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Occupational Health and Safety

March 23, 2010

Elite panel to address future safety

A provincial advisory panel tasked with improving Ontario workplace safety is ready to tackle the challenges it will face, says its chair.

March 22, 2010

Construction Safety Association of Ontario saluted for pioneering role in provincial health and safety

A tribute to the Construction Safety Association of Ontario was a major highlight of the Council of Ontario Construction Associations’ recent annual general meeting.

March 19, 2010

Canadian Construction Association awards highlight excellence

The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has recognized outstanding contributions of both individuals and companies in the non-residential construction industry at its annual awards.

March 17, 2010

British Columbia open shop association takes issue with Burnaby’s ‘fair wage’ policy

B.C.’s open shop association is criticizing the city of Burnaby’s fair wage policy for increasing construction costs and taxes, but the mayor said it is just good social policy with a 20-year track record of success.

March 16, 2010

WorkSafeBC issued record number of fines in 2009

WorksafeBC handed out a record $4.4 million in fines last year, eclipsing a 2007 record that the safety agency was hoping it wouldn’t see again.

March 16, 2010

Search continues for sustainable architecture

While sceptics and environmentalists duke it out for the final word on global warming, thousands around the world are investing time and money in renewable energy and sustainable architecture. Grass roots “sustainable” organizations are forming at an increasing pace, with the positive effect of raising public awareness.

March 16, 2010

Russian official calls 2014 Winter Olympics protests “unconstructive”

A Russian cabinet official in charge of preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi blasted local environmentalists, saying they are taking an “unconstructive” position.

March 15, 2010

Chilliwack Cultural Centre project sets tilt-up concrete record

The $22-million Chilliwack Cultural Centre project recently set a Canadian construction record for tilt-up concrete, as massive panels 82 feet (25 metres) in height were erected in January. The panels each weigh an average of 100,000 lbs. (45 tonnes) and represent the tallest ever erected in Canada.

March 11, 2010

Ontario General Contractors Association applauds plan for WSIB advisory committee

The call for creating permanent stakeholder advisory committees at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is a progressive move by the WSIB, says the head of a construction industry task force.

March 11, 2010

Shoddy home construction blamed for Turkey earthquake toll

Homes in eastern areas of Turkey prone to earthquakes must be better built to withstand jolts like the magnitude 6 quake that toppled village houses and killed 51 people, the Turkish government acknowledges.

March 11, 2010

Plant Engineering and Maintenance Association establishes Fort McMurray chapter

The newest chapter of a national association for plant and facility maintenance has been established in Fort McMurray, Alta. to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry in the region.

March 9, 2010

Construction industry accounted for most 2009 workplace fatalities in Alberta

The construction industry had the highest number of workplace fatalities of any sector in Alberta in 2009, but this figure is the lowest in the last five years.

March 5, 2010

In wake of toddler death, Calgary task force takes on highrise safety

In the aftermath of a toddler’s death from falling construction debris, the City of Calgary and the local construction industry have formed a committee to study safety.

March 5, 2010

In new Woody Harrelson movie, Hamilton, Ont. construction worker becomes ‘Defendor’ at night

The recent Canadian movie release Defendor pulls off a neat trick by daring to set the tale of an everyday superhero in an undisguised Hamilton, Ont.

March 4, 2010

Full text of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s budget speech

As I rise in this House today, our nation is at a crossroads. We have passed through some steep and rocky terrain. Much of the territory was uncharted. We were prepared, and we protected ourselves. We are making our way through, and our compass has not failed us.

March 4, 2010

Report unsafe work sites, Building and Concrete Restoration Association of Ontario says

The Building and Concrete Restoration Association of Ontario (BCRAO) Safety Task Force continues to encourage anyone who sees any health and safety violations at a work site to call the Ministry of Labour.

March 3, 2010

Workplace Safety and Insurance Board should establish industry advisory committees, chair says

Creation of permanent stakeholder advisory committees at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is a progressive agency recommendation, says the head of a construction industry task force.

March 3, 2010

Full text of the throne speech

The following is the unedited text of the speech from the throne delivered by Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean on Wednesday.

March 2, 2010

Heavy construction company Sigfusson Northern fined in drilling mishap

Sigfusson Northern Ltd., a Kenora-based heavy construction company, was fined $50,000 on Feb. 12, for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that caused an injury to a worker.

March 1, 2010

Skilled worker shortage leads to rising construction costs on Truro, Nova Scotia hospital project

Experts say the escalating price of a new hospital in Truro, N.S., is symptomatic of growing cost pressures on public and private projects, brought on partly by a growing shortage of skilled workers.

February 26, 2010

ITC Construction manager lends expertise to Winter Olympics

The person in charge of safety with a local construction firm is working as a volunteer safety co-ordinator during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

February 26, 2010

Painters’ union member rescues six from blaze in Texas

The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades has heralded one of its Texas members as a hero thanks to his daring rescue attempt at the site of a recent suicide attack on an Internal Revenue Service building in Austin.

February 25, 2010

Roofing contractor inducted into Grand Valley Construction Association Hall of Fame

Roofing contractor Dave Walden, a newly minted member of the Grand Valley Construction Association Hall of Fame, is an ardent supporter of education in the skilled trades.

February 25, 2010

Injured workers file suit over Connecticut plant explosion

Two workers injured in a power plant explosion filed a lawsuit Feb. 22 alleging that proper safety procedures were not followed, and an attorney said that included live electricity running through the site, workers welding and a gas-fueled torch heater running when the blast happened.

February 25, 2010

B.C. Industry Training Authority retains roadbuilding veteran

Over the past four years, Kent Orrock has made a name for himself in the roadbuilding industry by creating, managing and overseeing the development of training programs for the B.C. Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association.

February 24, 2010

Trial gets underway in Chinese studio fire

Twenty-three people will go on trial this week for alleged involvement in a deadly fire triggered by an illegal fireworks display that gutted a hotel at the new headquarters of China’s main television network last year, a court official said Feb. 22.

February 22, 2010

Metal forging company IMT Corporation fined $60,000 for safety violation

Metal forging firm IMT Corporation has been fined $60,000 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that caused an injury to a worker.