Canadian Safety Reporter

Safety Reporter Canadian www.safetyreporter.com July 2014 'Shots fired' Alberta campuses using educational videos to prepare for mass shootings By Liz Bernier Kristina anderson was sitting in class when gunshots rang out. "i got on the floor and just kind of hugged the desk," she said. "And looking back, in terms of why did i do what i did, i didn't (initially) think that i was hiding from a gunman — i just instinc- tually could tell that something very serious was happening." She reverted back to the only training she'd had — the earth- quake response training she'd received in middle school — but her reaction may have been different if she'd had different News Brief ACTIVE SHOOTER > pg. 4 Sun Safety Harmful exposure to UV rays is a serious health risk for outdoor workers — and it's not just a problem in the summer pg. 2 WorkerS' comp crackdoWn pg. 3 Manitoba law ramps up fines, prison sentences for workers' compensation violators fIred up Abitrator upholds termination for a Vale worker in a safety- sensitive role who smoked up while on the job pg. 6 inside oHS prosecutor hired in nova Scotia noVa sCotia has hired a spe- cial prosecutor to focus on work- place safety investigations. Alex Keaveny, a Crown attorney from Halifax, was appointed to the special prosecutions section of the Public Prosecution Service following a national search, the province said. Keaveny will provide investigators with advice before charges and pros- ecute offences. "When someone is injured or dies at work, their loved ones under- standably look for justice," said Kelly Regan, Nova Scotia's labour and advanced education minister. "Keav- eny's appointment, plus a strength- ened partnership among our inspec- tors, the police and the prosecutor's office, will help ensure just that." Keaveny will also be involved in education and training for safety officers and managers at the De- partment of Labour and Advanced Education. It will focus on what to look for during an investigation and how to effectively gather evidence to support a court case. They will also receive training focused on Crimi- nal Code offences under Bill C-45, known as the Westray Bill. The province is also working to identify and target high-risk compa- nies with poor safety records. More jail time for OHS convictions? Ontario leading the charge to deter misbehaviour By SArAh DoBSon a father of two, with an- other on the way, John hill had been working for roofing Med- ics just a few months when he fell six metres from a ladder in 2011. Landing on a fence, he was rushed to the hospital — but died shortly thereafter. it was a tragedy that could have been averted if hill had at- tached the lanyard of his harness properly — employees had been given training on fall protection just one week before. Paul Markewycz, owner and operator of Brampton, ont.- based roofing Medics, faced a fine and imprisonment for the workplace accident. he was fined $50,000 and faced 15 days in jail. historically, jail sentences are the exception, not the norm, for these types of offences, said Justice C. Ann nelson of the on- tario Court of Justice in her nov. 21, 2013, ruling. "The major reason a jail sentence is necessary for Mr. Markewycz is to deter others from ignoring the legislated fall protection requirements. oth- ers in the industry must pause to consider that each and every time they embark on a roofing project, they may go to jail if one of their employees does not use fall protection gear… if workers continue to fall off roofs in con- travention of fall arrest regula- tions, supervisors can expect that jail sentences will be longer and may well become the norm." The roofing company was guilty of two offences under the occupational health and Safety Act (ohSA): •failing to comply with the pre- Credit: Ljupco Smokovski/Shutterstock REPEAT > pg. 8

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