After a workplace injury, the most basic activities can be a challenge – things like getting in and out of the house, using the bathroom, and going from room to room.
Author Archives: Susan
When I first downloaded the OHS Regulation app to my iPhone, I thought about how far this workplace safety regulation has come since I first looked at it. Once upon a time the Reg was in a big set of binders; now it’s accessible (and update-able) by touch screen on my phone!
WorkSafeBC’s Research Secretariat is funding part of a project by Pro-Active Safety Systems Technology Inc. to develop a proximity detector to protect workers around mobile equipment. “You get no second chance with mobile equipment,” said co-inventor Richard Shervey, an industrial electrician. “There’s no crumple zones and they’re made out of solid steel. When they hit you, most of the time the worst happens. All it takes is one second of inattention.”
Voice strain can be a problem for teachers, fitness trainers, sales people, and others who use their voices a lot at work. Yelling over background noise and trying to talk in a deeper pitch can damage our vocal folds – also known commonly as “vocal cords.”
Here in BC, companies are not required to buy earthquake supplies for their staff. But people should be prepared because they could be stuck at work for a few days if nearby bridges and roads are destroyed.
When you park downtown, in a city with bike couriers, please take a good 360-degree look around your car before you open the door. Many bike couriers have been “doored” – i.e., someone opened a car door suddenly in their path.
Hartland Landfill & Recycling Area, north of Victoria, BC, staged a mock chemical spill during NAOSH Week. They pretended an unknown liquid substance broke or spilled while it was being transported from somebody’s vehicle.
“There are some things you can’t un-smell,” said Geoff Shellard, project manager at Bio Solutions, a Coquitlam-based company on call 24/7 for cleaning up crime-trauma scenes, stolen and recovered vehicles, clandestine drug lab damage, and many more unusual situations around BC.
Simon Paradis is adapting to a new lifestyle. Without use of his legs, Simon has a new process for getting out and about. It takes a lot of effort and he shares it in his photo essay/song: “Simon’s Legs”
My friend Shannon is in her first semester of nursing school. Recently she and her classmates were in the lab at school, learning to give injections by practising on sponges. She took a first stab at giving a needle – and ended up slashing her thumb.
