Canadian Safety Reporter

Safety Reporter Canadian www.safetyreporter.com June 2014 Summary ticket offences coming to Saskatchewan Workers, employers, contractors could face on-the-spot fines BY SARAH DOBSON AFTER A DELAY of a year and a half, Saskatchewan will be introducing summary offence tickets (SOTs) as of July 1, 2014. The tickets can be issued by one of two designated occupa- tional health officers and the 12 ticketable offences include fall protection, excavations/trench- ing, personal protective equip- ment, failing to submit progress reports to the occupational health and safety division and failing to submit information Bear attacks, isolation among unique risks for remote workers BY LIZ FOSTER DANGER, IN some form, is in- herent in every workplace. But when employees are exposed to elements like wildlife and weath- er, those dangers are amplified — and unpredictable. Lorna Weafer — an instru- ment technician for Suncor — was attacked and killed by a black bear at the company's Oil Sands base plant on May 7. The tragic incident occurred just north of Fort McMurray, Alta. "A number of her colleagues tried to help her, but tragically, despite their efforts they were not able to save her," said Suncor spokesperson Sneh Seetal. Weafer was working in a team with six other people at the time of the attack. Her co-workers re- portedly tried to scare the bear away using fire extinguishers, a water cannon and an air horn. While Suncor employees work- ing in the bush carry bear spray, it is not believed spray was used during the incident, which took place on an industrial site. Bear safety awareness materi- als, advisories and information sessions are available for Suncor employees with increased em- phasis during times of high bear activity, Seetal said. Following Weafer's death, the company immediately imple- mented critical incident coun- seling services for employees on NEWS BRIEF Isolation > pg. 6 Prosecutions > pg. 5 ONTARIO MINING DEATHS Death of 2 workers sparks concern, but mining association president says province on right track in review of safety in the dangerous industry pg. 2 RAIL SAFETY ON TRACK? pg. 3 Transport Canada has unveiled sweeping changes in wake of Lac Mégantic disaster, but Canadian Pacific calls for further changes – including cameras on trains and fewer level crossings AGE DISCRIMINATION LTD benefi ts for older workers cost more – there's no doubt about that. But plans that only cover workers under age 65 could spark discrimi- nation claims pg. 4 INSIDE Alberta OHS database revamped Alberta has improved its employer records website, making it easier to fi nd safety information. Launched in 2010, the site now allows users to search and sort 155,000 employers by their lost-time claims, disabling injury rates and location. Along with the inclusion of 2012 data — the latest available — earlier data will also be sortable, back to 2008. "Albertans can use this informa- tion to make decisions on where they choose to work, a reminder to all employers that it is in their best interest to keep workers healthy and safe," said Thomas Lukaszuk, minister of jobs, skills, training and labour. Employer records now offer data on all Alberta companies with workers' compensation board ac- counts, including: •number of lost-time claims (LTC) •number of workers •disabling injury rate (DIR) •number of fatalities •whether the employer holds a Cer- tifi cate of Recognition. 2013 data will be added to the employer records website this fall, said the government. See http:// work.alberta.ca/occupational- health-safety/employer-records- search.asp Credit: BGSmith/Shutterstock.com A wild black bear walks down a road in Jasper National Park in Alberta. A black bear killed a worker at a Suncor plant north of Fort McMurray, Alta., last month — raising questions about safety for workers in remote locations.

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