OHS November/December 2016 by Annex Business Media

C A N A D Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; S O C C U PAT I O N A L H E A LT H & S A F E T Y M A G A Z I N E N OV E MBE R /D E CE M B ER 2016

C A N A D A

FEELING

DOWN Shining a light on seasonal affective disorder

ON GUARD

Protecting officers from fentanyl exposure

INVISIBLE TRAUMA

Recognition of post-traumatic stress disorder gains pace

DANGEROUS GROUNDS

Working safely in confined spaces

UNDER THE WEATHER

Keeping seasonal influenza at bay

C A N A D A’ S O C C U PAT I O N A L H E A LT H & S A F E T Y M A G A Z I N E

C A N A D A

N O VE M BE R / D E CE MB E R 2 016 Volu m e 3 2 , N u m b e r 6

FEATURES

S E AS O NAL AF F EC TIV E D IS OR D ER 22

Dark Days

The onset of winter means more than just keeping warm. For some, the cold months herald darker moods that can put a dent on employee well-being and productivity. BY DONALEE MOULTON

F E NTANY L

A New Threat

Police officers across Canada now carry medication to protect against the adverse effects of exposure to fentanyl, a painkiller that has become a recreational narcotic. BY JEFF COTTRILL

DEPARTMENTS H E ALT H WATC H

Recognizing Mental Trauma

Awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder as an occupational hazard is gaining ground in Canada. BY JEFF COTTRILL

S PE CI AL R EP ORT

A Safe Enclosure

Workers who enter confined spaces can now seek guidance from an updated confined-space standard. BY JILL COLLINS

S AF E T Y GEAR

In Your Eyes

Eye protection is good, but when prevention measures fail, ready access to eyewash or an emergency shower can prove critical in minimizing the damage to our sight. BY JEFF COTTRILL

ACCI DE NT P R EV EN TION

IN THIS ISSUE

Fighting the Flu

ED ITORIA L

Winter and the seasonal influenza need not go hand in hand. Taking precautionary measures can boost one’s chances of keeping the flu at bay.

PAN ORAMA

LETTERS

National Safety Council 2016

It Begins with Words

OH &S UPD AT E

British Columbia hospital fined; Alberta oil worker killed; Toronto mining firm faces charges; New Brunswick nursing home probes harassment claims; and more.

Pandemic preparedness and workplace violence were among the top issues discussed at the National Safety Council Congress and Expo in Anaheim, California. BY JEAN LIAN

Time Out

Butt of gold; ruffled feathers; pilot perversions; fast moo-ver; and more.

D ISPATCHES

AD IN D EX

Space travel poses risks to the spine; CEOs influence injury rates; and more.

S H O W R EP ORT

Don’t kid about safety; you might be the goat.

— GARY WORKS CIRCLE BY ILLINOIS STEEL COMPANY

www.ohscanada.com

N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 16

EDITORIAL

C A N A D A’ S O C C U PAT I O N A L H E A LT H & S A F E T Y M A G A Z I N E

It Begins with Words

JEAN LIAN jlian@ohscanada.com EDITOR

n November 18, I received a message from the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) denouncing the recent spate of racist incidents taking place in the city. In the message, the TDSB reported that it had given direction to all school administrators on what to do when they encounter such incidents in their school communities. The Urban Alliance on Race Relations in Toronto also condemned the litany of racially discriminatory acts in a statement issued on November 16. The memo hits a raw nerve for me, an immigrant and a mother of two Asian kids who are enrolled in a school under the TDSB. While racism has reared its head every now and then in Canada, the current spate of hate crimes across Canada — such as the spraying of swastika signs on the entrance to a synagogue in Ottawa, the video of a passenger’s racist rant against another passenger on a Toronto streetcar and posters promoting white-supremacist ideology near an elementary school in east Toronto — makes one wonder whether political developments south of the border have had reverberations in our society and workplaces. This is a disturbing prospect, considering how diverse Canada’s labour force is. According to a 2011 Statistics Canada report, the percentage of foreign-born people in the workforce rose from 18.5 per cent to 21.2 per cent between 1991 and 2006. If recent immigration levels continue, roughly one in every three people in the labour force will have been born outside of Canada by 2031. Canadian workplaces will continue to become even more diverse as baby boomers retire and all net labour-force growth in the country is expected to come from immigration. In view of our workforce demographics, Canadian businesses have a vested interest in staying vigilant and be prepared to address racism promptly and effectively when they arise. The Ontario Human Rights Code requires employers to address claims of harassment or discrimination; legislation like Bill 168 and the more recent Bill 132 reinforces employer obligations to provide a workplace free from sexual harassment, violence and discrimination in its myriad forms. Racist behaviour that goes unchecked in workplaces can be very costly — not just in the form of litigation costs and compensation. Such acts also create a divisive corporate culture, and studies have shown that toxic work environments are detrimental to teamwork and productivity, which affect a company’s bottom line. The consequences of psychological stress stemming from being on the receiving end of discrimination based on skin colour may also contribute to racial health disparities in conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other ageassociated diseases, according to a 2011 epidemiologic study by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. While it is debatable whether political developments in the United States have indeed stoked racist sentiments in Canada, these occurences are sobering reminders that our workplaces and social cohesion are vulnerable to developments around the world. It also underscores the importance of continually reaffirming our values and speaking out against acts of discrimination — as TDSB and the Urban Alliance on Race Relations did — whether they occur at work or in the public sphere. Because keeping silent makes us accomplices of such acts.

Jean Lian

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

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C A N A D A

Vol. 32, No. 6 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

EDITOR

JEFF COTTRILL

CANADIAN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY NEWS jcottrill@ohscanada.com ART DIRECTOR

MARK RYAN PHYLLIS WRIGHT

PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER PRODUCTION MANAGER

ALICIA LERMA

MARKETING SPECIALIST

DIMITRY EPELBAUM ANITA MADDEN

CIRCULATION MANAGER

amadden@annexbizmedia.com PETER BOXER

PUBLISHER

pboxer@ohscanada.com

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS DAVID IRETON, Safety Professional, Brampton, Ont. AL JOHNSON, Vice President, Prevention Services WorkSafeBC, Richmond, B.C. JANE LEMKE, Program Manager, OHN Certification Program, Mohawk College, Hamilton, Ont.

DON MITCHELL, Safety Consultant, Mississauga, Ont. MICHELE PARENT, National Manager, Risk Management and Health and Wellness, Standard Life, Montreal, Que.

TERRY RYAN, Workers’ Compensation and Safety Consultant, TRC Group Inc., Mississauga, Ont.

DON SAYERS, Principal Consultant, Don Sayers & Associates, Hanwell, N.B. DAVID SHANE, National Director, Health and Safety, Canada Post Corporation, Ottawa, Ont.

HENRY SKJERVEN, President, The Skjerven Cattle Company Ltd., Wynyard, Sask. PETER STRAHLENDORF, Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Health, Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto, Ont.

JONATHAN TYSON, Association of Canadian Ergonomists/Association canadienne d’ergonomie, North Bay, Ont. OHS CANADA is the magazine for people who make decisions about health and safety in the workplace. It is designed to keep workers, managers and safety professionals informed on oh&s issues, up to date on new developments and in touch with current thinking in the oh&s community.

WEBSITE: http://www.ohscanada.com INFORMATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS contained in this publication have been compiled from sources believed to be reliable and to be representative of the best current opinion on the subject. No warranty, guarantee nor representation is made by Annex-Newcom LP as to the absolute correctness or sufficiency of any representation contained in this publication.

OHS CANADA is published six times per year by Annex-Newcom LP, a leading Canadian information company with interests in daily and community newspapers and business-to-business information services. The yearly issues include: January/ February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October and November/December.

ADDRESS: OHS CANADA MAGAZINE, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9. TELEPHONE: Customer Service: 1-866-543-7888; Editorial: 416-510-6893; Sales: 416-510-5102; Fax: 416-510-5171.

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SINGLE COPIES: Canada: $6.00; USA: $8.00; foreign: $10.00 Bulk subscription rates available on request. Indexed by Canadian Business Periodicals Inc. ISSN 0827-4576 OHS Canada (Print) • ISSN 1923-4279 OHS Canada (Online) Printed in Canada. All rights reserved. From time to time, we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Circulation Customer Service: Silva Telian (Tel) 416-442-5600 ext. 3636; (Fax) 416-510-6875; (E-mail) stelian@annexnewcom.ca; (Mail) Privacy Officer, Annex-Newcom LP, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9 Canada. The contents of this magazine are protected by copyright and may be used for your personal, non-commercial purposes only. All other rights are reserved, and commercial use is prohibited. To make use of any of this material, you must first obtain the permission of the owner of the copyright. For further information, please contact the editor. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Publications mail agreement no. 43005526. Date of issue: NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

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panorama

$55 million Amount that will fund a new government railsafety program aimed at reducing accidents, injuries and fatalities across Canada.

Source: Transport Canada

1 5

2 3

$957,644

1. Farm Safety in Clips: WorkSafeBC, in collaboration with 4-H British Columbia and AgSafe, posted two new short videos about safe-work practices involving tractors and other machinery on farms on its YouTube account on October 14. Among the safety tips covered are following user manuals, using roll-over protective structures, keeping three points of contact when getting on or off equipment and wearing high-visibility clothing.

Amount that the Nova Scotia government is investing into safety equipment for first responders through its Emergency Services Provider Fund, as announced on October 28. Source: Government of Nova Scotia

Source: WorkSafeBC

The seizure of a large amount of weapons in Saskatchewan prisons between June 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016 has prompted the provincial government to launch a status review on contraband in jails. Particularly high numbers were discovered in correctional centres in Saskatoon, Regina and Source: Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice Prince Albert.

2. More Weapons Seized:

The Ontario Federation of Labour is trying to reduce the number of disabilities from occupational injuries and illnesses in the province with its prevention program. Prevention Link, launched in November, is the province’s only comprehensive disability-prevention program that focuses on the link between Source: Ontario Federation of Labour primary and secondary prevention.

3. Prevention, Not Cure:

Nova Scotia has created a working committee to address violence in the healthcare sector by examining safety protocols and procedures in hospitals and clinics. Premier Stephen McNeil announced on October 21 that the provincial government will also develop a five-year plan for safety in healthcare Source: Government of Nova Scotia and community services.

4. Reining in Violence:

229,000 Number of registered claims for lost time due to a work-related injury or disease in Ontario in 2015.

Source: Ontario Federation of Labour

5. Lightning Strikes Twice: Four workers at St. John’s International Airport in St. John’s, Newfound-

land were taken to a hospital on October 26 after they were exposed to carbon monoxide in a terminal building. This was the second leak in the building, where construction was taking place, in less than a week. Source: St. John’s International Airport Authority

360° 6

DEADLY PLATFORM COLLAPSE The collapse of a platform in a power plant’s cooling tower that was under construction killed at least 67 people in China on November 24. One worker remained trapped hours after the platform collapsed at 7 a.m. local time in the eastern province of Jiangxi. Source: The Guardian

146

The number of workers struck by motor vehicles in the course of their work in British Columbia during the fall and winter months from 2006 to 2015, compared to 134 during spring and summer. Source: WorkSafeBC

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

ohs canada

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LETTERS

Recent issues of ohs canada and our website, www.ohscanada.com, have provided readers with plenty to chew on. WHISTLEBLOWER FIRED Employers dismissed mechanic after he reported safety issues, ruling says. (canadian occupational health and safety news (cohsn),

September 13, 2016)

As the SNC-Lavalin employee who WorkSafeBC found had been discriminated against and fired for refusing unsafe work, I can assure you other similarly affected workers did not report WorkSafeBC violations, as they knew their complaints would be marginalized and livelihoods threatened. Many of these workers were in their prime years with mortgages, young families, long commutes and both parents working and could not risk losing a month’s wages — let alone years. As a single mature worker without these responsibilities, I was prepared to push for justice. Lastly, despite the company being found guilty, why have no financial penalties been applied to SNC-Lavalin and SELI? David Britton, Vancouver

I applaud the courage of this reporter for bringing stories like this to light. The reality is that not many are willing to do a story about a big conglomerate like SNC-Lavalin. With their lawyers and money, that can be very intimidating. As one of the two workers who refused unsafe work at the Evergreen Line and got fired for doing so, I can tell you that there is more to the story. This only reflects about 10 per cent of what took place while I was employed at this project. Many unsafe conditions took place, and to this day, WorkSafeBC does not want to give any sanctions to this company. Julio Serrano

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

ohs canada

STRIKE OVER SAFETY Workers with the Children’s Aid Society of the Region of Peel went on strike for safer work conditions. (cohsn, September 27, 2016) It is hard to talk about specific workplace incidents where we have felt unsafe without feeling as though we are being “disloyal” to our clients. We often deal with people who are experiencing crises in their lives. There does not have to be “major violent incidents” to make us feel unsafe. I have personally experienced a child trying to hit me with a broom stick and a barbell from a weight set. I have had a parent verbally abuse me for 45 minutes while I was alone in his home. The same parent told me during a verbally abusive phone call that it was my job to “take this” from him. I know colleagues who have had their cars surrounded when going to pick up a child from school. Another colleague had a parent waiting for her after hours in the parking lot and followed her in his car. Not to mention the several incidents that staff working in residential homes experience on a daily basis… These incidents have major impacts on frontline workers and contribute to stress, compassion fatigue and burnout. Karen

I worked for different CAS agencies for a total of almost 20 years. I was able to de-escalate many potentially violent situations, as I am sure the Peel staff do daily. However, even with my experience, I was twice threatened. Once, a client threatened to kill me and my baby, and another client threatened to have my children abducted “like his were”. In both cases, the two different agencies responded by minimizing the threats… Staff are expected to de-escalate routinely, and by doing so, the very real threat they face is, in turn, minimized by management. They walk into unknown situations with people who are not coping or are being abusive to children.

These children must be protected and removed if necessary. How can this not be viewed as a safety issue in and of itself? The criteria should not be who got hurt, but rather how many potentially violent situations the staff face daily. Irene Andrews

TAKING CHANCES A Safe Work Manitoba campaign highlighted why some young workers may put job performance over safety. (the canadian press, September 8, 2016) I am curious to know whether older workers were more inclined to report workplace injuries or accept positions without appropriate safety training. Was the study limited to younger workers? Sharon

SAFE Work Manitoba’s ad campaign was specific to young workers and focused on some of the findings of a 2010 research study by the University of Manitoba and the University of Saskatchewan. Part of this research explored money as a main motivator for young workers between the ages of 15 to 24. The research also showed a reluctance for young workers to use their “safety voice” and discuss unsafe conditions with their supervisor. This can make young people vulnerable, and we wanted to drive home the message that no amount of money is worth the risk of being injured at work and encourage parents and supervisors to get the safework conversation started. Jamie Hall, Chief Operating Officer Safe Work Manitoba Follow us on Twitter @OHSCanada

Would you like to share a comment? Send an email to jlian@ohscanada.com. Letters may be edited for style, grammar and length.

