ISSUE 12 • May 2012

News from the Executive Director

ccook@bcmsa.ca

As the Executive Director of a Health and Safety Association, I am often invited to participate in local and Provincial events. Some of these are great fun, such as presenting and facilitating at the Western Conference on Safety; some are sad, such as the Day of Mourning, and all remind me of why I do the work I do to promote and improve worker health and safety.

April 28th was the National Day of Mourning, honoring hundreds of workers who have died or been disabled from occupational injury or disease. None of us will ever forget the two tragic mill explosions in January and April of this year, resulting in the death of four workers. Life is too short to make it even shorter through unsafe workplaces.

142 people lost their lives from workplace injury or disease in 2011. 50% of those deaths were caused by long ago exposure to Asbestos. The next leading cause of death was motor vehicle accidents.

In our Classification Unit, seven workers have already died as a result of work-related injuries or illness in 2012, six firefighters and one maintenance worker. Six deaths were attributed to exposure to chemicals, smoke and asbestos. One volunteer firefighter was killed when fighting a fire in a building when an explosion occurred.

The potential for injury or death is very real in the local government sector, where we work in more high risk hazards than any other single industry. Thank you for the work you do in health and safety, and please continue to improve workers’ chances of going home at the end of the day, by utilizing all resources available – including the BCMSA – to establish and maintain safe workplaces.

Cathy Cook

Announcing the 2012 – 2014 Board of Directors: Elections were held on March 9, 2012 for the BCMSA Board of Directors. Following the very close election, the Directors met and selected the Executive. The 2012 – 2014 Board of Directors members are:

Sam Chauhan, City of Surrey – PresidentAndrew Ross, City of Vancouver – Vice-PresidentChris Gonev, District of North Vancouver – SecretaryCarie Sandferd, City of New Westminster – TreasurerRobb Armstrong, City of Richmond – Immediate Past President/DirectorKeith Arkell, MetroVancouver – DirectorCris Bendall, City of Coquitlam – DirectorClay Fredin, City of Vernon – DirectorRick Kroeker, City of Nanaimo – DirectorTom MacDonald, Local Government Management Association – DirectorCaleb Mierau, City of Kamloops – Director

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Congratulations to the City of Victoria for winning the City of Excellence award for 2011. The City of Excellence award recognizes organizations for establishing and maintaining best practices when dealing with ground disturbance. A presentation will be made May 17th to Victoria Council.

The City of Nanaimo has received the Honorable Mention Award for 2011.

City of Excellence 2011

BRITISH COLUMBIA PARKS AND PUBLIC WORKS GROUP

The bcPPWG is committed to the creation of one centralized network which is accessible to the public and to all Parks and Public Works employees across British Columbia. PPWG is dedicated to helping Parks and Public Works employees build skill sets that are transferable, develop cross training programs, and provide opportunities for succession and career planning within the Parks and Public Works sector. They are working to raise the awareness of PPWG to the public and potential employees to join our lucrative industry. Please visit the PPWG website at http://bcworks.ca/ for more information. For the complete list of PPWG's members, please visit the Contact List on our website.

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Keep your eye on safety By Ellen Hanson, WorkSafeBC industry specialist

Eye injuries can really affect your quality of life. Last year I injured my right eye in a way that left me with five scars on the cornea. I missed 10 days of work, endured lots of pain, and had almost no vision in that eye for a week. Pretty scary stuff, but fortunately my eye is back to normal now. My eye incident really brought home how fragile and important our eyes are and just how quickly things can change.

May’s Safety Talks is on eye and face protection (see the BCMSA 2012 Calendar & Safety Talks) so what better time to share some information and statistics, as well as some WorkSafeBC resources about eye and face protection.

Over the last five years WorkSafeBC accepted about 217 claims for eye injuries in the municipal sector, costing almost $370,000. Most eye injuries in the sector are from trees, plants, chemicals, and metal items. In almost seventy percent of the cases, the nature of the injury was abrasions, with chemical burns and lacerations being the next top two injuries. Interestingly, the costs of lacerations are about thirty-eight percent of the total costs. But even worse are the significant human costs to workers and their families, particularly, when the injury results in permanent damage.

In municipalities, eye injuries can occur from flying debris, chemical splashes, the sun, and a number of other sources specific to your workplaces. Conduct a risk assessment of hazards from obvious and not-so-obvious hazards. Train workers on the hazards and risks for eye injuries, the purpose of safety eyewear, and the proper fit, use and maintenance of safety eyewear.

WorkSafeBC has resources to assist you with your eye and face protection safety talk.

For a Tool Box Meeting Guide on Eye and Face protection visit http://www2.worksafebc.com/i/construction/Toolbox/pdfs/TG07-49Eye_and_face_protection.pdf

For a short video, Look at me, about a worker who does not use eye protection while operating a grinder visit http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/Multimedia/Videos.asp?ReportID=35243

My personal incident is a reminder that eye injuries can happen anywhere at any time — it only takes a second. So please keep an eye on your eyes by making their safety a priority.

