Canadian Safety Reporter

July 2016

Focuses on occupational health and safety issues at a strategic level. Designed for employers, HR managers and OHS professionals, it features news, case studies on best practices and practical tips to ensure the safest possible working environment.

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OIL COMPANY SUNCOR'S random drug and alcohol testing policy has been given a second chance by an Alberta court after an arbitration board previously struck it down. Suncor has oil sands extrac- tion operations in two locations north of Fort McMurray, Alta. As of July 2013, there were more than 3,300 unionized workers, almost 3,000 non-represented workers and up to 3,400 contrac- tor employees. Much of the activity in Sun- cor's oil sands operations in- volved heavy equipment and dangerous activities, so safety Safety Reporter Canadian www.safetyreporter.com July 2016 NO SMOKING IN PERSONAL VEHICLES ON COMPANY PROPERTY REASONABLE Company introduced new policy prohibiting smoking everywhere on its premises with goal of improving employee health and wellness pg. 3 CITY'S CONVICTION AFTER DEATH AND INJURY OF ROAD WORKERS SET ASIDE pg. 5 Vehicle hitting workers not in itself proof of safety offences; new trial ordered 'BULLETS' COMMENT MADE IN HEAT OF ILLEGAL STRIKE NOT HARASSMENT Comment and gun gesture were made in frustration; not every inappropriate comment is harassment: Arbitrator pg. 6 INSIDE Suncor's alcohol and drug policy gets another chance Appeal court overturns arbitration board's decision that evidence didn't show enough of a problem at worksites to justify random testing BY JEFFREY R. SMITH Firefighter safety crucial in Fort McMurray Fatigue, communication and mental health among biggest concerns BY MELISSA CAMPEAU ON THE EVENING of Sunday, May 1, thousands of people fled the first Fort McMurray neighbourhoods as a wildfire made its way to the city's edge. By Tuesday, the fire had become massive, the prov- ince of Alberta declared a state of emergency and a mass evacuation began. As 80,000 people attempted to leave on a single highway, fire- fighters from Fort McMurray — and well beyond — stepped in to NEWS BRIEF FORMER RUGBY INTERNATIONALS IN CONCUSSION STUDY (Reuters) - More than 100 former rugby internationals have agreed to take part in a scientific study on the effects of concussion on brain health to increase safe- ty standards in the sport, said the Rugby Football Union (RFU). The issue has long been a source of concern in rugby and re- surfaced last month when England captain Dylan Hartley, sidelined for 14 weeks with various head injuries last season, said he would consider retirement if he suffered another concussion. More than 200 former players over 50 who reported concussions while playing will go through physi- cal and cognitive tests to study possible links between concussion and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Professor Neil Pearce of the Lon- don School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who will lead the study, said he hoped the results would be conclusive in establishing the long-term effects of concussion. "Evidence is accumulating on the possible long-term health risks in former contact-sport athletes," said Pearce. Employer > pg. 4 Credit: Shutterstock/chris kolaczan Communication > pg. 2

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