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OH&S UPDATE The subsequent TSB investigation revealed that both pilots had been relying on “see and avoid” — a principle of visual flight rules (VFR) that involves scanning the area with one’s eyes and staying out of the way of other aircraft. But a pilot’s visibility is limited because of restricted vision from a cockpit and the difficulties of spotting faraway planes, making this method fallible. Neither pilot saw the other plane in time to steer away and avoid the collision. “Neither aircraft was equipped with any type of aircraft collision-avoidance system, nor was it required by regulation,” the report states. “A number of viable and economical on-board alerting systems exist or are under development. If used, these technologies offer the potential to significantly reduce the risk of mid-air collisions.” The TSB also stresses that pilots should follow the preferred VFR routes published in the Canada Flight Supple-

LIMITED VISION CAUSED CRASH FEDERAL — A fatal mid-air collision between two small planes near Fort McMurray, Alberta last year, which was caused by the pilots’ inability to see each other’s aircraft, demonstrated the limitations of the “see and avoid” principle in flying, according to an investigation report from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) published on October 20. The accident occurred on June 21, 2015, when a McMurray Aviation flight instructor was conducting a training flight with a student pilot aboard a Cessna 172 plane northeast of the Fort McMurray Airport. At the same time, a lone pilot was descending towards the airport in a Cessna 185 with amphibious floats. The planes hit each other at about 850 metres above sea level. Both the instructor and student were killed; the other pilot escaped unharmed.

ment/VFR terminal procedures chart to avoid airspace with higher risk of collisions. “If pilots do not actively provide and listen out for traffic advisories, there is an increased risk of collision in uncontrolled airspace,” the TSB adds.

COMMUNICATION FLAWS CITED FEDERAL — A report from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) published on October 5 cites incomplete communication and improper signal blocking as factors that led to a near-collision between a VIA Rail train and work equipment on October 25 last year. That day, a Canadian National Railway (CN) crew was working on a railway track of the Kingston Subdivision near Whitby, Ontario and a foreman contacted a CN rail traffic controller beforehand to get exclusive use of a section of the south track. But the controller

RAIL-YARD INCIDENTS YIELD ORDERS FEDERAL — Three incidents in rail yards in west Montreal over the summer resulted in safety orders to the Canadian National Railway Company (CN) and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). While CN says that it has complied with two notices from Transport Canada (TC), CP is appealing the order it received. An order summary on TC’s website says two minor collisions that occurred in CN’s Taschereau Yard in July were connected to “kicking” railway cars when slowing down — a common practice of detaching a rail car and letting it roll to a stop on its own. TC deems Taschereau’s procedures and measures insufficient in preventing uncontrolled movement or ensuring that equipment did not move onto the wrong track. On July 15, TC issued two orders to CN, instructing the company to do the following: clarify locations on tracks where “anchor” cars, or cars that are not in motion, will be secured before kicking other cars into them; document the movement of secured anchor cars from the previous location before lifting the cars; report any incident in which an uncontrolled car moves onto another track to TC; and never kick cars if a crew is situated at the other end, unless the crew is aware of what is happening and no workers or equipment will be affected by a car that moves out of the intended path. “We did get the orders,” says Patrick Waldron, CN’s

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

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spokesperson for eastern Canada, “and we have complied.” But TC has yet to withdraw the order from its website listings as of the end of November. On August 20, there was a derailment at CP’s St-Luc Yard. “A Transport Canada railway safety inspector followed up with an inspection,” reports Natasha Gautier, senior mediarelations advisor with TC. “They determined that there was an immediate threat to rail safety and subsequently issued a notice and order.” The order, dated August 23, cited CP’s use of track skates to halt rail cars during kicking. The practice increases the likelihood of cars rolling out of control, creating a potential safety risk. The transportation regulator ordered the company to cease using track skates to stop the motion of kicked cars, employ handbrakes to secure any cars intended to receive cars cut in motion and make sure that any employees involved in switching operations verify the presence of equipment visually before cars are cut in motion. Jeremy Berry, director of media relations with CP, says the corporation is complying with the order, but is seeking revocation of it. The TC website confirms that CP filed a “request for review” with the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada on September 23. The hearing took place on November 16 and 17. —By Jeff Cottrill

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entered improper signal blocking, giving passing trains access to the south track. A VIA train approached the area westbound on the south track, and the crew contacted the foreman for permission to pass, but the train continued on the same track due to miscommunication. On seeing the work equipment ahead, the crew stopped the train within the work area, and there were

no reported injuries. The TSB report concludes that standard communication protocols were not put in place, leading to the misunderstanding. “Implementation of existing technology, such as proximity-detection devices and advance-warning devices, can be an effective means to warn train crews and track workers that they are approaching one another,” the TSB states.

PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL PENALIZED COQUITLAM — British Columbia’s Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission was fined more than $171,000 for seven outstanding orders over workplace hazards at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam. In a statement dated October 11, the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) took credit for having pushed WorkSafeBC to sentence the Commission, citing the hospital’s lack of safety measures to protect employees from violent patients. “This facility has an atrocious record when it comes to violent incidents, and refusing to address the causes is completely unacceptable,” BCGEU president Stephanie Smith says in a statement, calling for the Provincial Health Services Authority to intervene at the hospital before further incidents occur. “Workers should be free from all violence and health risks at work.” The Coquitlam facility had already been fined $75,000 after the stabbing of an employee in 2014. WorkSafeBC has issued more than 44 orders to the hospital — several of which are still outstanding — for failing to protect workers from violence since 2013.

DRIVER CHARGED FOR DEATH LANGFORD — A 28-year-old man is facing five charges over the death of an RCMP officer who was killed while on duty in a road accident near Langford, British Columbia on April 5. Constable Sarah Beckett, who had served the Mounties’ Vancouver Island branch for 11 years, was pursuing Kenneth Jacob Fenton when his car collided with her police vehicle. She succumbed to her injuries. According to a statement dated September 14 from the West Shore RCMP, Fenton was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while impaired and causing death, operating a vehicle dangerously without stopping while in pursuit by a peace officer and driving in a manner dangerous to the public and causing death. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

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OIL WORKER FATALLY INJURED FOX CREEK — A worker at a Shell Canada drilling site near Fox Creek, Alberta succumbed to his injuries after a workplace incident on October 23. Employees of Secure Energy Services, which Shell had contracted for the site, were pumping water from a river to another worksite for well activities when the pump started revving at around 5:45 p.m. “When workers went to investigate, a hose let go and hit one of the workers. He was treated at the scene and transferred to hospital in Fox Creek, where he passed away,” says Lauren Welsh, a spokesperson for the Alberta Ministry of Labour in Edmonton. Secure Energy identified the victim as 47-year-old Abdelghani Hemad from Calgary and confirms that he died on the evening following the incident. The Ministry issued a stop-work order, and the worksite was shut down immediately. Secure Energy president and chief ex-

ecutive officer Rene Amirault says this is the first fatal worksite accident involving one of its employees. Since the tragedy, employees at the worksite have been offered counselling. Secure and Shell are cooperating with the Ministry and the RCMP in their respective investigations.

GRAIN FARM FINED FOR INCIDENT BLAINE LAKE — A large grain farm in the village of Leask, Saskatchewan was fined $1,500 on October 6 for failing to report a workplace incident to the province’s oh&s authorities two years ago. On October 29, 2014, a falling tree tipped over a zoom boom on which an employee of Thunder Ridge Farms Ltd. was standing more than seven metres above the ground. The incident resulted in several broken bones for the worker, according to a statement dated October 12 from the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety. The employer pleaded guilty to fail-

ing to notify the Ministry’s oh&s division of a workplace injury that put the victim in a hospital for at least three days. “Employers and contractors are required to notify OHS if a worker sustains an injury,” the Ministry says. “The notice must contain the names and contact information of the employee and the employer, the date, time and location of the incident, a description of what happened and what the apparent injuries are.”

INSPECTION YIELDS GUILTY PLEA SASKATOON — Following an inspection by a safety officer, a construction firm in Saskatoon was fined $2,800 on November 1 after pleading guilty to allowing employees to work without using personal protective equipment. The officer observed employees of H2 Construction working on the roof of a two-storey home without fall-protection equipment or approved industrial protective headwear, according to a state-

ANTI-BULLYING BILL INTRODUCED EDMONTON — The Alberta legislature has proposed a law that would make harassment policies mandatory for workplaces. Craig Coolahan, the MLA for Calgary-Klein, tabled a private member’s bill in the legislature in Edmonton on November 9. The Occupational Health and Safety (Protection from Workplace Harassment) Amendment Act, 2016 passed its first reading and is moving on to its second. If the bill passes, every employer in the province will have to establish a workplace-harassment policy and investigate all harassment complaints. An employee who is not satisfied with the resolution of a complaint will be able to file another complaint with a government oh&s officer, who may mediate a resolution if the matter has merit. An unsuccessful mediation could potentially result in “corrective action” against the accused perpetrator. “I am extremely excited to see this happen,” says Linda Crockett, a social worker and the founder and executive director of the Alberta Bullying Research, Resources & Recovery Centre in Edmonton. Coolahan cites a recent study revealing that 60 per cent of Alberta workers had experienced workplace harassment, with half of the victims of bullying or harassment indicating that they would not report it. Of the ones who had sought help from their employers’ human-resources departments, 62 per cent said that the companies had taken no action. If the bill becomes law, Crockett says that employers will

have greater accountability in preventing workplace harassment and creating policies to address such incidents when they occur. Only about 70 per cent of Alberta workplaces have harassment policies in place, according to recent information from the Human Resources Institute of Alberta. The policies that do exist are inconsistent, tending to vary from employer to employer. Crockett explains that workplace bullying is usually an insidious type of psychological abuse that takes place behind closed doors. “The tactics are quite subtle, passive-aggressive,” she notes, adding that there is a breakdown in the system of complaint and policy. She adds that the province needs more education and training on workplace harassment by qualified anti-bullying specialists, as well as resources both for victims and for those who act out. “Most people in the workplace don’t realize that they are being bullied until at least a year after, or until they become quite ill, and that is when they finally reach out for help,” she says. Coolahan clarifies that the bill is intended to be preventive rather than punitive. “It is about protecting all Albertans. It is about ensuring that all employers and employees are familiar with what harassment is and what it is not through the use of a robust harassment policy and training.” —By Jeff Cottrill

www.ohscanada.com

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ment from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety. Although there were no reported injuries to the workers, the Ministry charged the firm with failing to ensure the use of head protection and of fall-arrest gear at a worksite where an employee could have fallen at least three metres. Another charge was later dropped.

ROOFING COMPANY CONVICTED MOOSE JAW — A roofing firm was fined $20,000 on October 26 for an incident that seriously injured an employee more than two years ago. According to a statement from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, the incident took place on September 12, 2014 when a worker with Duncan Roofing Ltd. sustained injuries from an impact with a garbage chute while on the job in Moose Jaw. The company pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain

working systems and environments that ensured the health and safety of employees as far as reasonably practicable.

FARMING SAFETY GETS BOOST WINNIPEG — Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), an organization that represents Manitoba farmers regarding agricultural policy in the province, will get more than $432,000 in funding from the federal and provincial governments over the next two years. Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler announced in Winnipeg on November 2 that the money will go into a new farming safety program. “This investment will provide the tools and training needed to reduce the risk of injury and ensure everyone at the farming operation remains safe,” MacAulay says in a statement. The KAP program will provide information on health and safety regula-

tions for producers, including resources on regulations, risk-specific tip sheets, signs, basic safety orientation, onsite safety advisors who will address hazards with farm employers directly, farm safety workshops and training on safety awareness and hazards. “Our goal is to provide resources for farmers that are practical,” KAP president Dan Mazier says. “Rather than just telling them to read through safety regulations, we are making someone available to show them what they can do to reduce accidents on their farms and comply with provincial regulations.”

WORKER TRAPPED UNDERGROUND OTTAWA — The Ontario Ministry of Labour ordered work stoppage on the underground construction of Ottawa’s light-rail transit (LRT) near Ottawa University on November 10 after three workers were trapped in a tunnel. Ottawa Citizen City Hall reporter

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Jon Willing tweeted that the workers were on a lift and spraying concrete on the wall of the tunnel when some rebar came loose and fell from the tunnel ceiling, preventing the lift from descending. Ottawa Paramedics responded to an emergency call. One worker was reportedly transported to a hospital with a minor hand injury, while the other two were uninjured. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson also attended the scene. “This kind of hiccup hasn’t happened on the Ottawa LRT tunnel project to this point,” Willing says.

FIRM OWNER GETS JAIL TIME GODERICH — The proprietor of a Dorchester-based roofing company was sentenced on November 3 to serve three days in prison and pay a $5,000 fine over an incident in which an employee was injured in a fall last year. According to a court bulletin from the Ontario Ministry of Labour, AB Clothier Roofing proprietor A. Bradley Clothier and two firm employees were working on a roofing project at a two-storey house in Bayfield, Ontario on August 17, 2015 when one of the workers fell more than five metres from the roof. As the workers were not using fall-protection equipment at the time, Clothier told the uninjured employee to put lifelines and fall-arrest gear on the roof to make it appear as if they had been using them when the investigator arrived. Clothier pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that a worker was using appropriate fall-protection equipment and attempting to obstruct an investigator’s work through deception.

REPORT CITES VIOLENCE IN MINES TORONTO — A new study by The Justice and Corporate Accountability Project (JCAP), an organization affiliated with York University’s Osgoode Hall law school, has uncovered an alarming level of violent incidents associated with Canadian mining companies operating in Latin American countries over the past 16 years. Published on October 24, The Cana-

da Brand: Violence and Canadian Mining Companies in Latin America states that from 2000 to 2015, 28 Canadian mining firms in more than a dozen countries were involved with 44 fatalities, 403 injuries and 709 cases of “criminalization”, which included legal complaints, arrests, detentions and charges. Of the injuries, 363 occurred during protests or confrontations. The 127page report also claims that the federal government and mining industry are not monitoring or reporting the violence. The Canadian mining industry’s lack of oversight has led to criticism by four United Nations bodies and the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights. “The incidents documented in this report appear to be the tip of the iceberg,” JCAP states in the report’s executive summary, adding that it has come across many reports that could not be included, as they could not be corroborated through independent sources.

