Canadian Safety Reporter

Safety Reporter Canadian www.safetyreporter.com August 2014 Workplace harassment declining: Survey New report examines changing nature of workplace harassment By liz foster Workplace harassment is not only declining but under- going significant changes, ac- cording to a poll commissioned by Queen's school of Business in Kingston, ont. the percentage of Canadians who have witnessed or experi- enced harassment in the work- place has noticeably decreased in the last two years. twenty- three per cent of employees questioned by the 2014 study — which mirrors a similar poll News Brief HR > pg.4 INSURANCE ANYONE? A look at how workers' compensation can be involved when there are injuries related to stresses in the workplace, such as bullying and harassment pg. 2 SpECIAl tRAININg pg. 3 Relative isolation and limits on health-care services can prove a challenge in Canada's northern communities when it comes to mental health and psychological safety RECOvERINg fROm REhAb Employers can play an important role in supporting — and not suspecting — employees returning to work and a healthier life after a stint in rehab pg. 7 InsIde Afl SEEKS ChANgE AftER bOY DIES the alberta FederatIon of Labour (AFL) hopes the death of a 15-year-old boy at a work site will draw attention to the fact "Alberta's child labour laws are among the most lax in Canada." The teen was killed during a gravel crushing operation near Drumheller, and is not the only fa- tality of a young worker in Alberta's recent memory — in 2005, another 15-year-old died while on a forklift. Federation spokeswoman Siob- han Vipond said provincial health and safety standards need to be reviewed, as the 2005 incident failed to result in any changes. "Only if someone complains about something seemingly unsafe or questionable will someone from the Alberta government come out and inspect it," said Vipond. In the recent case, Occupational Health and Safety is investigating, and the AFL hopes to see an over- haul of existing rules. AFL also wants a review to de- termine whether the operation of heavy machinery should be pro- hibited under a certain age. "This... tragic news is yet another reminder that much more needs to be done to keep Albertans safe at work," said Vipond. Ministry of Labour introducing updated mandatory training for JHSCs Involves 6 standardized hazards specific to industry By saBrina nanji JoInt health and safety com- mittees (jHsCs) training in on- tario has not been updated since 1996 — until now. the Ministry of labour (Mol) is finalizing its manda- tory certification training for health and safety committees, to come into effect in early 2015. "We see joint health and safety committees as the cornerstone of safety in the occupational Health and safety act. they sup- port a strong health and safety culture, and for us, it's a good reflection of the internal respon- sibility system," said Cordelia Clarke julien, the labour min- istry's director of training and safety programs. as part of the updated train- ing module, jHsC members will undergo training for at least six standardized hazards specific to their industry. the labour min- istry will determine those haz- ards through consultations held between now and next year. "it's a way of standardizing the approach across the province. this way we have consistency," said julien. "What the hazards are for the construction sector are obvious- ly very different from what they are in, say, retail." another major change is all jHsC members will undergo mandatory refresher training Credit: Syda Productions/Shutterstock MANDATORY > pg. 8

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