Please let me know your thoughts on this or any municipal safety issue. I may be reached at 604-233-4008 from the Lower Mainland, or toll-free elsewhere at 1-888-621-7233 or email at ellen.hanson@worksafebc.com.

ERGONOMICS SYSTEMS SPECIALIST (ESS) DESIGNATION A 5 day Certifiction Process

Presented by Mike Harnett, WorkSMART Ergonomics Ltd.

Ergonomics is not just about reducing injuries! It’s about improving job efficiency; reducing absenteeism, or even presenteeism (where workers are at work but not really “at work”); making your organization the company of choice to not only attract workers, but retain workers; remaining viable in a fiercely competitive marketplace and working with existing business systems to improve the bottom-line.

Date: June 18 - 22, 2012 Location: Vancouver

Reduced registration rate for BCMSA members! Registration forms are available at www.bcmsa.ca

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CERTIFIED EXTERNAL AUDITORS

Our 8 Qualified Certified External Auditors are:

• Sunshine Borsato• Ron Dennis, B.Sc., CRSP, CHRP,

CPHI(C)• John H. Dunn, CRSP, CHSC• David F. Jewesson, RPF• Leon Johnson, CRSP, CHSC • Paige Knapman, CRSP• Caleb Mierau, CRSP• Dean Sinclair, RPF For complete auditor bios, contact information, and more information on COR, check out the Certificate of Recognition section at www.bcmsa.ca

Certificate of Recognition Program UpdateCongratulations to the 19 organizations who have become COR Certified since we became the Certifying Partner for local government and related operations! We are very happy to announce that the former Excel-based audit tool has been converted to a web-based tool, which will be much easier for External and Internal Auditors to complete – and easier for us to perform the Quality Assurance process that we apply to each and every audit.

As of May 1st, the web-based tool is the ONLY tool which can be used. Auditors must take the on-line training course provided by the software developer; the next scheduled training is on June 6th, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Contact Helga Hildebrandt if you wish to reserve a spot in this course.

BC Rapid Transit Company Ltd. BC Transit Beacon Community Association Central Okanagan School District No. 23 Chilliwack Society for Community Living City of Kamloops City of Nanaimo City of Port Alberni City of Port Coquitlam City of Powell River

City of Prince George City of Vernon District of Maple Ridge Metro Vancouver Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen Simpe’Q’ Care Inc. Sooke School District #62 Town of Smithers Township of Langley

INTERNAL AUDITOR TRAINING

This two day course is for staff from local governments, or naturally-aligned organizations, who wish to learn more about how the COR audit is conducted, and will enable municipalities to perform their own maintenance audits in years 2 and 3 of the COR Audit cycle.

Prerequisite: Safety Management Systems training

Location: Township of LangleyDate: June 6 & 7, 2012Cost: $260 plus HST

Registration forms are available at www.bcmsa.ca

CONTACT INFO

Chelsea Steinfeld Manager of Audit

& Training Services

203–22314 Fraser HighwayLangley, BC V3A 8M6

E: csteinfeld@bcmsa.caP: 778-278-3436 C: 778-835-9669 F: 778-278-0029

June 22: Vernon

September 21: Delta

December 7: Delta

MEETING SCHEDULE

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• Asbestos Awareness for Firefighters (4-hour)

• Asbestos-Containing Drywall Disposal (3-hour)

• Chainsaw Operations and Safe Practices (5-hour)

• Confined Space Awareness (4-hour) (theory and practical)

• Contractor Coordination (4-hour)

• Due Diligence for Supervisors (4-hour)

• Driver Training On-line • Fall Protection (8-hour) • Hazard Awareness & Recognition

for Municipal Inspectors (8-hour)• Hazard Identification and Risk

Assessments (4-hour)

• Incident/Accident Investigations (4-hour)

• Internal Auditor for Local Government COR Audits (2-day)

• Isolation and Lockout (4-hour)

• Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) Prevention for Outside Workers (4-hour)

• Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) Reduction Strategies for Supervisors (8-hour)

• Office Ergonomics (4-hour)

• PPE Basics (2-hour)

• PoolSafeBC (8-hour)• Presentation Skills,

Communication & Crew Talks (8-hour)

• Respectful Driver (2-hour) • Safety Committee Member

Responsibilities (4-hour)• Safety Management Systems

(on-line & face-to-face)

• Shoring & Excavation (6-7 hours)

• Stay at Work / Return to Work (4-hour)

• TDG (Transportation of Dangerous Goods) for Receivers (4-hour)

• Traffic Control Planning & Layout (4-hour)

• Train the Trainer - Mobile Equipment Operator Instructor/Evaluator (4-day)

• Trench Rescue (4-hour)

• Utility Locator Specialist (3-day plus a 1-hour exam)

• WHMIS Live (2-hour)

• WHMIS On-line

• Workplace Violence Prevention (4-hour)

• Worksite Safety Inspections (4-hour)

Training Opportunities at a Glance ENVIRONMENTAL OPERATORS CERTIFICATION (EOCP) CEU CREDITS Several of our training programs have been granted CEU’s from the Environmental Operators Certification Program (EOCP).