CLASS-ACTION SUIT LAUNCHED OTTAWA — A group of LGBTQ individuals has launched a class-action lawsuit against the federal government, claiming decades’ worth of discrimination and persecution during their past employment as civil servants or military personnel. Many of them allegedly lost their jobs in a long-time purge of homosexual employees dating back to the 1950s. Toronto lawyer R. Douglas Elliott, a partner with Cambridge LLP, announced the suit in Ottawa on November 1. Headed by lead plaintiff Todd Ross, the group is seeking $600 million from the Justin Trudeau government. Ross, a former sailor, alleges that he was blackmailed out of the navy over his sexual orientation in 1990. “He had just turned 21,” Elliott says, “and he was told that he would be pushing a broom in some remote armed-forces base for the rest of his life as a private for life, or he could take an honourable discharge and get out.” Lieutenant-Colonel Monique Goyette, a section head within the Canadian Forces’ directive of human rights and diversity, notes that the military kept an administrative order on homosexuals in

effect until 1986. In 1992, the military’s anti-gay policy was ruled to be a violation of the Charter of Rights. “Since that time, homosexuals have served openly in the Canadian Armed Forces,” Lt.-Col. Goyette says. “We have had members who were homosexuals rise to senior ranks.” But Elliott maintains that homophobia is still a problem in the Canadian military and that discrimination and persecution in federal workplaces have taken many forms over the years. He considers the continued discrimination to be a legacy of the Cold War era, when LGBTQ people were considered unreliable, morally corrupt or apt to prey on colleagues. “It has left a legacy of a poisoned work environment to this day in some sectors in the federal civil service,” he says. Lt.-Col. Goyette counters that the culture in the military has changed a lot since the 1990s.“Anybody that can contribute to the operational effectiveness of the Canadian Armed Forces is welcome,” Lt.-Col. Goyette affirms. “We do not discriminate.”

MINING COMPANY CHARGED TORONTO — Toronto-based mining company Glencore Canada Corporation is facing multiple charges over the death of 54-year-old Richard Pigeau, who was killed when a piece of machinery struck him at the Nickel Rim South Mine in Sudbury on October 20, 2015. Janet Deline, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour, reports that the Ministry laid five oh&s charges against Glencore on October 14: interfering with, disturbing and/or altering objects at the scene of a fatality; failing to protect a worker’s safety through information, instruction and supervision; failing to keep workplace equipment in good condition; failing to make sure that the measures in Regulation 854, R.R.O. 1990 were carried out; and failing to take every reasonable precaution to protect a worker. Two charges were also laid against a supervisor named Steven Holmik. As Pigeau’s supervisor, Holmik faces a charge of failing to take every reasonable precaution to protect an employee. As his colleague, Holmik has been

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charged with failing to work in a way that did not endanger co-workers. Glencore says that it is reviewing the case. Prior to the seven charges, the company was already facing two others related to the Ministry’s investigation of the incident. On June 22, the Ministry charged the corporation with hindering, obstructing and/or interfering with an oh&s inspector executing a warrant and failing to furnish all necessary means to assist an inspector with a search, investigation, examination or inquiry. The first court appearance for the more recent charges will take place on December 9 in Sudbury, Deline says.

VEGETABLE PROCESSOR FINED SIMCOE — A vegetable-processing company in the community of Delhi, Ontario was fined $54,500 on October 20 over a worker’s permanent injury. According to the Ontario Ministry of Labour, employees of Southcoast IQF

Inc. were processing mushrooms with an auger conveyor and a cutter in the plant on November 6, 2014 when a jam occurred in the entry chute of the conveyor. A worker who tried to clear the jam slipped and made contact with the cutter’s moving blades. The Ministry found that the company did not equip the conveyor with a guard to keep workers from the blades.

REPORT IDENTIFIES FAILURES OTTAWA — The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) needs to improve its paperwork regarding safety inspections of its nuclear plants, according to a report released by the Auditor General of Canada on October 4. The audit, one of five recently carried out by the federal government on different industries, found that the regulator had failed to document its planning decisions sufficiently and could not show that it had an adequate, risk-informed

process for plant inspections. As well, the CNSC did not always adhere to its own inspection procedures or issue final reports on corrections of regulatory violations on time. The report noted that 75 per cent of the Commission’s inspections did not use an approved guide. “These mistakes should not happen when we are dealing with nuclear power plants,” Environment and Sustainable Development Commissioner Julie Gelfand said at a press conference in Ottawa. Dr. Michael Binder, CNSC president and chief executive officer, says the Commission will address the report’s findings.

RCMP REACHES SETTLEMENT OTTAWA — Canada’s national police force has reached a settlement in two class-action lawsuits regarding accusations of sexual harassment and genderbased discrimination among its members by offering a compensation package totalling $100 million for several hundred

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women who have served with the force over the past 42 years. In a news conference held in Ottawa on October 6, RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson offered a lengthy apology to the women of the force. “You came to the RCMP wanting to personally contribute to your community, and we failed you. We hurt you. For that, I am truly sorry,” said Paulson, who also extended his apology to Canadians. “The harassment problem in the RCMP was enabled by an organizational culture that developed over time in isolation from the values of the communities we serve. Effective accountability and enlightened leadership have been instrumental in bringing us back alongside with modernity.” Janet Merlo and Linda Gillis Davidson, the plaintiffs of the lawsuits, attended the conference. Merlo filed her suit in March 2012 and Davidson in March of last year.

The RCMP says it will implement new initiatives to eliminate gender discrimination and sexual harassment by the end of 2017. The RCMP also plans to increase the number of women in regular member, executive and officer positions to 30 per cent over the next nine years.

ONE-OPERATOR SYSTEM LAUNCHED TORONTO — The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has moved ahead with its plan to adopt the One-Person Train Operation (OPTO) system, in spite of doubts about the system’s safety. Generally, a TTC subway train employs two people: a driver at the front and a guard in another car. The new system, which has only one staff member on each train — eliminating the guards and making one worker responsible for driving a train, operating the doors and

checking passengers who are entering and exiting — made its debut on Line 4, or the Sheppard line, on October 9. “It is a function that is now being automated,” says TTC media representative Stuart Green. “Video cameras at subway stations will allow drivers to view the passengers through monitors.” Green adds that major subway systems around the world have already been using OPTO for a long time, including the London Underground and the Montreal Metro. Even the TTC’s own Line 3, which runs above the ground through Scarborough, has been working with one operator per train since it opened in 1985. In a statement from Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 dated September 28, union president Bob Kinnear states that management should consult with the public before going through with OPTO. Kinnear cites a recent ATU

HEALTHCARE VIOLENCE COMES UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT TORONTO — Representatives of the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) have expressed their concern over an incident in which a patient attacked a registered nurse at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto. On October 23, the female nurse was exiting a room at the facility when a male resident punched her in the face, dragged her into a locked utility room and kicked her in the head, according to an ONA statement. Another employee witnessed the attack and called for help. The ONA claims that CAMH did not notify the provincial labour ministry immediately after the attack as required by law. “Our member might have been killed,” ONA first vice president Vicki McKenna says, adding that the attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents at CAMH. In a statement dated October 26, Nancy Pridham, president of OPSEU Local 500, blames CAMH executives for treating numerous violent incidents at the facility as acceptable occurrences. “Scarcely a day goes by without one of our members, or others working there, reporting some form of harassment, assault or violence,” she says. The Centre was fined $80,000 this past summer for an incident in January 2014 in which a patient with a history of violence injured two workers. The OPSEU statement also cites CAMH incidents from earlier this year, such as a dining-room attack that left an employee with a concussion in April and a confrontation in which a patient broke a cleaner’s nose in August. Also related to the issue of violence against healthcare

workers, St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton, Ontario has accepted all recommendations made in an external peer review following a litany of violent incidents against its employees less than a year ago. The hospital requested the review after a series of assaults on staff by patients in late 2015 and early this year, including the beating of two nurses on December 23 and a patient tossing boiling coffee at a registered practical nurse on January 12. Published online on September 29, Approaches & Supports to Staff & Client Safety in the Mental Health In-Patient & Psychiatric Emergency Services concludes that the facility still has work to do to prevent violence from patients, even though it “has successfully advanced safety through a comprehensive set of policies, processes and programs” and established “a strong foundation for growth and the ability to adapt approaches to safety to meet the challenges of constant change in clinical, social and health-system needs.” A supplement to the report lists the authors’ recommendations in five categories: improving the workforce’s capacity for violence prevention and management; standards of care, therapeutic environment and team effectiveness; standards for post-incident response; corporate safety oversight; and protecting employees. Among the specific suggestions were better training, a task group to examine psychiatrist caseloads and upgrading nurses’ skills on mechanical restraints. “Violence is never acceptable, and St. Joseph’s is working with its staff to become a leader in workplace safety,” St. Joseph’s president Dr. David Higgins says. —By Jeff Cottrill

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survey of Toronto residents, which found that two-thirds of respondents opposed getting rid of the guards. He claims that focus groups yielded similar results. “Almost everyone in the focus groups was shocked to learn of the TTC’s plan. And when they learned that the cost of the guard was less than five cents per TTC ride, they were quite adamant that this was a very small price to pay for an added layer of security.” Green maintains that OPTO is safer for both riders and staff. “In terms of operator safety, you are removing the need for someone to physically put their head outside a window, to open a window and expose them to elements,” he says. “We have had incidents where operators have been assaulted, where they have had things thrown at them.” Other employees have been struck by flying debris from the tracks, he adds. The TTC plans to launch OPTO on the subway’s Line 1, which runs down Yonge Street and up University Avenue, shortly after the Sheppard conversion.

Green estimates that the Commission will save about $18 million a year by cutting guards on these two lines, but there are no planned layoffs.

TRENCH COLLAPSE YIELDS PENALTY TORONTO — A court fined Toronto firm Utility Force Inc. $75,000 on October 7 over a fatal trench collapse more than two years ago. A court bulletin from the Ontario Ministry of Labour states that the incident occurred on July 24, 2014, when the company was installing water and sewer lines at a residential construction site. A backhoe operator had dug a trench measuring more than three metres deep at the site. A Utility Force employee entered the trench before it had been sloped to clear dirt away from a pipe, and the supervisor was distracted by paperwork at the time. The trench collapsed, burying the worker up to the chest, and a second collapse killed the

worker before emergency responders could complete a rescue. The Ministry determined that the firm had not documented any training on the hazards of trench work or on the legal requirement of using a shoring box when entering an unsloped trench.

ASBESTOS FIND CLOSES SCHOOL GATINEAU — A primary school was evacuated and closed temporarily, following the discovery of asbestos in the building on November 10. A statement from the local school board, La Commission scolaire des Portages-de-l’Outaouais (CSPO), says the management and staff of l’École primaire Saint-Paul directed everyone inside the school to move to the nearby Eugène-Sauvageau community centre immediately after the discovery. Quebec’s oh&s authority, La Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail, ordered the school

CONCERN RAISED OVER FAILURE TO NOTIFY HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union (NSNU) has charged that for more than a week, it was not notified about an incident in which an agitated man had brought a firearm into a hospital in Middleton, Nova Scotia and that it had learned about the incident from media. “We didn’t find out about this until I read it in the paper,” says NSNU president Janet Hazelton. The union was officially informed on October 11. RCMP officers were called to the Soldiers Memorial Hospital on October 3 after a report about a visitor from Kings County behaving erratically, according to an NSNU statement. The 60-year-old man was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm while prohibited, unauthorized firearm possession and careless firearm use. “The incident has been reported through our serious-incident monitoring system, and follow-up, including an internal review, is in progress,” says Kristen Lipscombe, senior advisor for media relations with the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA), which runs the hospital. “Our safety leaders will meet with staff to update safety plans for the area.” No employees, patients or visitors were harmed. According to Lipscombe, the NSHA is not required to notify the union of all workplace incidents. “All NSHA staff, including nurses, are bound by both legislative requirements and professional regulations from speaking about the personal health information and ongoing care of patients.”

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Hazelton suggests that the incident was hidden from the NSNU to avoid interfering with the police booking process. “Not that I don’t care about the process, but the individual safety of the employees trumps individual rights to privacy,” Hazelton stresses. “It is actually in the legislation.” In Nova Scotia’s healthcare sector, the standard response to incidents like these is to call the RCMP. In this case, it took the police about half an hour to arrive at the hospital, due to their remote location. For Hazelton, this delayed response highlighted an urgent need to improve safety for employees and patients in the province’s healthcare facilities. Among the threats that healthcare employees frequently deal with include violent domestic abusers looking for their hospitalized partners, intoxicated or mentally ill patients and elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease. And the situation is getting worse in Nova Scotia, according to Hazelton. “Mental illness has increased astronomically. Many of our clients that are mentally ill aren’t seeking appropriate treatment. Alcohol and drug use is up.” Unlike in Ontario, hospital security in Nova Scotia is not permitted to restrain agitated patients physically. “We are not equipped to care for patients like this,” Hazelton adds. Lipscombe reports that the NSHA is in the process of developing a standardized violence-prevention program to make healthcare workplaces safer. —By Jeff Cottrill

to have the asbestos encapsulated. A firm conducted air-quality tests inside the school during its closure. “The safety of children and our staff is very important,” CSPO general director Jean-Claude Bouchard says. “In this situation, it is important for the school board to hear the concerns of our staff and parents, and that is why we have reacted promptly.”

HARASSMENT CLAIMS PROBED SAINT-QUENTIN — A nursing home in Saint-Quentin, New Brunswick has hired an external investigator to look into staff allegations that the home’s executive director has subjected workers to a poisoned work environment with verbal abuse, harassment and intimidation. The allegations against André Savoie of the Résidence Mgr. Melanson stem from a petition circulated by local physicians who were concerned about many employees of the home requesting time off and whether its residents were getting appropriate care. This led to numerous staff complaints about Savoie’s treatment of them, according to René Doucet, a national representative with the Canadian Union of Public Employees assigned to the Melanson home. Doucet says over 200 complaints have been received. “It is not the nature of the complaints that is completely out of reason; it is the number of complaints that really sparked the interest of the board of directors for the nursing home.” Many complainants accused Savoie of intimidating staff while being unresponsive to their concerns, Doucet adds. “They are getting to the point where they are worried about their safety and security, but also that of the residents.” The board of directors contacted the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes for advice. Michael Keating, the executive director of the association, advised the board to launch an immediate investigation. The board has hired a retired former human-resources advisor with the provincial health authority and nursing-home administrator to conduct the investigation, and interviews of employees at the nursing home began on November 3.

Savoie has been temporarily suspended while the investigation is taking place. He could face job termination if the investigation finds merit in the employees’ allegations. “But that has to be a pretty serious type of thing for that to happen,” Keating adds.

