 day JHSC and the new JHSC Blended learning course.

Both courses are included in their schedule, and are offered in both official languages at various locations throughout the province.

The 3 day JHSC classroom course covers topics such as; legislation, hazard identification, inspections, investigations, and the role of JHSC members.

The Blended course is a combination of 5 eLearning courses provided through WorkSafeNB and 1 full day classroom course. Individuals must complete the 5 online courses before registering in the one-day classroom course.

Performing Pre-Operational Equipment Checks *****

Performing the Pre-Operational check is important for the safety of the operator and everyone in its working environment. Unfortunately, this safety check is often forgotten or ignored. Not every operator is aware about the items that need to be checked before they can start their machine and begin to perform their daily tasks.

The equipment operator can prevent downtime, extend service life and ensure more efficient operation with just a few minutes of preventative inspection. The key is consistency, these inspections must be engrained into the consciousness of all parties and performed every day. You cannot accomplish much or have optimum productivity if your equipment/machinery is not up to par, or your employees are not working in a safe manner. There are inherent risks, dangers and hazards to both equipment and labour.

Regular inspections lower the chances of one of your workers getting injured. Unfortunately, injuries do happen on the job, and most of the time, they are preventable. Inspections are a preventative safety measure for you and your employees. If a worker gets injured as a result of damaged equipment, chances are, they are going to miss some time. Common injuries relating to heavy equipment are often serious, such as amputations, spinal injuries, sprains, fractures and cuts.

A Pre-Operational check of equipment prior to every use will reduce the chance of equipment being operated in an unsafe condition. This makes it easier to spot and deal with maintenance issues early before they turn into a problem causing downtime, equipment damage or expensive repairs.

A Pre-Operational check must be documented, please contact your Safety Coordinator if you require specific forms developed.

Worker Discipline: Documentation *****

When you discipline a worker for violating a safety rule for any infraction, make sure you document it.

Documentation is required to justify your disciplinary decisions, especially if you terminate a worker. You may also need disciplinary records to prove due diligence. A key element of due diligence is not only having written safety rules, but enforcing those rules by disciplining workers who violate them.

When workplace safety becomes complacent, accidents happen. As a manager, director, or leader it is important that you always keep in mind that you are judged by what you tolerate and not necessarily by what you reward.

HSE Integrated: Safety Certification Management Training (PEI)

HSE’s Safety Certification program is issued to companies who have developed and implemented an Occupational Health and Safety Program. Safety Certification demonstrates your company takes safety seriously. Many companies now require anyone who works for them to be safety certified by an approved provider.

In order to be Safety Certified by HSE Integrated, the employer must appoint a Safety Certification representative to participate in a 3 day Safety Certification Management Training Program.

In the Spring of 2015, Kimber and Tucker organized Safety Certification Management Training by bringing an HSE Trainer to PEI. More than 20 individuals took part in this training. Most of our current client base on PEI had a representative attend.

We have been asked by one of our current clients on PEI to gauge a level of interest in having another course conducted on PEI in 2022. Cost would be based on the number of participants. The more participants, the lower the cost.

Please contact your Safety Coordinator or myself directly if you are interested in this Training.

SiteDocs Safety Management Software Update

We are currently 4 years 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 elements of your 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.

N.S. Dept. of Labour and Advanced Education: Bump Lines

The Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education has started to enforce Part 21.5 of the Workplace Health and Safety Regulations. This section states that guardrails must be built in work areas where falls can occur. Bump Lines will no longer be acceptable. Bump Lines were never listed in the Regulations as a form of Fall Protection, only utilized as a Hazard Identification System.

Please contact your Safety Coordinator or myself if you have any questions.

New Safety Coordinator: Elizabeth Pederson

We wish to announce the addition of Elizabeth Pederson to our Team of Safety Coordinators. Elizabeth has a Safety career spanning over several years, most recently with Health PEI as an Occupational Health and Safety Officer, and WCB PEI as an Occupational Health and Safety Education Consultant. Currently residing in Charlottetown, PEI, Elizabeth will be advancing and supporting Safety programs for Island based contractors and sub-contractors.

New Safety Coordinator: Eric LeFort

We wish to announce the addition of Eric LeFort to our Team of Safety Coordinators. Eric holds a CRSP designation, and has been involved in Safety for over 30 years. Most recently, Eric has held positions with both the NSCC and Holland College, where he developed and taught their respective OHS Diploma programs. Currently residing in Baddeck, N.S. Eric will be advancing and supporting Safety programs for both construction industry shop-based firms and construction contractors.

Kimber and Tucker Ltd.: Provision of Training

In response to industry request, and as a value added service to our clients, we have been offering Compliance Training on a demand basis for many years in Nova Scotia.

A detailed list of Training Courses will accompany all January 2022 invoices to Nova Scotia clients. Please contact myself, or your Safety Coordinator directly, if you wish a formal quote or would like to schedule Training.

Covid-19
The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic has changed how we work. The challenges extend to how individuals commute, enter worksites, interact with co-workers, and manage tasks.

We at Kimber and Tucker are providing information to workers and employers through worksite inspections, focusing on the controls that the employer can use to limit exposure, including maintaining distance between workers and ensuring adequate hygiene facilities. We will continue to engage in inspection, consultation and education to ensure everyone in the workplace remains safe.

We strive to promote healthy and safe worksites for all workers and employers. We will support the direction provided by provincial and public health agencies, and provide guidance to worksites on implementing appropriate preventative measures. We will continue to provide support and share information as it becomes available to assist you in managing the situation.

Regards,
Nevin

References

• *          Excerpts taken from an article located on N.S. DOL website.
• **        Excerpts taken from an article located on WorkSafeNB website
• ***      Excerpts taken from an article in WCB of PEI website
• ****    Excerpts taken from an article on NBCSA website.
• *****  Information provided by OHS Insider articles.