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Occupational Health and Safety

September 3, 2010

U.S. workers rate safety standards as top priority

More than eight of 10 American workers rate workplace safety first in importance among labour standards, even ahead of family and maternity leave, minimum wage, paid sick days, overtime pay and the right to join a union, according to a new study.

September 3, 2010

Photovoltaic training program aimed at improving safety

A new national electrician certification program designed for working with photovoltaic equipment will improve safety and ensure effective installation in this emerging field, says Canada’s largest electrician union.

September 2, 2010

Jobsite safety a shared duty: Mechanical Contractors Association

Who is responsible for safety on the jobsite: the individual, the government, the safety director, the worker or all of the above?

September 2, 2010

Manitoba introduces new farm building code

Manitoba announced last week it will be introducing a new farm building code in an effort to make buildings safer, with increased fire protection for livestock and property.

September 2, 2010

South Korea calls for financial safety net

South Korea’s central bank governor has urged creation of a global financial safety net to deal with future fast-spreading crises among intertwined economies.

September 1, 2010

Four companies short-listed to renovate London, Ontario hospital

Four companies have been shortlisted to build and finance the final phase of renovations at three London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health Care sites.

August 31, 2010

Plenty of work ahead as Ontario construction-site safety blitz ends

Though Ontario’s construction safety awareness campaign ends today, there is still plenty of work ahead to improve health and safety practice across the province, industry stakeholders say.

August 30, 2010

Electrical contractor dies in fall near Winnipeg

An electrical contractor is dead after a fall from a ladder at a construction site southwest of Winnipeg.

August 30, 2010

Ontario General Contractors Association adds new member to safety team

The Ontario General Contractors Association has bolstered its WSIB and health and safety expertise with the recently announced addition of David Frame to its safety team, says its president.

August 26, 2010

Accessibility compliance focus of Ontario General Contractors Association seminar

With an accessibility standard for customer service in force in the province’s public sector, the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA) has scheduled a full-day seminar to bring firms up to speed when doing business with government agencies.

August 25, 2010

Falling Calgary construction debris takes liquid form

Two separate investigations are looking into the cause of a liquid spill that splattered a truck near a high-rise construction site in downtown Calgary.

August 24, 2010

‘Education over prosecution,’ Construction Industry Task Force urges

To kick-start a change in Ontario’s safety culture, a combination of prevention and responsibility improvements coupled with mandatory entry-level training are needed, says the Construction Industry Task Force.

August 23, 2010

U.S. coal plant construction booming despite carbon emissions concerns

Utilities across the U.S. are building dozens of old-style coal plants that will cement the industry’s standing as the largest industrial source of climate-changing gases for years to come.

August 23, 2010

Barrie Construction Association lobbies for local subtrades on Penetanguishene health centre

The Barrie Construction Association (BCA) hopes local subtrades will be awarded a piece of the pie on construction of a new mental health centre in the town of Penetanguishene.

August 23, 2010

EllisDon holds safety seminar at Brock University

A recent safety seminar at Brock University’s Niagara Health & Bioscience Research Complex project in St. Catharines, Ont. included a demonstration of fall-arrest equipment put on by manufacturer Norguard Fall Protection.

August 20, 2010

After toddler death, Calgary Construction Association issues safety guide

A guide to help ensure the safety of workers and the public on or near highrise construction sites in Calgary has been produced after a toddler was killed by falling debris.

August 19, 2010

Industry concerned with post-stimulus ‘infrastructure deficit’

Though the Construction Sector Council finds that Ontario construction has entered a recovery phase, as stimulus works heads down the stretch, continued growth requires better long-term planning, industry stakeholders say.

August 18, 2010

Investigation launched into metal falling from Calgary office tower

Alberta Occupational Health and Safety halted work a high-rise construction site in downtown Calgary after a piece of metal fell on a car.

August 17, 2010

Survivor of swing-stage accident that killed 4 men files lawsuit

The sole survivor of a swing-stage accident in Toronto last Christmas Eve that killed four men has reportedly filed suit seeking $16.3 million in damages.

August 16, 2010

61 charges laid in fatal 2009 Toronto swing-stage accident

Sixty-one charges have been laid under the Occupational Health and Safety Act against the employer and supplier connected to the 2009 Toronto Christmas Eve swing-stage accident which claimed four worker lives.

August 13, 2010

Raised roundabout nears completion in London, Ontario

By the end of the year, London will have solved a longtime bottleneck and accident-prone intersection east of downtown with a raised roundabout, billed as the first of its kind in Canada.

August 12, 2010

B.C. Safety Authority reports 11% increase in incidents in 2009

The BC Safety Authority (BCSA) recently released its State of Safety Report 2009 which recorded an 11 per cent increase in the number of incidents reported.

August 11, 2010

Conestoga College seeks construction industry support for pre-apprenticeship program

Conestoga College is looking for industry support to help secure a pre-apprenticeship program for heavy equipment operators for tractor-loader-backhoe.

August 10, 2010

De Cloet Greenhouse fined in drill-press injury

De Cloet Greenhouse Mfg. Ltd., a Simcoe-based company that manufactures greenhouses, was recently fined $60,000 for a violation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was injured.

August 10, 2010

Falling beam kills Builtcon Contracting worker in Vaughan, Ontario

A falling steel lintel beam has claimed the life of a 36-year-old construction worker at a Vaughan-area hotel project site. The accident victim was employed by Builtcon Contracting and was working on a six-storey hotel project site on 610 Applewood Crescent near Hwy. 400 and Regional Road 7 in Vaughan.

August 9, 2010

Diamond + Schmitt Architects starts second New Mexico job

New Mexico Highlands University has broken ground at its Las Vegas, N.M. campus on a new student union building designed by Diamond + Schmitt Architects of Toronto in joint venture with Studio Southwest of Albuquerque.

August 6, 2010

Calgary asphalt plant goes up in flames

Forensic and structural engineers are investigating the cause of an asphalt plant fire in northwest Calgary, as the process of rebuilding the facility begins.

August 5, 2010

Work resumes on Regina interchange job

Work is underway once again at the intersection of Highway 1 and Lewvan Drive on the $34-million interchange in southwest Regina.

August 4, 2010

Council of Ontario Construction Associations calls for mandatory training for workers, firms

Suggestions from mandatory entry-level safety training to a new provincial safety body were among the ideas presented to Ontario’s health and safety review, a sample of industry submissions reveals.

August 4, 2010

Lakeside Steel building Alabama manufacturing plant

Lakeside Steel Inc. says a planned $40-million manufacturing plant in Thomasville, Ala., will nearly double the steelmaker’s total production capacity.