UNION OPPOSES STAFF CUTS HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia Government & General Employees Union (NSGEU) is calling out the provincial Department of Justice for its alleged plan to reduce the number of sheriffs escorting prisoners in courts, after a deputy sheriff was injured following a pre-trial court appearance by aspiring rapper Carvel Clayton. A statement dated November 23 from the union charges that this decision will increase safety risks for both the workers and the public. “Deputy sheriffs have never escorted prisoners on a ratio of one to one,” NSGEU president Jason MacLean says. “It has always been a ratio of 2:1 and higher if there is increased risk. We don’t believe a one-to-one ratio is safe.” MacLean accuses the Department of making safety-related decisions based on budget concerns, adding that vacant sheriff positions will not be filled until next April at the earliest. “By not filling these vacant positions, it leaves our current members working short and puts them at an increased risk of violence.” MacLean calls for the government to implement all of the recommendations from a report that it commissioned last year regarding workplace violence.

CONSTRUCTION FIRM CHARGED TREPASSEY — A construction company in Newfoundland has been charged for its involvement in a fatal incident that occurred last year during a roofing maintenance project. According to a statement from Service N.L. issued on November 4, Trepassey-based firm Southern Construction (1981) Ltd. had been charged with four violations of the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations. The company was conducting maintenance on a roof on June 16, 2015 when one of its employees fell through a skylight and died. As a result of the subsequent investigation, Service N.L. has charged the employer with failing to provide a safe workplace, familiarize supervisors and workers with the worksite hazards, enforce the use of fall-protection equipment and arrange work spaces to allow employees to move around safely. Southern Construction was scheduled to make its first court appearance at the Provincial Court in St. John’s on November 25. Follow us on Twitter @OHSCanada Many of the preceding items are based on stories from our sister publication, canadian

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DISPATCHES Space travel bad for the spine: NASA study

Some preventive steps to help reduce the spinal effects of spaceflight include core-strengthening exercises, like those recommended for patients with back pain, and yoga to address spinal stiffness and reduced mobility.

Jean Lian is editor of ohs canada.

By Jean Lian

pace travel is cool, and it has been made cooler by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who fired up the public’s fascination with his tweets from outer space. But holding a job that requires one to leave Planet Earth also comes with some serious risks to one’s spine. Astronauts on long missions in space have atrophy of the muscles supporting the spine, which do not return to normal weeks after their return to Earth, according to a study published on October 25 in Spine, a journal on spinal disorders. The findings are based on observations of six NASA crew members who spent four to seven months in “microgravity” conditions on the International Space Station. Each astronaut underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the spine before their mission, immediately after their return to Earth and one to two months later, to understand the factors affecting lumbar spine strength and lower-back pain during long-duration spaceflight, as well as the spine’s response after returning to Earth. The data show that back pain is common during prolonged missions, with more than half of crew members reporting spinal pain. The risk of spinal disc herniation in the months after returning from spaceflight is about four times higher among astronauts than in matched controls. These changes are accompanied by an increase in body height of about two inches, which is believed to result from spinal “unloading” and other changes related to the lack of gravity. The MRI scans also indicated significant atrophy of the paraspinal lean muscle mass, which plays a critical role in spinal support and movement during the astronauts’ time in space. There was an even more dramatic reduction in the functional cross-sectional area of the paraspinal muscles relative to the total paraspinal cross-sectional area: the ratio of lean muscle decreased from 86 per cent pre-flight to 72 per cent immediately post-flight. At follow-up, the ratio recovered to 81 per cent, but was still less than the pre-flight value. In contrast, there was no consistent change in the height of the spinal intervertebral discs. “These measurements run counter to previous hypotheses about the effects of microgravity on disc swelling,” the researchers note, adding that further studies will need to clarify the effects on disc height and whether they contribute to the increase in body height during space missions, as well as to the heightened risk of herniated-disc disease.

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CEOs have direct bearing on work injuries By Jeff Cottrill

hief executive officers (CEO) play a role in injury rates among frontline employees and can influence the number of workplace injuries through safety culture, a recent study funded by the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) concludes. Published in the September 2016 issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology, “Safety in the C-Suite: How CEOs Influence Organizational Safety Climate and Employee Injuries” analyzed the effects that CEOs’ attitudes have on their companies’ safety records by examining the results of surveys done by 54 organizations employing more than 2,700 workers and nearly 1,400 supervisors. “We found that CEOs have the most direct safety-related influence on their top managers,” study co-author Dr. Sean Tucker of the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Regina says in a statement dated October 5. “These top managers then role-model pro-safety values and behaviours to lower-level managers and supervisors, and this in turn cascades down to the frontlines.” This process, which the report terms as “collective social learning”, creates an overall safety climate that reduces injuries on the frontlines. The report concludes that it is appropriate to attribute a company’s low injury rates to the CEO when it is evident that other organizational parties have contributed to the safety climate. But the authors recognize certain limitations in their research, which relied on surveyed workers to report their own injuries and lacked sufficient time to get personnel information about employee grouping by supervisor. “Future studies should attempt to obtain organizational-level injury reports, although such records may be unreliable,” the authors note. Phil Germain, the WCB’s vice president of prevention and employer services, notes that occupational injuries and fatalities can have a drastic effect on employers’ bottom lines. “This research makes an important contribution to our understanding of how we can improve worker safety and reduce businesses’ costs,” Germain says. “Reducing worker injuries, which can save businesses literally millions of dollars, comes through a CEO-driven, top-down cascade of directives that promote a pervasive climate of safety at all levels.” Jeff Cottrill is editor of canadian occupational health & safety news.

Rail workers highlight issue of chronic fatigue By Jeff Cottrill

he Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and its union, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, are locking horns over the issue of chronic workplace fatigue among rail workers. The union has accused the railway of allowing unpredictable shift schedules that prevent workers from getting enough rest and discouraging them from booking unfit. To counter the allegation, CP launched a new website, WorkRestAndTimeOff.ca, on November 8 to serve as a factbased resource about the corporation’s policies and procedures on employee breaks and time off. It includes information on what workers are entitled to in terms of rest and breaks, as well as on past union negotiations and more. “There is a lot of myth, inside and outside of our organization, with respect to what the expectations and what the opportunities are to take rest and time off in the railway industry,” says Peter Edwards, CP’s vice president of people. Edwards clarifies that CP gives employees ample opportunities for rest and time off, although rest periods are not mandatory and the company has pushed for compulsory time off in negotiations. “People may or may not take any amount of rest on a given day,” he says, adding that it is up to employees to manage their own time. Teamsters national president Doug Finnson calls WorkRestAndTimeOff.ca an “incomplete” website with a lot of untruthful information. On November 9, the union released to the public a nine-page document, A Fatigue Risk Management Guiding Philosophy, detailing the union’s proposals for managing workplace fatigue through policy and scientific research. He adds that the union has hired a fatigue specialist to assist them in their research. This spat between CP and its union came on the heels of an information picket in Edmonton on October 5. Railroad workers with the Canadian National Railway Company (CN), including engineers, conductors and yardmen with Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Division 796, took part in the rally to highlight the prevalence of fatigue and long working hours, as well as the safety risks inherent in them. Don Ashley, the union’s national legislative director, says fatigue in the rail industry is a national issue, and the problem has a lot to do with scheduling. Although worker assignments are booked in advance, work shifts may change unexpectedly, with employees often unable to get sufficient rest between shifts. “The train lineups are terrible, and they have been terrible

for years,” Ashley says. Even when a worker manages to get two straight nights of sleep, “that is not a magic switch,” Finson adds. “That doesn’t turn off the previous 76 months of chronic fatigue.” Kate Fenske, CN’s manager of media and community relations for western Canada, says the corporation is aware of the workers’ grievances. “CN is committed to running a safe railway, and we will be discussing [the Edmonton] event with senior union leaders,” Fenske says of the information picket.

Job level influences results of depression treatment By Jean Lian

p to one-third of those who hold high-status jobs are less likely to respond to standard treatment with medications for depression, says an international study presented at a congress in Vienna. According to a September 20 statement from the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology in Utrecht, the Netherlands, researchers enlisted 654 working adults attending clinics for depression and classified their work according to occupational levels. Among the study participants — of whom 65 per cent were female — 51 per cent held high-level occupations, 25 per cent held middle-levels jobs and 24 per cent had low-level jobs. Most patients were treated with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) in addition to other pharmaceutical agents, as well as psychotherapy. Those in the higher levels received fewer SRIs and more psychotherapy. Results indicate that 56 per cent in the highest occupational group were resistant to treatment, compared to 40 and 44 per cent of middle- and low-level workers respectively. This difference is also reflected in the degree of remission, with only around one in six in remission for the higher-status group versus one in four for the other groups. The preliminary findings show that high occupational levels may be a risk factor for poor response to treatment and that patients’ occupational levels need to be considered when prescribing medications for depression. Other contributing factors include specific work-environment demands and stressors, people with difficulty accepting or coping with illness and continuing with medication, as well as factors related to cognitive, personality and behavioural differences. “People with highly demanding jobs are subject to a lot of stress,” says Professor Eduard Vieta, professor of Psychiatry at the University of Barcelona. High-status-job patients may also be more prone to request psychosocial treatments without the support of pharmacotherapy. “This shows that the need for precise prescribing is not only related to the symptoms and genetics, but also to occupational level,” study co-author Professor Joseph Zohar, the director of the Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Clinic with Sheba Medical Center Hospital in Tel Hashomer, Israel, says in a statement. Follow us on Twitter @OHSCanada

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SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER

Dark Days BY DONALEE MOULTON

Every year when winter bleaches the landscape and ushers in plummeting temperatures for months on end, many Canadians dread the prospect of shovelling snow from driveways and taking their reluctant dogs out for walks. But for more than one million Canadians, who comprise two to three per cent of the population, the monochrome of winter brings with it the onset of deep, dark moods.

n a country where almost one-third of the year is cold and daylight hours are short, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a grim reality and can adversely affect employee well-being and productivity at work. 22

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Seasonal affective disorder is a form of clinical depression that can range from mild to severe. This mental-health issue is distinguished from others by its cyclical nature: it usually recurs in the winter, but it is more than just winter blues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What separates SAD from a buck-up-and-get-over-it day is that it occurs every year. It is real,â&#x20AC;? says Tara Brousseau Snider, executive director of the Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba in Winnipeg. As the disorder affects mainly working adults who have a higher risk of SAD than kids and teens, Sarah Hamid-Balma, director of mental-health promotion with the British Columbia Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association

(CMHA) in Vancouver, regards SAD as a workplace issue and believes that greater awareness needs to be created around it. “After the age of 50, the risk of SAD starts to decline,” she notes, but researchers are not sure why. The months during which SAD is most prevalent are August, October, November, January, February and March. For employees with structured work hours, the short daylight hours during winter also mean that they are less likely to have the opportunity to be outdoors exercising or go for a walk to get exposed to the sun. Although SAD will go away, it can last for many months. “It can affect normal functioning and relationships. They don’t feel good,” Snider says. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), approximately 500,000 Canadians miss work due to mental illness on any given week. More than 30 per cent of disability claims and 70 per cent of disability costs are attributed to mental illness, which translates to a loss of roughly $51 million to the Canadian economy each year. “If you can reduce mental-health issues in the workplace,” suggests George Vuicic, a labour and employment lawyer with Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP in Ottawa, “everybody benefits.”

serotonin — a chemical in the brain linked to depression, Snider explains. Changing sunlight patterns aside, other contributing factors include gender and geography. According to CMHA, some research has found that women may be up to nine times more likely to be diagnosed with SAD than men are. But Hamid-Balma points out that women are also diagnosed with other forms of depression more often than men. As sunlight is less prevalent in northern countries during the winter months, people residing in places with shorter days and darker winters are at higher risk of SAD. There is also evidence to suggest that the disorder runs in families. According to the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario, a variety of psychological, social and biological factors may contribute to the development of SAD. Some known factors are inherent vulnerability, light deprivation, stress, biological factors unique to the individual, hormonal changes due to physical conditions and early childhood trauma.

LIGHT IN THE TUNNEL People suffering from SAD experience a myriad of symptoms, including loss of appetite, lethargy and a sense of hopelessness. “It is like wanting to hibernate,” WHAT WE KNOW Snider says. Based on emerging research investigating A much milder form of SAD, comSAD during the ’80s, a “seasonal pattern” Shorter days monly called winter blues, affects about 15 modifier for depression diagnoses — meanseem to be a main per cent of people. But SAD is not a catching that the condition happens every season all term for any change in mood related and there is a pattern to the way the disease trigger for SAD. to seasons. “Changes in mood are part of recurs — was officially added to the Diagbeing human and aren’t necessarily somenostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disthing to worry [that it] is a mental illness, orders (DSM) in 1987. unless it is lasting a long time or interfering with your ability According to the DSM, to receive a diagnosis of depresto go about your daily life, ” Hamid-Balma clarifies. sion with seasonal variation, a patient must meet the criteria The good news is that SAD is very treatable. Antidepresfor major depression and experience recurring depressive sants or light therapy, also known as phototherapy, are efepisodes that coincide with specific seasons. In most cases, fective treatment options. The latter involves using a special patients report an increase of symptoms in the fall and winter kind of bright, artificial light for about 30 minutes daily to and a decrease in symptoms during spring and summer. trigger a chemical change in the brain, which improves mood As the condition recurs on a predictable schedule, this has and relieves SAD symptoms substantially in 60 to 80 per cent led to a common misconception that climate is the culprit, of people who have been diagnosed with the condition. “It is but that is not the case, according to Hamid-Balma. “One easy to use, convenient and relatively inexpensive,” Hamidof the biggest myths about SAD is that it is related to poor Balma says. weather. Studies looking at weather patterns and rates of clinWhile Snider points out that light therapy provides the enical depression have found no connection. It is about seasons ergy that one lacks, this system, which usually involves a fluoand daylight, not weather.” rescent light box, should be used only in the morning when Shorter days seem to be a main trigger for SAD, accordthe user is up and about in a daily routine. “You don’t stare ing to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, directly at the light. You go about your business.” Maryland. In an article on the disorder, the NIH notes that The Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba offers lightreduced sunlight in fall and winter can disrupt the body’s therapy machines for rent at $20 a month and sells them for internal clock or circadian rhythm. This 24-hour “master $200. The organization has helped to install them in librarclock” responds to cues in one’s surroundings, especially ies throughout Winnipeg, and many workplaces rent or purlight and darkness. During the day, the brain sends signals to chase them to help employees. “It is particularly important other parts of the body to help keep an individual awake and for people who work without a window, ” Snider says, adding ready for action. When the patterns of sunlight are altered, that individuals can also get a prescription for a light-therapy the amount of it is reduced, which decreases the amount of Vitamin D the body absorbs and affects its ability to produce system. “It is recognized as a therapeutic tool.” www.ohscanada.com

