“Whoa! Look at that driver! He’s talking into an iPhone – right in front of his face!” yelled my passenger recently as we passed through the intersection of Main and Terminal in Vancouver, BC, Canada. It’s this type of behaviour that leads to vehicle crashes – the number one cause of traumatic work-related deaths.
At 19, Sam Livingstone was working on a carpentry job – about to start an apprenticeship – when a piece of wire shot out of a nail gun, pierced his cornea, and blinded him in one eye. Today, at 36, Sam is a corporate safety manager for RDM Enterprises. I first met him at the Bridging the Gap safety conference, and we talked about his prescription safety glasses, but I didn’t know about his injury til he told me recently via email.
One hundred and forty-two people died from workplace injury and illness in 2011 in BC. They will be remembered – along with far too many others – at Day of Mourning ceremonies throughout the province (and around the world) on April 27 and 28.
I’ve been emailing with a safety contact in Oregon, and have some praise to share regarding BC’s young worker safety program. “We are very familiar with the BC program, and consider it to be the best regarding young worker health and safety,” says Dede Montgomery, an OHS specialist in Oregon, whose fourth annual young worker safety video contest is underway.
Check out these asbestos resources offered in honour of Global and National Asbestos Awareness Week Apr. 1 to 7.
Falls produce 44 percent of the claims and 79 percent of all claim costs in the Steep Slope Roofing classification unit from 2008 to 2010 in BC, according to WorkSafeBC. That’s why the BC Roofing Safety Association and partners are hosting a one-day symposium for people in the steep slope roofing industry on March 28 in Langley.
Recently on Twitter (where I am @SpeakinOfSafety) I noticed this link: How About An Easy Free Safety Tip, posted by Kyle Thill of Toyota-Lift Minnesota. It leads to his blog post reminding forklift drivers that a simple honk is one way to keep pedestrians safer. As I read the post, I thought about how much Kyle does to build online community.
A new safety tool – this ABS Avalanche Airbag Backpack – fulfilled its ultimate job of saving a life. At work or at play, this looks like a good option that many people are only just finding out about.
Check out this video from Cold Fire Canada, who just released a new, portable fire extinguisher that can be suspended from any ceiling.
Everyone on a farm is responsible for safety. That’s the message from the Alberta Farm Safety Program in its “I Have A Role” campaign set for launch during Canadian Agriculture Safety Week March 11 to 17. This year’s nation-wide campaign focuses on the assessment, improvement and further development of safety systems.