The following courses will earn .3 CEU’s: • Confined Space Awareness• Hazard ID & Risk Assessments • Incident/Accident Investigations • Isolation and Lockout • Safety Committee Member

Responsibilities • Worksite Safety Inspections

The following courses will earn .6 CEU’s: • Safety Management Systems • Shoring & Excavation Training Utility Locator Specialist course earns 2.4 CEU’s. CEU’s are available retroactively, so if you have taken one of these courses and would like to submit them for credits, please contact Helga Hildebrandt (hhildebrandt@bcmsa.ca) for the form.

COURSE CATALOGUE

DUE DILIGENCE FOR SUPERVISORS (4-hour)Under WorkSafeBC definitions, a supervisor is a person who instructs, directs and controls workers in the performance of their duties. Nearly every person could be determined to be a “supervisor”, except for the brand-new employee. Understanding the term “due diligence” and the steps you need to take to ensure you are fulfilling your responsibilities as a supervisor are key elements of this course. HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND RISK ASSESSMENTS (4-hour) Participants will learn how to perform hazard identifications in their workplace, and quantify the risk level so that priorities can be established to eliminate or reduce the hazard. INCIDENT/ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS (4-hour) This course will provide participants with the knowledge and tools to conduct investigation interviews, analyze facts, determine causes, write reports, and make effective recommendations to prevent a recurrence. PRESENTATION SKILLS, COMMUNICATION & CREW TALKS (8-hour) The intent of this course is to provide Managers and Supervisors, skills to become a confident presenter and first class communicator. Participants will learn how to prepare and deliver excellent crew talks and presentations, all in the field of safety. WORKSITE SAFETY INSPECTIONS (4-hour)Employers are required to conduct regular inspections of their operations. This course will provide participants with techniques and templates to help plan and conduct inspections, prioritize hazards, write effective reports and assign responsibility for corrective action. www.bcmsa.ca

The Supervisor Safety Certificate Program will recognize those who have invested time and energy into learning the key elements of occupational health and safety from a supervisor’s perspective. The Supervisor Safety Certificate will be provided to students who complete all the courses listed below, and an additional 8 hours of training from any other courses offered by the BCMSA. Participants in the program must complete all courses within a three year period. Those who have already taken the BCMSA courses or other similar courses must pass the exam for each course to receive equivalency.

Every part of the body is affected by the ergonomic design of the workplace. Factors that contribute to ergonomic design include:• The amount of repetition involved with the job • The duration of applied force from pushing, pulling, lifting

or gripping • The amount of force exerted or the weight of the load • A person’s posture, reach and grip positions • Heights and distances to working surfaces, materials and supplies • Age, physical stature, weight, physical ability

Injuries resulting from poor ergonomic design are sometimes acute, such as sprains, but are often cumulative such as carpel tunnel syndrome. Follow the safety tips below to help improve the ergonomic performance in your work area.

Ergonomic Safety Talk

GENERAL• Stretch the muscles several times a day be-

fore starting work. Statistics have shown that the majority of injuries occur after coffee or lunch breaks – this is because many people think of stretching at the start of the work day, but don’t realize their muscles have short-ened during a break and need to be stretched again.

• Know your physical limitations. Don’t attempt to perform activities when the work environment is not suited to you.

ARMS, WRISTS AND HANDS• When working with power tools or other

hand-held objects, avoid situations where the wrist is bent.

• Carry loads close to the body with a clear line of sight to the travel path. Avoid carrying loads away from the waist or reaching for extended periods.

• Avoid using tools that vibrate continuously or aggressively, or require prolonged pinching or gripping.

BACK AND LEGS• Have materials and supplies raised to waist

level so bending is minimized. This will help avoid lower back sprains and pulled ham-strings. If bending is required, bend at the knees and use the leg muscles to raise and lower the body.

• Avoid work conditions where the shoulder blades are compressed. This is common in office environments and tight working areas. Move keyboards away and down to a location where the arms are relaxed, elbows comfortably at sides and forearms parallel with the floor.

• Always ask for help if loads are too heavy or awkward.

EYES AND NECK• Computer monitors should be at eye level

and the neck should not be tilted up or down. Use a document holder for prolonged key-boarding.

• Ensure there is proper lighting in the work areas and computer monitors are positioned to minimize eyestrain (ideally, without a window behind the monitor).

www.bcmsa.caKnowledgesharing the