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aware or might reasonably be expected to know The side effects of light therapy are usually Employers can that an employee is struggling with a problem, mild and often get better with time or reducsuch as a mental-health issue, the employer has a ing light exposure, according to Dr. Raymond play a role legal obligation to reach out to the employee. “In Lam, a psychiatrist and the medical director of some cases, the employer has been found to have the Mood Disorders Centre of Excellence at the in helping a duty to inquire whether there is an issue.” University of British Columbia Hospital in VanAccording to the Mayo Clinic, the symptoms couver. Some people may experience mild nauemployees of SAD can include those often seen in people sufsea, headaches or eyestrain or feel “edgy” when with SAD. fering from a major depression: loss of interest in they first start using light therapy, he notes in activities they once enjoyed; problems with sleepA Clinician’s Guide to Using Light Therapy, a reing; changes in appetite or weight; and difficulty with consource package for health professionals that he co-authored. centration. Symptoms specific to winter-related depression These side effects can be alleviated by decreasing the include irritability, problems getting along with other people, amount of time spent under the light. People who have sensihypersensitivity to rejection and oversleeping. tive skin, such as those with systemic lupus erythematosus, Simple measures to accommodate individuals with SAD, should not use light therapy without first consulting a docsuch as enabling an employee to have a light-therapy systor, information from the Mayo Clinic notes. People who take tem at work, offering access to natural light during certain medication that increases one’s sensitivity to sunlight, such as months, giving time off for appointments and adjusting the certain antibiotics, anti-inflammatories or the herbal supplehours at which they start work, can make a difference. ment St. John’s Wort, and those who have a condition that “A person with SAD, in addition to getting treatment from makes the eyes vulnerable to light damage should also bring a health professional, may also benefit from small changes that to the attention of a doctor prior to starting light therapy. or accommodations at work to improve their symptoms,” While those who are afflicted by SAD may be tempted to Hamid-Balma advises. The predictability of SAD means that self-diagnose, the safest course of action is to obtain a diagthose who are prone to this condition can plan ahead. “The nosis from a health professional to rule out other forms of social support, routine and purpose offered by work can depression and identify an effective course of treatment. As boost mental well-being in general, ” she adds. well, light therapy may not be recommended for individuals And there are demonstrated benefits to having employwith bipolar disorder, macular degeneration or diabetes. ees who are healthy and happy. “I would recommend that a workplace be very sensitive to seasonal affective disorder. A HELPING HAND Employers can play a role in helping employees with SAD get There are substantial savings to implementing something like the treatment and support they need. In some cases, that role light therapy,” says Snider, who is starting to see changes in is legally mandated. Regardless of whether an employee has the workplace. “There is more compassion, empathy and aca physical or a mental-health condition, the employer has a commodation.” duty to accommodate to the point of undue hardship, Vuicic says. “The challenge presented by mental-health issues is that IN THE KNOW Education and awareness are essential to make workplaces it is not as obvious.” The law places procedural and substantive obligations on more welcoming and supportive for individuals with SAD employees and dictates that both sides must participate in and other mental-health conditions. Communication bethe accommodation process. In most cases, “the person seek- tween employer and employee is also key to enabling staff ing an accommodation must make the request, preferably in who require accommodation to reach their full potential, writing,” advises Nicola Watson, a lawyer with Pink Larkin Watson notes. “The dialogue needs to keep going, and employers need to keep their eyes open.” in Halifax. Several organizations have developed programs to help Watson points out that when a manager or supervisor is 24

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employers create workplaces that are accepting and empathetic. Last year, the Canadian Bar Association launched Mental Health and Wellness in the Legal Profession, an online educational course that raises awareness and gives lawyers, judges and law students information about mentalhealth and addiction issues, their causes and symptoms, as well as prevention treatment options. The curriculum, developed in partnership with the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, is designed to give the profession factual information about mood disorders and offers support and resources for recovery and maintaining wellness. “Other organizations could emulate this approach,” says Doron Gold, a staff clinician with Homewood Health in Toronto, which helps with the member-assistance program of Ontario’s legal profession. “We can make substantive change in terms of how people react to their own struggles, how their colleagues react and how we can create a culture change.” On Canada’s east coast, the Nova Scotia Government & General Employees Union (NSGEU) has developed an antibullying program that has attracted international attention and can help both employers and employees create respectful workplaces that make people feel comfortable in discussing their mental-health challenges and possible accommodation. “It is a whole new area,” says Susan Coldwell, coordinator of the Bully-Free Workplaces program in Dartmouth. “Workplace mental health is a major topic.” The NSGEU program has been endorsed by the MHCC and delivered as far away as in Denmark, Japan and New Zealand. Coldwell thinks that building respectful workplaces is a far better approach and helps to prevent workplace complaints. “By the time it gets to the point of a grievance, it is a win-lose situation or a lose-lose situation.” Creating a safe, comfortable and open environment for

employees with mental-health issues may require a significant culture shift, one that requires support from the higher echelons. Launched in January 2013, the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace was put in place to help employers create psychologically healthy and safe workplaces. Led by the MHCC and co-developed by CSA Group and the Bureau de normalisation du Québec, the standard is a voluntary set of guidelines, tools and resources focused on promoting employees’ psychological health and preventing psychological harm due to workplace factors. The MHCC has also created Mental Health First Aid Canada, a course to improve mental-health literacy and provide the skills and knowledge to help people better manage the potential for developing mental-health problems in themselves, a family member, a friend or a colleague. The course for Northern Peoples, which is one among many offered in the program, is a specific initiative that was jointly developed with the northern territories to addresses challenges such as isolation and SAD and to provide unique northern supports. For Coldwell, SAD is no laughing matter. “Seasonal affective disorder is a mental illness and is a serious issue affecting around a million Canadians over their lifetime. As with all kinds of depression, there is a risk a person may have thoughts of death or suicide too.” Creating standards and courses aside, a multi-pronged approach may prove to be the most effective way to ward off the blues. “Most people with depression, including SAD, usually need a few different approaches to feel better. Certain kinds of skills-based counselling, medication and lifestyle changes have the most evidence of success,” Coldwell adds. Donalee Moulton is a writer in Halifax.

KEEPING SPIRITS UP Earlier this year, the results of a large-scale study out of the United States investigating seasonal affective disorder (SAD) concluded that there is no evidence that levels of depressive symptoms vary from season to season. Despite the widespread acceptance that seasonal changes are linked to depression, the researchers in this study could not find empirical proof to support this thesis. “We analyzed the data from many angles and found that the prevalence of depression is very stable across different latitudes, seasons of the year and sunlight exposures,” says Steven LoBello, a professor of psychology at Auburn University at Montgomery and senior author of the study. The researchers examined data from 34,294 participants aged between 18 and 99. Depressive symptoms were measured using a personal health questionnaire, and the geographic locations for each participant were identified. The researchers found that people who responded to the survey in the winter months, or during times of lower sunlight exposure, did not have noticeably higher levels of depres-

sive symptoms than those who responded to the survey at other times. “The findings cast doubt on major depression with seasonal variation as a legitimate psychiatric disorder,” the authors stated. But critics are quick to point out that there are many other studies that support SAD as a valid mental-health diagnosis. According to a fact sheet developed by the British Columbia Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association, various measures can help alleviate SAD symptoms: • Spending more time outdoors during the day; • Keeping curtains open throughout the day; • Moving furniture so that one can sit near a window; • Building physical activity into one’s daily routine, preferably before SAD symptoms take hold; • Taking daily noon-hour walks; • Controlling the consumption of carbohydrates and sleeping for long bouts; and • When all else fails, consider going for a winter vacation in sunny climates.

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FENTANYL

A NEW

THREAT BY JEFF COTTRILL

Ecstasy and crystal meth have new company: fentanyl is the latest drug scene that police are targeting. Although intended as a painkiller, this synthetic opioid has grown as a recreational narcotic in Canada — with dire consequences for both users and officers who come into contact with it. The threat has become serious enough that the RCMP is equipping officers with an antidote. But will it work?

police officer responds to a call about a man slumped over in a parked car with narcotics in open view. While investigating the vehicle, the officer smells a chemical odour. Suddenly, feelings of dizziness and nausea overcome him. His heart rate and blood pressure increase for no apparent reason. Later, it comes out that the officer has been reacting to fentanyl exposure. This is typical of the experiences that a few RCMP officers have faced this year, according to a video that Canada’s national police force released in September. Focusing on the dangers of fentanyl, the video presents case studies of officers in British Columbia who made inadvertent contact with the

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opioid. The above scenario happened to Kamloops constable Rob Dupuis. Another constable in Kelowna, Dawn Adams, had trouble standing up after she found white powder in a folded piece of paper while responding to a call. “In the last two years, RCMP members have come into contact with 1,458 samples of fentanyl,” says Corporal Annie Delisle, a media-relations officer with the force in Ottawa. “It is expected that law-enforcement seizures will continue to be more frequent, thus increasing the risk for accidental exposure to law-enforcement personnel.” The RCMP has initiated new training projects to adapt to this new threat, so officers are better prepared for exposure to drugs, unknown substances and even loose syringes. “Specialized units within the RCMP are also available to assist and address issues when extra expertise is required to deal with highly toxic substances,” Delisle adds. The RCMP is also proceeding with the national rollout of equipping officers with naloxone hydrochloride — a medication that reverses the adverse effects of exposure to fentanyl. In a joint statement dated September 13, British Columbia health officer Dr. Perry Kendall and police-services direc-

tor Clayton Pecknold, co-chairs of the province’s Joint Task Force on Overdose Response, say adding naloxone to the list of tools at RCMP officers’ disposal means that they can keep themselves and those they serve and protect safe. “We know that fentanyl, even in the smallest doses, can be deadly. We also know that fentanyl is showing up in 80 per cent of street drugs, and we are seeing an increase in overdoses for both first time and occasional users,” the statement says. Police officers are not the only first responders at risk of accidental fentanyl exposure. On July 26, five corrections officers fell ill and were hospitalized after encountering the drug at Mountain Institution in Agassiz, British Columbia. The incident led to an immediate decision to supply naloxone as a safeguard at the province’s prisons, where fentanyl overdoses have been a problem. Nova Scotia’s correctional sector also announced plans to supply naxalone in jails in November. Paramedics and university healthcare workers can potentially come in contact with the drug as well, and many paramedics carry naloxone on ambulances to help overdose victims as well as themselves.

hand, can have unpredictable effects on an addict’s behaviour. “Withdrawal is an agitated state, so they could be very restless, and it is easily dominated by giving them medication to balance that,” says Dr. Selby, noting that users often get sick, nauseous, irritable or angry. “They are so uncomfortable. It is very difficult for them to function.” But fentanyl use and addiction does not cause the paranoid feelings that one gets from intoxication with stimulants. “You don’t get that with opioids.” Still, because of its high potency, fentanyl is far more addictive than milder opioids like codeine, depending on the duration of use and the number of times, he adds.

THE CURE In response to the growing opioid problem across the country, Health Canada authorized naloxone hydrochloride for non-prescription use in the form of a nasal spray on October 3. Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott approved this decision after an expedited review, and she had signed a special Interim Order to allow a version of the spray to be imported from the United States three months earlier. The antidote is simple to administer: an affected indiWHAT IS FENTANYL? vidual sprays it up the nose or has another perFentanyl has already been available to the public son spray it to get the naloxone into the system for many years as a prescription medicine for seThe changing quickly. A typical sprayer contains 0.1 millilitres vere pain conditions, explains Tara Gomes, a prinof a solution containing naloxone hydrochlocipal investigator with the Ontario Drug Policy nature of drug ride, benzalkonium chloride as a preservative, Research Network in Toronto. “It generally comes threats poses disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate as a stain the form of a patch that people use, which albilizer, sodium chloride, hydrochloric acid and lows the drug to slowly work through their system a continuing purified water. over the course of several days,” she says. “It proDavid Jensen, a spokesperson for Ontarvides people with long-term pain relief.” challenge to lawio’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care But Gomes points out that easy access to fen(MHLTC) in Toronto, refers to naloxone-hydrotanyl has led to illicit use and that fentanyl is about enforcement. chloride nasal spray as “a pure opioid antago100 times more potent than morphine is. “People nist. ” He elaborates that this antidote is recommended only will actually scrape the drug from off the patches to misuse “for emergency use outside of a hospital to reverse known or it to get a high.” There has also been a growing black-market suspected opioid overdose, as manifested by respiratory and/ trade in which people buy large amounts of the drug in powor severe central-nervous-system depression. ” der form while abroad, have it smuggled into the country and Naloxone works by reversing the effects of fentanyl and sell it to opioid addicts on the street. preventing breathing from slowing down and the possibly While one-time fentanyl exposure does not usually beget fatal consequences. “It is not a preventative thing, ” Gomes long-term effects, the biggest risk comes from the possibility clarifies. “It is meant to be used once somebody has been of overdose, depending on the amount of the drug and the exposed to the drug and is experiencing person’s vulnerability. If the individual is lucky, the exposure results only in nausea and/or dizziness. But there is a consid- those effects.” A product monograph erable danger of one’s breathing slowing down or even stopfrom the MHLTC cites ping — especially if the person has never been exposed to possible adverse a prescription opioid before. The risk of accidental overdose increases when fentanyl is combined with alcohol, cocaine, benzodiazepines or other opioids like morphine, methadone, codeine or heroin. Intoxication with or addiction to fentanyl does not necessarily make a person a safety risk to others, including police and other first responders, according to Dr. Peter Selby, the director of medical education at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. There is always the possibility that a user might fall asleep or have a seizure while operating a vehicle, which endangers other drivers. Withdrawal, on the other www.ohscanada.com

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effects of nasal naloxone spray from clinical studies, including nasal inflammation or congestion, muscle spasms, musculoskeletal pain, headaches, constipation, dizziness or nausea. “Seizures have been reported to occur infrequently after the administration of naloxone; however, a causal relationship has not been established,” the monograph adds. Despite these potential side effects, Gomes approves of the use of naloxone, primarily because there is no better option to combat fentanyl exposure at this time. “The benefits of being able to reverse potentially fatal opioid overdose far exceeds any risks that can come along with using the naloxone,” she says, noting that the antidote has become more broadly available across the country. Because RCMP officers may not be able to avoid coming into contact with opioids, “it is an important step to protect themselves,” Gomes adds. “If they encounter other people who have overdosed on opioids, they would have that tool available to them to help reverse those overdoses.” Dr. Selby also approves of naloxone as an antidote to fentanyl exposure, but cautions that first responders should not rely exclusively on it. “The question that we don’t know is how effective naloxone will be against some of the more potent fentanyl that we’re seeing out in some communities,” he explains. “Fentanyl can knock you out in a second; it is so potent. And especially if they have not used it before.” Just a small amount of the drug that has been aerosolized into

the air can affect a person quickly if he or she has not built up a tolerance to it, he adds. What officers should also do is take precautions, Dr. Selby advises, such as donning the proper protective equipment like respirators and establishing procedures and protocols for entering rooms that may be infected with airborne fentanyl powder. “Just simply having naloxone is not enough,” he says. “Naloxone should be just like a rescue in case all the protective measures didn’t work.” CHANGING TIMES Although fentanyl may appear to be the latest drug fad, Corporal Delisle discourages the view that its popularity is akin to past crazes like those for ecstasy and lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD. Whereas those narcotics are deliberately designed for recreational stimulation, “the evolution leading to the fentanyl use can be sourced in the misuse and abuse of pharmaceutical opioids and the appetite by Canadians for new psychoactive substances,” she points out. Whatever their cause or source, the changing nature of drug threats is a continuing challenge to the law-enforcement sector, Corporal Delisle adds. “As such, we have adapted our operations by developing new training, policies and standard operating procedures to deal with these new challenges.” Jeff Cottrill is editor of canadian occupational health & safety news.

