Canadian Safety Reporter

www.safety-reporter.com the workplace safety source for ohs managers and hr professionalsAugust 2013 Whole body vibration concern for workers Accommodating workers faced with constant vibration can be difficult: Expert | by zachary pedersen | Workers who operate mobile equipment such as tractors, bulldozers, haulage trucks and even helicopters, are exposed to whole-body vibration (WBV) for the duration of their work. One of the easiest examples of a worker who would be exposed to WBV is a backhoe operator, says Dhananjai Borwankar, a technical specialist with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) in Hamilton. "(The backhoe) causes internal body parts to move because you're in contact with the actual item that's moving," he says. WBV is suspected to contribute to many health risks — from migraines to gastrointestinal tract problems and nausea to nervous system problems. "Long-term exposure tends to be focused more on the spine and injuries like… scoliosis and disc problems," Dhananjai says. Acute problems may arise from being exposed to vibrations for a short period of time. "Things like abdominal pain, chest pain, nausea, loss of equilibrium, shortness of breath, general discomfort — they seem to be some of the short-term issues," he says. Vibration has two measurable quantities, Dhananjai explains: Measuring how far the object moves, which is referred to as amplitude or intensity, and how fast the object moves, which is referred to as frequency. Combined, they create the ob- IN THIS ISSUE A BAD SIGN Safety signage, even hung with the best intentions, may send wrong message . . . 3 NEWS BRIEFS Workers in emerging economies most concerned with workplace safety • North American retailers set 5-year Bangladesh plan • Ontario tartgets mine safety in summer workplace inspection blitz • Company, directors guilty in 2008 Toronto propane plant explosion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 HIGH TOLL OF STRESS, DEPRESSION Canadian Safety Reporter republishes the award-winning commentary on mental health from a N.L. university student . . . . 7 Supreme Court strikes down random alcohol testing policy ject's vibrational characteristics. The speed of a vibrating object can be measured and expressed in units of metres per second or metres per second squared (m/s2). There are generally accepted ISO standards to evaluate the health risks associated with WBV, but in Canada there is little legislation around maximum exposure, Dhananjai says. The ISO standard measures average vibrations over an eight-hour period and caps the maximum exposure at 0.5 m/ s2. Anything in excess of this has the potential for harm. If a worker is exposed to vibrations measuring 1.15 m/s2, then the worker is at serious risk for being harmed. "In North America, it's generally known that you look at that ISO standard and you kind of follow how to measure based on that standard," he says. "Ontario just kind of groups it into the general On June 14, the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Local 30 v. Irving Pulp and Paper Ltd. In this much anticipated decision, the Supreme Court clarified the law regarding random alcohol and drug testing in safety-sensitive, unionized workplaces, finding universal random testing will only be permitted where employers can show "evidence of enhanced safety risks, such as evidence of a general problem with substance abuse in the workplace." continued on page 6 continued on page 2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2013 | by KATHRYN BIRD | 1

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