CRISIS ON THE WEST COAST A troubling surge in fentanyl-related fatalities led the British Columbia government to declare a public health emergency in March. Later, the B.C. Coroners Service reported that the province had seen 302 deaths from illicit-drug overdoses involving fentanyl from January to August — an increase of 211 per cent from the same period in 2015. This included fatalities not only directly attributed to fentanyl, but also from other narcotics laced with it, including party drugs like cocaine or ecstasy. About three-fifths of the victims were between 19 and 39 years old, and the highest numbers of fatalities occurred in Vancouver, Victoria and Surrey. “We have had the highest levels of overdoses from illicit opioids that I think we have ever seen since we started measuring them back in the 1990s,” explains Dr. Perry Kendall, British Columbia’s provincial health officer, based in Victoria. “Fentanyl is clearly associated with about 62 per cent of those overdoses — in conjunction, usually, with other drugs.” Most of the victims have been habitual drug users, he adds, but there have also been substantial clusters of occasional users who thought they were buying cocaine. In response to these statistics, the B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General established a Joint Task Force on Overdose Response to deal with the fentanyl crisis. The group was assigned with expanding the availability of naloxone, increasing public awareness and establishing a testing service to help people find out if the drugs they are taking include illicit fentanyl. Both intranasal and injectable naloxone have

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been available for purchase without a prescription in the province since Health Canada approved it on October 3. RCMP officers are not the only police representatives in the province with plans to carry naloxone spray to protect themselves and others. In September, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) announced that its officers had also been exposed to toxic opioids like fentanyl. The VPD had already collaborated with drug experts from the RCMP and Victoria police to host training sessions for officers on protection from fentanyl exposure in June. On October 13, the provincial Ministry of Health amended the Health Professions Act and Emergency Health Services Act to allow healthcare professionals, firefighters, paramedics and social workers to administer naloxone outside of hospitals. Dr. Kendall speculates that the explosion in fentanyl use in British Columbia may be, ironically, connected in part to other kinds of occupational safety issues, “because of unintentional injuries in the resource industry, where there is mining, forestry or fishing.” Injured workers in these risky sectors may discover fentanyl as a painkiller and then graduate to recreational use or become addicted to it, for example. But another likely reason is the province’s general history of higher drug use, particularly in the sketchier neighbourhoods in Vancouver’s east side, he suggests. “But we now see that we have got opioid issues across our province,” Dr. Kendall says. “Every part of our province is affected by this.”

First Aid and

Your Workspace

Mental Health First Aid

Mental health issues affect everyone in the workplace. Making sure your employees can support those experiencing mental health issues in a compassionate and effective way will help alleviate misconceptions and reduce the stigma around mental illness.

What First Aid Content Do Your Employees Need?

Guidelines affecting first aid and resuscitation are changing. To support first aid education in the workplace, the lead training agencies in Canada have built a consensus around the guidelines for Canada. These can be found at redcross.ca/firstaidguidelines.

A New Standard for Workplace Injury Reduction

There is an exciting new initiative spearheaded by the Canadian Red Cross, Canadian Standards Association (CSA), and the Workplace Injury Reduction Collaborative (made up of provincial worker safety regulators, labour groups, and other training agencies) that will build a competency framework for workplace first aid training.

Free First Aid App

For the employees who have smartphones or tablets, here is a tool to make first aid training part of their life. The app helps people learn or refresh skills, can be a quick reference for emergency situations, and provides mini tests to validate knowledge. Obtaining one or more of the badges (which can also be shared on social media) can be a weekly goal to help keep health and safety education top of mind.

With the support of Bell Let’s Talk, Canadian Red Cross will add Mental Health First Aid content to our programs in 2017. This fall, our First Aid App will carry strategies and tools to help those supporting people with a mental health crisis. We encourage you to start a dialogue around mental health in your workplace.

Using evidence-based practice can in fact help us save more lives. As our global understanding of clinical and educational science continues to evolve, we can use the latest science to update our practices for better outcomes for persons in need of care. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) just released international guidelines for 2016, which reflect the latest in evidence-based science on how to reduce suffering and save lives. The Canadian Red Cross will develop more comprehensive educational techniques as training is more than the direct interventions applied in an emergency; how we engage our learners is also a critical component.

OHS professionals who have employees in more than one province can attest to the differences in first aid training requirements based on legislation. It is very tricky to ensure that all employees meet legislation requirements and also have the same level of safety training across Canada. The CSA is working with the Collaborative and a working committee to support the development of a standard for workplace first aid in Canada. More on this initiative—due in the spring of 2017—can be found on the CSA website csagroup.org.

Download our Free First Aid App from Google Play, iTunes or redcross.ca/apps.

Red Cross First Aid. The Experience to Make a Difference.

1.877.356.3226 redcross.ca/firstaid redcross.ca/catalogue redcross.ca/apps

HEALTH WATCH | POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Recognizing Mental Trauma matic events like train accidents with pedestrians. “They have an assumption after a traumatic event that they w o unions held a demonstration in Halifax on No- have work to do to make sure something doesn’t go wrong. vember 10 to express their support for a provincial We don’t have that at the same level in our federal employees,” bill that would allow presumptive coverage for first Oliphant says. Legislation that makes PTSD presumptively work-related responders, correctional officers, nurses, social workers and several other types of professionals who have been diag- also helps to diminish the stigma around it. Manitoba passed nosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The bill a presumptive PTSD law for all workers early this year, while was tabled by the NDP in the Nova Scotia legislature on Ontario enacted a similar law for first responders in April. Saskatchewan jumped on the bandwagon on October 25 October 14. “Despite mounting evidence of the lasting impact of when its Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety PTSD and the need for timely treatment, the Nova Scotia introduced an amendment to the province’s Workers’ Comgovernment has not moved on the issue,” the Nova Scotia pensation Act that covers all psychological injuries — not just Government and General Employees’ Union says, calling PTSD — for all workers. According to Saskatchewan Labour Minister the passing of presumptive legislation in the province “long overdue.” “Five hundred Don Morgan, Saskatchewan’s Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) has covered psychological The demonstration was the latest in a series of thousand injuries since 1992. What makes the proposed developments in Canada’s recognition of PTSD as an occupational hazard, which has made nota- Canadians won’t amendment different is that it removes the claimants’ burden to prove that their injuries were ble progress this year. Provinces are passing laws making it easier for those afflicted with the con- go to work every caused by work. Instead, the employer and the dition to claim workers’ compensation benefits. day because of WCB would have to disprove it before denying them. “It is just a matter of changing the onus.” As well, a committee of Members of Parliamental-health ment (MP) is lobbying for the federal governWE NEED TO TALK ment to develop a national strategy to help first issues.” Education and public awareness about occuparesponders with operational stress injuries. In particular, the group has recommended setting up a nation- tional PTSD has also moved a step or two forward this fall. The Ontario government held its first Post-Traumatic Stress al research centre devoted to the workers’ mental health. The committee, chaired by Rob Oliphant, Liberal MP for Disorder Summit on October 25. The following week, the the Don Valley West riding in Toronto, published a report Nova Scotia government launched its first annual Workplace detailing its own research and recommendations on Octo- Mental Health and PTSD Conference, which ran from October 4. The report calls for a research institute modelled after ber 31 to November 4 in Halifax. “Five hundred thousand Canadians won’t go to work evthe Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, but for ery day because of mental-health issues,” says Christine Penney, the senior executive director of the Nova Scotia governfirst responders rather than military personnel. “If we don’t have healthy first responders and public-safety ment’s safety branch. The province has the highest suicide rates among first responders. “So we felt the need to have a officers, we won’t have safe communities,” Oliphant says. The committee began its study after realizing that there conversation with first responders about reducing that stigwas not a lot of concrete data on the subject. Unlike sol- ma and thinking about the role of government in that.” Improvement is needed in mental-health supports in the diers, sailors and air-force members who might be engaged in war, but get breaks ranging from weeks to a couple of province’s workplaces, and the stigma around mental-health years before being sent back into combat, first responders issues remains a huge hurdle. “There was a long period of encounter trauma every day. “It is a cumulative effect,” Oli- time where people did not want to admit there was a mentalphant says. “There could be nothing one day, and three days health problem,” Morgan says. But the demonstration in Halifax could be an indication that things are changing. “People in a row, a tragic incident, and then nothing.” Currently, supports for first responders and public-safety are more willing to talk about mental-health issues.” officers with PTSD are limited and tend to vary. For example, VIA Rail has processes for employees who witness trau- Jeff Cottrill is editor of canadian occupational health & safety news. By Jeff Cottrill

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ADVERTORIAL

DANGERS IN THE WORKPLACE ARE ALL AROUND YOU. INCLUDING DIRECTLY OVERHEAD.

Every day, Occupational Health and Safety teams strive to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities. They educate employers, train employees, and offer resources to keep our workforce safe. But some health and safety plans may not include sun safety, even though more than quarter (27.4%) of Albertans have a job that requires them to work outdoors. In fact, every year our outdoor workforce is exposed to about 6 to 8 times more ultraviolet radiation (UVR) than an indoor worker, making them 2.5 to 3.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with skin cancers. Because sun exposure can be an unavoidable element of outdoor work, precautions should be taken to protect these workers.

OUR OUTDOOR WORKERS ARE AT RISK In Canada, skin cancer accounts for approximately 33% of all new cancer cases, and UVR exposure is the primary cause of up to 90% of all skin cancers. Melanoma - the most fatal form of skin cancer - is now the seventh most common cancer in Alberta. With an estimated 778,500 Albertans potentially exposed to UVR through their occupation, prevention is the best tool to reduce the impact of sun exposure. While outdoor workers also need to take steps to protect themselves from the sun, it’s more important than ever for employers to protect the health and productivity of their workforce.

SUN SAFETY JUST MAKES SENSE Every year, the direct and indirect costs of skin cancer in Alberta total more than $7.6 million. Sun safety programs can help reduce the cost of ill health and maximize your organization’s return on investment. It’s just good business to protect the health and productivity of your workforce by including sun safety as a key component of your health and safety plans. Fewer absence days caused by the associated conditions of sunburn.

A healthier and better informed workforce results in higher productivity.

Protection from legal claims and litigation.

Lowered health care and insurance costs.

WHAT’S MISSING FROM YOUR SAFETY PLAN? A comprehensive sun safety plan goes beyond just Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The Be Sunsible program developed by Alberta Health Services, is a straight forward, four step program that provide tools and resources to inspire and empower workplaces to adopt sun safety best practices. The program will guide you through the development and implementation of a customized, comprehensive sun safety program that meets your organization’s needs. Visit BeSunsible.ca today to access free tools and resources, and learn how your organization can implement a sun safety program as part of your 2017 health and safety planning. Sun is always in the forecast. Start planning today. Together, we can reduce the risk of cancer in Alberta.

Funding provided, in whole or in part by Alberta Health. Provision of funding by Alberta Health does not signify that this project represents the policies or views of Alberta Health.

Take the first step in protecting your outdoor workers. BeSunsible.ca

SPECIAL REPORT | CONFINED SPACES

A Safe Enclosure Under the Canada Labour Code, an employer is required to appoint a qualified person to assess and provide a report orkers who enter confined spaces of various on the confined space, as well as offer instruction and traintypes and settings can now seek guidance from an ing on emergency procedures and training on the use of protective equipment before permitting any person to enter updated version of the confined-space standard. The new version of the CSA Z1006 standard, which was a confined space. CSA Z1006-16 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Management of Work in first developed in 2010, is harmonized with the CSA Z1000 Confined Spaces is a useful tool for employers who are setting series of occupational health and safety standards. The new up plans and procedures for these spaces. Among the factors that need to be considered when idenedition, which was updated in May, contains guiding printifying hazards in a confined space include assessing an enciples based on international best practices. In addition to enhanced flow and readability, the standard trance or exit of the space, determining whether workers are includes new flowcharts and tables, as well as three new an- able to rescue themselves or other workers within the space nexes providing additional information on rescue planning, and assessing the ventilation and the potential for the environment to change, as well as the surrounding atmospheric testing and monitoring, instruspace outside. mentation and ventilation systems. It also delinManagement A confined-space management program, eates the steps for establishing and maintaining which should be a part of an overall oh&s proeffective confined-space-management program, commitment is gram, should also address the following: define offers safety information and outlines the reessential to the the roles and responsibilities of management, quirements for emergency preparedness and the entry team and the emergency-response rescue of those trapped in confined spaces. success of a team; identify and designate all confined spaces confined-space in a workplace; provide a mechanism for carryMANAGING RISKS ing out a comprehensive hazard identification, Confined spaces, which are not necessarily small program. risk assessment and control process relating to or restricted, can be found in almost any workwork in confined spaces; provide general safety site. It is a workspace that is fully or partially enclosed, not designed or intended for continuous human occu- procedures and training for working in confined spaces; and pancy and has a limited or restricted entrance, exit or internal establish emergency plans and documentation procedures configuration that can complicate first aid, evacuation, rescue for rescuing workers in confined spaces. Management commitment is essential to the success of a or other emergency-response services. Managing work in these environments requires a plan and confined-space program. An organization should encourage defined procedures to reduce the potential for worker injury. worker involvement and create a mechanism to receive feedAlthough confined-space work is widely regulated in Canada, back, as well as incorporate an active educational aspect with many fatal incidents still occur. A study published in January timely updates. The program should also be continuously 2014, The Need for a Comprehensive Approach to Managing evaluated and updated. Other considerations include incorConfined Space Entry: Summary of the Literature and Recom- porating applicable legal and other organizational requiremendations for Next Steps, says one-third of such incidents ments, identifying hazards and assessing risks on an ongoing involve workers who were hurt while trying to rescue another basis, implementing necessary control measures and ensurworker from a confined space. Many of such cases result from ing that hazard identification and risk assessment are carried the employerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s failure to put in place a plan that identifies and out by a competent person before and after any modification controls the hazards and risks of working in a confined space. or introduction of work methods, materials, processes, maMore than 1.5 million workers enter confined workspaces chinery or equipment affecting the confined space. As it is employersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; responsibility to ensure that they have annually in Canada. The failure to recognize a workspace as a confined space can lead to significant injury or death from evaluated and defined any workspace that may fall under the asphyxiation, engulfment, electric shock, falls, heat stress, definition of a confined space, having a comprehensive plan fire and explosions. The Occupational Health and Safety Ad- for these spaces ensures a safer working environment. ministration in Washington, D.C. estimates that 85 per cent of confined-space incidents can be prevented by putting in Jill Collins is a project manager of occupational health and place a plan and taking all the necessary safety precautions. safety standards with CSA Group. By Jill Collins

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SAFETY GEAR

EYEWASH/EMERGENCY SHOWERS

In Your Eyes caustics and strong acids, eyewash must be located immediately adjacent to the hazard. The area surrounding the station afety glasses can protect a worker’s eyes, but protec- should be well-lit and marked with a sign that is highly visible tive eyewear is not foolproof. When blinding dust or to everyone served by it.” Choosing the right product is a combination of knowing chemicals get into a worker’s eye, eyewash stations and a workplace’s specific risks, the characteristics of the materiemergency showers are needed to decontaminate a worker’s als that workers handle and the variety of products and deeyes or body immediately. sign configurations available, according to Samantha Hoch, “We hope we never have to use it,” says Scott Gander, a a product marketing specialist with Haws Corporation in Vancouver-based manufacturer’s agent for several companies Sparks, Nevada. A company should also consider whether that make eyewash and shower products. “If we need them, the hazards stay in one location or are mobile and whether and if they are there, we are glad we have them.” the facility has access to a continuous source of potable water. Eyewash stations flush out eye irritants, while eyewash Haws offers a variety of products, including fluid is also available in portable bottles. But if a combination units, portable eyewash stations worker has been splashed with a hazardous sub“The first 10 and options with tempered fluid. Honeywell has stance that may harm the skin as well as the eyes, pioneered the manufacture of 100 per cent sterile to 15 seconds an emergency shower may be necessary. fluid cartridges and stations and gravity-fed eyeafter exposure wash products, while Bradley has a range of eyeALL WASHED UP wash and shower products, including an enclosed Eyewash stations and emergency showers are, to a hazardous safety shower that resembles a phone booth. by and large, simple to operate. With eyewash, a worker positions his or her face directly in the substance are A SAFETY AUDIT path of the flushing fluid while holding the eyeGander says that many eyewash and shower critical.” lids open with the hands, and a handle or switch companies provide the service of auditing the typically activates the wash. “The user should roll work environment before an employer starts making purtheir eyes around while they are positioned directly in the eyechasing decisions. Even without the formal audit, it is still wash streams to effectively rinse the entire eye,” explains Ryan important to do some form of hazard assessment. Pfund, the senior product manager for emergency fixtures “You want to be about 55 feet, or ten seconds, away from with Bradley Corporation in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. where the hazard is going to happen,” Gander says. “That He adds that the worker should run eyes through the wash might not always happen while there is no plumbing there. for at least 15 minutes to “increase the likelihood of a comThere are portable stations that are available to help you get plete and successful treatment and minimize the possibility to that next step. ” of inadvertently spreading hazardous material to other areas.” When employers fail to consider the locations of hazards, Emergency or “drench” showers are similar to regular it usually has more to do with ignorance than willful neglishowers: the user pulls a handle while standing under the gence. Gander recalls an inspection of a stainless-steel plant shower head for at least 15 minutes. Pfund says emergency where the company owners refused to run a hot-water line showers are more suitable for body contaminants. This is why into the emergency shower to save money. he recommends a combination system that includes an eye“I said, ‘I’ll tell you what: next time you are having a showwash station and a shower, which can be used to flush the er in the morning, just have a cold shower, and you have to eyes and rinse larger areas of the body simultaneously. stand there for 20 minutes, and let me know if your decision’s Proximity to the hazard is important when planning the the same, ’ ” he says. Many people are not aware of the effect location of a station or shower. “The first 10 to 15 seconds after that a cold shower can have on one’s body, “especially in an exposure to a hazardous substance are critical. Delaying treatemergency situation. ” ment, even for a few seconds, may cause serious injury,” says While Pfund cautions against compromising worker safeDan Birch, marketing manager for eye, head and face protecty to save money, it is worth noting the effect that material tion with Honeywell Industrial Safety in Lincolnshire, Illinois. construction has on a product’s price. Easy access to the eyewash or shower is also vital. “It must “Stainless will cost more than galvanized pipe, or plastic, be located on the same level as the hazard, with no steps, but for some applications, it is necessary,” he says. “Bowl covstairs or obstructions,” Birch advises. “In the case of strong By Jeff Cottrill

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SHOWERED WITH INNOVATION Manufacturers are improving the technology of eye-flushing mechanisms. In recent years, they have experimented more with fluid dynamics, or the science of fluids in motion and how to control their velocity, density and pressure. “Fluid-dynamics technology is one of the most transformative technologies being used today in eyewashes and showers,” Pfund says. “The newest emergency-shower models apply fluid-dynamics technology that works together with a pressure-regulated flow control. The result is an integral and uniform flow of water,” which allows an all-inclusive spray pattern EYE ON MAINTENANCE that washes contaminants One of the implied responsiquickly from the affected area bilities of installing emergency of a user’s body, he adds. equipment is ensuring that a Another area that has been maintenance process is de- Products available on the market include eyewash stations improving the performance signed to keep safety showers, from Bradley (top); portable eyewash from Honeywell (botand lifespan of these prodeyewash and associated system tom left) and combination units from Haws (bottom right). ucts is ceramic-disc technolcomponents functioning optiogy, Pfund notes “Water is mally and consistently. Hoch cites the standard provided by controlled between two rotating ceramic discs that fit closely the American National Standards Institute, ANSI Z358.1- together to create a watertight seal and provide a precise 2014, as the proper guide. 20-degree swing activation and deactivation, which helps reGander recommends checking emergency showers at duce splashing before and after use. Ceramic-disc technology least once a month and turning on the shower to make sure enables swing-activated technology to be highly durable and that it is functioning properly and not built up with sludge. If endure a lifetime of activations.” the shower has not been activated for several months when a Bradley has pioneered the Customized Emergency Sigworker needs to use it, what goes into the worker’s eyes may naling Systems, which bring emergency-response personnel be even more harmful than the substance that is already con- more quickly to eyewash stations and showers when used. taminating them, he cautions. “The Systems allow users to customize their alarm packages While Canada does not have its own equivalent to the ANSI with distinctive light and sound features that immediately standard for eyewash and showers, Health Canada regulates and clearly alert safety personnel when an emergency ocemergency eyewash fluid, which is classified as a medical de- curs,” Pfund explains. vice or a natural health product. Although drug standards are Haws recently introduced the only portable eyewash distinct from workplace-safety legislation, it is important to product on the market with tempered water. Contained in ensure that the eyewash fluid itself is of top quality. Accord- a green polyethylene tank, the company’s Model 7501T has ing to Birch, only saline labeled for ophthalmic use is suit- an electrically heated, insulated blanket that keeps the fluid able as emergency eyewash. ANSI does not require sterility in at an ANSI-compliant temperature. “Unlike other portable eyewash fluid, but the Food and Drug Administration in the eyewashes that only protect against freezing,” says Hoch, “the United States requires ophthalmic drug products to be sterile. Haws model 7501T protects against freezing as well as the “Other sterile saline solutions may not be pH-balanced high end of the ANSI tepid-water range for hot ambient temto match the human eye and can contain elements that are peratures up to 38 degrees Celsius.” harmful to the eyes’ delicate tissue,” Birch explains. But with Installing eyewash and emergency showers give workers ophthalmic-grade eyewash, “employers benefit from uninter- the assurance that an accident would likely cause less damage rupted access to a product with superior integrity. That trans- than it otherwise might have, Birch says. lates into the highest level of care for workers in the event of an eye injury.” Jeff Cottrill is editor of canadian occupational health & safety news.

PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): BRADLEY CORPORATION; HAWS CORPORATION; HONEYWELL INDUSTRIAL SAFETY.

ers will cost a bit more, but are worth it to protect the bowl from unwanted debris or shavings.” Some manufacturers, including Bradley, may lower the price by not charging for the protective coating on the pipe. A company that purchases a system with wireless switches can reduce maintenance costs and stay in compliance with safety regulations, Hoch suggests. A wireless eyewash station or shower is easy to install and maintain. It can also initiate an immediate response from emergency personnel and sound an alarm without any wiring or electrical connectors, as well as keep detailed records of when stations are used, tested and maintained.

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ACCIDENT PREVENTION | INFLUENZA

Fighting the Flu BLESS YOU: As we move into the coldest time of the year, shorter daylight hours and lower temperatures are part and parcel of the immutable season change to which we all have to adjust. But the onset of winter is also a harbinger of a common illness: influenza. Catching the flu takes a toll not only on our personal health. For many businesses, the flu season has repercussions on workplace productivity. While flu viruses are detectable all year round in North America, seasonal influenza viruses are most common during fall and winter. According to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the timing and duration of flu seasons vary. Influenza activity in the northern hemisphere often gains pace in October, with flu activity peaking from December to March, even lasting as late as May. But in the southern hemisphere, like in Australia, the flu season stretches from May to October. LOST DAYS: For many workplaces, the flu season presents a challenge to worker health and productivity. Apart from creating a vicious cycle of ill workers inadvertently passing the virus to their colleagues, a flu outbreak also translates into workplace absenteeism and lost productivity. STRONG WHEN COLD: So what is it about winter that makes influenza spread and take hold? According to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, a study conducted in 2007 showed that the outer membrane of the influenza virus is made chiefly of molecules known as lipids, which include oils, fats, waxes and cholesterol that do not mix with water. By using magic-angle spinning, a technique in nuclear magnetic resonance, the researchers found that the virusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lipid covering solidified into a gel at temperatures slightly above freezing and below, and much of it remains in gel form at 21 degrees Celsius. This rubbery coat serves as a protective layer for the virus to withstand cooler temperatures and travel from person to person. When the virus is lodged in the respiratory tract, the bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s warmth causes the covering to melt, thereby enabling the virus to infect the cells of its new host. But during warmer seasons, the coat of gel encapsulating the virus melts at about 40 degrees Celsius or higher, exposing the virus to the elements and causing it to lose its ability to be infectious. This explains why influenza season thrives in winter but wanes in summer.

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IN THE AIR: The fact that many of us stay indoors when it is cold out also makes us more susceptible to catching the flu virus because of physical proximity. The lower level of Vitamin D stemming from limited sun exposure, which weakens our immunity, is also a contributing factor. The moisture level in the air we breathe also plays a role. According to the 2010 study Absolute Humidity and the Seasonal Onset of Influenza in the Continental United States, humidity strongly influences the airborne survival and transmission of the flu virus and drives the observed seasonality of influenza. By extending laboratory experiments to the human population, the researchers concluded that the onset of increased flu-related mortality during winter in the United States is associated with anomalously low absolute humidity levels during the prior weeks.

THE UNKNOWN: Ventilation systems should not be overlooked when looking at all the causes behind the spread of infectious diseases. A 2012 paper on airborne infectious diseases by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. in Atlanta states that transmission through HVAC systems needs to be considered when outbreaks of infectious diseases in workplaces occur. But currently, there is inadequate information to require ventilation-control strategies. It is also unclear whether the cost-benefit efficiencies warrant the use of ventilation controls and how much infectious particle loads must be reduced to achieve a measurable reduction in disease transmissions. DUE DILIGENCE: While we may not be able to keep the influenza season at bay, there are things we can do to reduce our chances of contracting the flu during the winter months. Observing good hand hygiene by washing our hands with soap after touching common surfaces or shaking hands and using hand sanitizers are among them. Workplaces can help by having an infection-control plan and removing magazines and papers from waiting areas or common rooms like tea rooms and kitchens. Other measures include cleaning a person’s workstation if a person has suspected or identified influenza and making sure that ventilation systems are working properly, advises the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) in Hamilton, Ontario. PREVENT, NOT CURE: Under occupational health and safety legislation, employers have a duty to provide and maintain a safe workplace, and that includes taking reasonable precautionary measures to prevent communicable diseases from taking root. As the spread of influenza is linked to workplace contact, one measure that employers can implement is to hold a workplace flu clinic. According to an employer’s guide to starting a flu clinic by GlaxoSmithKline, onsite flu clinics benefit employers and employees. Tying workplace flu-vaccination programs into company wellness culture is a good start, and support from senior management is critical to ensure high rates of participation. This can be achieved by showing management how workplace vaccination protects employees and makes good economic sense by decreasing absenteeism. Choosing a program leader, canvassing employees to gauge interests and providing information on the safety and effectiveness of the flu vaccine are also essential to the success of a workplace flu clinic.

KEEP A DISTANCE: Avoiding crowded places where viruses can easily spread from person to person — also known as social distancing — is another effective strategy. As a general rule of thumb, maintaining a distance of one metre will slow the spread of a disease, according to the CCOHS. Preventive measures that fall under the social-distancing approach include the following: • Conduct meetings through telephones, videoconferences, the Internet or hold meetings in larger rooms so that employees can sit further apart from one another; • Let employees work from home or work flexible hours, so that staff can use public transit when it is less crowded; • Allow staff to eat at their desks or have staggered lunch hours to avoid crowded lunchrooms; • Minimize the amount of time spent in tearooms or photocopy centres; and • Avoid shaking hands or hugging. www.ohscanada.com

N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 16

National Safety Council

CONGRESS & EXPO Congress: October 15 - October 21 Expo: October 17 - 19

ANAHEIM

2016

Planning for a Pandemic how it affects the supply chain, contractors, important deadlines and key business activities. Employers should expect a high rate of absenteeism durf outbreaks of infectious diseases seem to be making ing an outbreak. According to the 2006 national strategy for headlines more frequently, it is because they are more pandemic influenza by the United States’ Homeland Security common. “Pandemic is not a matter of if; it is a matter Council, the private sector should assume that up to 40 per of when,” says Lisa Delaney, associate director for emergency cent of their staff may be absent for about two weeks at the preparedness and response at the National Institute for Ocheight of a pandemic wave, with lower levels of staff absent cupational Safety and Health in Atlanta. Delaney was speakfor a few weeks on either side of the peak. These absences may ing on pandemic preparedness at the 2016 National Safety be due to employees who care for the ill, are under voluntary Congress in Anaheim, California on October 17. home quarantine or are ill or incapacitated by the virus. A public health emergency is an event in which health Delaney recommends that companies develop a creative consequences have the potential to overwhelm the commuplan to monitor absenteeism rates when they escalate and nity’s capability to address them. Unlike a natural disaster take action as needed, such as cross-training employees who which is often predictable, has a strong physical impact on can cover different activities and develop a way to support rethe area and lasts for a short duration before moving into the mote operations. There might also be increased recovery phase, no one knows when or where an expenses due to overtime, outsourcing or relocainfectious-disease outbreak will occur. A pan“Pandemic is tion requirements. demic can last for an extended period of time, “Not every preventive strategy we use is going has a long recovery period and has a profound not a matter of to be 100 per cent effective. It is a layering apimpact on humans that extends beyond the imif; it is a matter proach that ultimately is going to stop transmismediate affected area. sion in communities, ” Delaney says. Another key difference is the inability to of when.” There should also be emergency humanrely on external resources to provide assistance, resource policies that allow sick employees to stay home which is typically the case for natural disasters, which comes without penalty, use the website to educate staff, consider in the form of foreign aid to help with the rescue and recovthe need to use personal protective equipment, provide inery effort. formation that workers can take home to their families and “First and foremost, businesses have to protect the health of their workforce and keep businesses operational, especial- collaborate with local response and state officials to stay informed. Employers should educate employees about the plan ly their critical infrastructure,” Delaney says. Conducting a business-impact analysis can help deter- and conduct exercises to test the feasibility of the plan and mine the types of risks that a workplace potentially faces and identify areas that need improvement. “Planning for a pandemic can strengthen your overall predict the consequences that this disruption will have on continuity planning for other types of emergencies and disthe business. A business-impact worksheet should assess the ease threats, ” Delaney says. timing, duration and impact of a pandemic and determine By Jean Lian

A SMALL WORLD Living in a global village, facilitated by international travel and trade connections, can be exciting. But that interconnectedness also means pathogens can cross geographical boundaries with relative ease. Urbanization and global warming have also been cited as contributing factors. According to the World Health Organization, temperature increases of two to three degrees Celsius will increase the number of people who are at risk of malaria by around three to five per cent, or several hundred million, through the creation of mosquito-friendly habitats. A paper published in 2014, Global Rise in Human Infectious Disease Outbreak, concludes that the total number

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and diversity of outbreaks have increased significantly since 1980. The most recent outbreak is the Zika virus. Lisa Delaney, associate director for emergency preparedness and response at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Atlanta, says an interim guidance jointly issued by NIOSH and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration identifies outdoor workers, healthcare and laboratory workers, mosquito-control workers and business travellers as the four types of employees who are vulnerable to Zika. “The science is just changing so rapidly with Zika, it is actually really hard to keep documents updated,” Delaney says.

National Safety Council

CONGRESS & EXPO Congress: October 15 - October 21 Expo: October 17 - 19

ANAHEIM

2016

On the Lookout

Carol Cambridge, chief executive officer of Violence Free iolence is the third-leading cause of workplace fatalities in the United States, after transportation inci- in Phoenix, Arizona, believes that this may have to do with dents and falls, slips and trips, while homicide is the employees in smaller firms being more reluctant to report second-leading cause of workplace fatalities among women that they have been victims of domestic violence. “Domestic violence is one of those hush-hush topics,” Cambridge sugthere, accounting for almost one-fifth of their deaths. Carrie Casteel, president of the Society for Advancement gests. “A lot of times, it is the smaller-to-mid-sized companies of Violence and Injury Research in Birmingham, Alabama, where they are definitely afraid first of confidentiality.” Other contributing factors include the sense of shame that shared these sobering statistics at the occupational keynote on workplace violence, chaired by a panel of speakers, at NSC victims of domestic violence feel and workplaces not knowing how to address such issues. One thing is certain: domestic 2016 on October 18. Employers in the United States recorded 3.7 million in- violence is not staying away from workplaces anytime soon. juries in 2014, six per cent of which resulted from violence. “It is absolutely the one place that the woman is not going to Those in police protection, restaurants, convenience stores, leave,” Cambridge says of the workplace. taxi services and gas stations have a high risk for homicides, while employees at high risk for non- “When it comes COMMON PITFALLS While many companies have workplace-viofatal violent injuries include those in corrections to workplace lence policies in place, many of them are either and law enforcement, nursing assistants, emergency-services workers and school bus drivers. violence, it can missing key elements or too complicated for employees to understand. Another common “When it comes to workplace violence, it can be a lot more complex and also a lot more nube a lot more mistake is not handling and analyzing threats properly. Having a threat-assessment team to anced than just a simple act of shooting,” says complex and determine the level of risk is essential. “IndividDeborah Hersman, president and chief executive ually, those warning signs or red flags may not officer of the National Safety Council, who modalso a lot more be a big deal, but collectively, it gives a whole erated the keynote. different picture,” she says. According to Kumani Armstrong, special nuanced.” Getting everyone on board is integral to the counsel to the director of the Department of Industrial Relations in California, healthcare and social-assis- success of a workplace-violence prevention program. Virtance workers experience more than five times the amount of ginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia has not been taking any occupational violence that other workers do. Type II violence chances since it experienced a shooting rampage that killed — perpetrated by customers, clients or patients — is the most more than 30 on April 16, 2007. The university requires its prevalent, comprising more than 85 per cent of reports from president and senior staff, as well as second and third chairs, to undergo training and a tabletop exercise every year. It also 2007 to 2013 in California’s healthcare sector. Workplace violence encompasses a broad range of behav- recently introduced a mandatory one-hour emergency-preparedness talk for all incoming students. iour and can be grouped under four categories: “We encourage our community to tell us what is happen• Type I: A perpetrator comes into a business with the sole intent of committing a criminal act before violence breaks ing in your personal life as well that could become an issue. Because you never know when that issue is going to come out, such as a robbery, for example. • Type II: The perpetrator, who can be a customer, patient from off campus and come onto our campus, and now we or student, is legitimately using the services of the business have to deal with it,” says Kevin Foust, chief of police and director of security with the Virginia Tech Police Department. before violence breaks out. Cambridge recommends that smaller companies estab• Type III: The perpetrator is an employee, past or current. • Type IV: The perpetrator is a personal acquaintance of an lish a relationship with local law enforcement to understand what assistance the company can expect in the event of an employee, with no relation to the workplace. According to Casteel, the primary perpetrator of a homi- incident. As for larger firms, the various departments should cide involving a female employee is often a relative or domes- work together when it comes to high-risk terminations and tic partner. For men, the primary perpetrators of homicides identify gaps and vulnerabilities that are unique to a compaare frequently robbers, accounting for 34 per cent of occu- ny. That vulnerability could be hiring young workers during pational murders among men. Incidents involving domestic summer, operating 24/7 or having the doors open at all times. “There isn’t any one thing that is an indicator or predictor violence seem to be more frequently investigated in larger of violence. It is usually a combination,” Cambridge says. firms than in smaller ones. www.ohscanada.com

N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 16

National Safety Council

CONGRESS & EXPO Congress: October 15 - October 21 Expo: October 17 - 19

ANAHEIM

2016

OSHA releases recommended safety practices

he United States’ Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a set of recommended practices for oh&s programs to help employers establish a methodical approach to improving safety at work. The recommendations, which update OSHA’s 1989 guidelines to reflect changes in the economy, workplaces and evolving health and safety issues, feature an easier-to-use format that should prove helpful to small- and medium-sized businesses. A new section on multi-employer workplaces and a greater emphasis on continuous improvement, as well as supporting tools and resources, are also included. “Since OSHA’s original guidelines were published more than 25 years ago, employers and employees have gained a lot of experience in how to use safety and health programs

to systematically prevent injuries and illnesses in the workplace,” says Dr. David Michaels, the assistant secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, who released the new document at National Safety Council 2016. The programs are advisory and do not create new legal obligations or alter existing obligations created by OSHA standards or regulations. The recommendations are built around seven core elements that can be implemented to suit a particular workplace in any industry: management leadership; worker participation; hazard identification and assessment; hazard prevention and control; education and training; program evaluation and improvement; and communication and coordination for host employers, contractors and staffing agencies.

Best in Show Winners

The winners of the 2016 “Best in Show” New Product Showcase Awards were announced on October 18, after 4,905 votes were cast both online and onsite, covering more than 120 products. The showcase provided a platform for exhibitors to highlight their latest innovations in safety products, services and technology.

Winner: Meltblown Technologies Product: Spillver Bullet™ Rapid-Response OilSpill Kit Engineered for the rapid containment and cleanup of oil and fuel spills, this lightweight and compact product features Spilltration fibres that contain and absorb oils and fuels while allowing clean water to filter through at the same time. Weighing only 18 pounds, the kit deploys at 30 metres in just 30 seconds. First runner-up: Superior Glove Works Product: Clutch Gear Anti-Impact Gloves with D30 Backing This high-dexterity glove offers a strong grip and combines the smart styling of Superior Glove’s Clutch Gear lineup with the superior shock absorption of D3O for unparalleled protection.

From left: Julie McFater, marketing and communications manager with Superior Glove, Acton, Ontario; Derek Yurgaitis, president of Meltblown Technologies, Alpharetta, Georgia; Trish Luedtke, marketing communications group manager for the Americas with MSA, Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.

Second runner-up: MSA Product: Latchways Leading-Edge Self-Retracting Lifeline The Latchways Leading-Edge self-retracting lifeline is specifically designed to tie off at foot level in the event that a worker falls over an edge, while providing protection against sharp, abrasive edges commonly found in many construction and industrial work applications. Jean Lian is editor of ohs canada.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

ohs canada

ADVERTISING DIRECTORY C A N A D A

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Streamlight

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LATCHWAYS SELF-RETRACTING LANYARD

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Canadian Occupational Health & Safety News

So, what’s on your mind? SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 Will you file a complaint if you have been sexually assaulted at work?

JULY/AUGUST 2016 Does semi-autonomous technology boost road safety?

Yes 53%

Yes 35%

No 25%

No 38%

Maybe 22%

Not Sure

27%

Total Votes

272

449

Go on — have your say. Check out www.ohscanada.com to vote in our latest poll.

www.ohscanada.com

N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 16

TIME OUT “INSIDE” JOB: An employee of the Royal Canadian Mint

gave the meaning of “inside job” a new twist when he smuggled $162,000 in gold nuggets by stuffing them in his rectum. The 35-year-old employee repeatedly set off the metal detector, but he was cleared each time by a secondary search with a hand-held wand, the National Post reported on November 9. The employee started selling the stolen gold nuggets to a buyer at a shopping centre, and a vigilant bank teller became suspicious when the mint employee tried to deposit cheques worth $15,000 and wire almost the same amount to a company in Jamaica. The RCMP put the man under surveillance, and search warrants eventually uncovered four gold pucks in his safety deposit box, matching the kind he made in the refinery. The mint employee was convicted on five charges.

CHANGING WINDS: A sign of things to come, or just a coincidental technical fluke? Canada’s immigration website temporarily crashed on election night amidst reports that Donald Trump had been elected as the president of the United States, the Toronto Star reported on November 9. The election outcome south of our border may prove to be the best form of advertising for Canada as a destination of choice for both tourists and migrants alike, as the website crash made headline news around the world. In a display of Canadian humour, a radio host in Sydney, Nova Scotia launched a website called “Cape Breton if Donald Trump wins” in February. But the website creator is not smiling now, as the radio host was inundated with questions from Americans about how they could move to Cape Breton. CHICKEN FEAT: For some people, seeing half a dozen chickens running loose along a stretch of road in Toronto on Remembrance Day was a day to remember. The chickens were not running headless, but were very much alive as they fell from the back of a truck, which was transporting about 10 crates of live chickens on November 11, CP24 reported. According to police, the truck did not stop following the incident, suggesting that the driver may not have realized that he had lost his cargo of live poultry. PRINT OR NOTHING: A bookstore in Wyoming is de-

termined to give exclusive status to the printed word by not offering WiFi and banning the use of electronic devices on its turf. A sign posted at the entrance to the bookstore informs customers that there is no public WiFi available and that all laptops and cell phones are to be out of sight when customers are inside the shop. The bookstore owner says she has received overwhelming support for her policy from customers. Sometimes, attitude works.

TAKE FIVE: If you are a customer at a certain McDonald’s in Potterville, Michigan, there is a good chance that you will be served by an 18-year-old staff member with the last name of McCurtis, because this is where five teenage quintuplets 42

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

ohs canada

work, the Toronto Sun reported on November 11. On a typical Sunday, the siblings make up half of the restaurant’s staff. Teamwork is not an issue when it comes to the quintuplets working together. And if a shift needs to be covered, there is a one-in-five shot that the restaurant owner will get one of the siblings in. Move over, double vision.

ABOVE THE LAW: Fancy paying $165 for a toilet break? That is what lawyers at a top international firm in the United Kingdom charge for taking their own lavatory breaks, since their brilliant minds will still be working on their clients’ cases even when taking a leak. The time-recording policy at a major commercial law firm states that any short break, including coffee breaks of up to six minutes, should be recorded to the case that a lawyer is working on, since they will still be thinking about it. The spokesman for the law firm said that such approaches were common practice, but the clause has been removed from the guidance, the National Post reported on October 8. SAUSAGE DRONE: Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority is investigating a man after a video showed a drone pilot sending his high-tech toy into the parking lot of a department store to buy a sausage. With a long tether and $10 in a bag, the drone was directed to a sausage stand where workers took the payment and attached the food to the drone, the United Press International reported on November 9. Australia’s regulations prohibit drone flights within 30 metres of vehicles, boats, buildings or people, and the pilot is required to have line-of-sight of the aircraft at all times. The man could face a fine higher than the $550 he earned from selling the rights of the video to a company. SEX IN THE AIR: What do altitude and sex have in common? For a British Airways pilot, a lot. The pilot, who has worked for the airline for 26 years, was suspended after he allegedly took lewd photos of himself wearing stockings and masturbating in the cockpit while flying, Mirage News reported on October 31. Other compromising acts include a photo of the pilot exposing himself in a cabin toilet and explicit pornographic material being strewn around in the cockpit. The pilot has denied that he is the subject of the revealing pictures. FREEDOM SWIM: This is one cow that is not awkward on a crutch. A bovine that escaped from a livestock ship in Australia made a valiant bid for its freedom by swimming in the Fremantle Harbour, the United Press International reported on November 14. The buoyant bovine led wildlife authorities on a nearly 24-hour wild cow chase through the southern suburbs of Perth. The chasers must have thought the pursuit would go on “until the cows come home”, as the saying goes, but rangers finally caught it. Authorities said the cash cow would be returned to the livestock shipping company. Follow us on Twitter @OHSCanada

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