Safety Reporter
Canadian
www.safety-reporter.com
January 2017
DISEASE FROM BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS
AFTER WORK INJURY CAUSED
TOTAL DISABILITY: TRIBUNAL
Worker disabled by liver disease caused by
hepatitis C contracted during surgery pg. 5
NO CHARITY FOR WORKER WITH
SAFETY CONCERNS ABOUT
BASEMENT WORKSPACE pg. 3
Evidence showed worker's
complaints played a role in her
dismissal a short time later
DISMISSAL FOR SAFETY
VIOLATION DOESN'T STAND IF
NOT APPLIED CONSISTENTLY
Similar safety violations by others
led to suspensions, not dismissal
pg. 6
INSIDE
Navigating the dangerous waters
Government measures and large damage awards mean employers
had better pay attention to workplace harassment
BY JESSICA WUERGLER
NOW MORE THAN ever, an
employer must take seriously its
obligation to properly respond
to and investigate an allegation
of workplace harassment. Gone
are the days turning a blind eye
to bullying and unwanted work-
place interaction, whether phys-
ical, verbal or psychological.
Government initiatives —
such as Ontario's "It's Never
Okay" program and Bill 132 —
as well as a rash of high-profile
cases have heightened public
awareness of the issues. An em-
ployer that fails or refuses to
get on board does so at its peril,
risking public embarrassment,
brand damage and employee
discontent, not to mention a
Shop teacher cuts class
over number of students
School board's limit of 22 students
too many for safety purposes: Teacher
BY JEFFREY R. SMITH
A NEW BRUNSWICK shop teacher did not have grounds to refuse
work due to the number of students in his class, the New Brunswick
Workers' Compensation Appeals Tribunal has ruled.
The teacher taught skilled trades involving hand tools and ma-
chines to high school students in New Brunswick. He had an edu-
cational assistant (EA) to help with the students' projects in class.
Class sizes were set at a maximum of 29 students, with normal
NEWS BRIEF
EXXON REFINERY
POORLY MAINTAINED
HOUSTON (Reuters) — A Louisiana
environmental group has said that
ExxonMobil Corp.'s Baton Rouge,
La., refinery, where four workers
were burned in a Nov. 22 fire, has
been poorly maintained for years.
The Louisiana Bucket Brigade,
which works to improve safety and
reduce pollution from refineries
and chemical plants in the state,
highlighted findings of a 2012
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency inspection of the refinery
as showing long-standing flaws in
maintenance.
An Exxon spokeswoman on
Tuesday criticized the Bucket Bri-
gade's work.
"We have not read this latest
report, but the Bucket Brigade's
previous reports have consistently
contained deliberate inaccura-
cies and misrepresent industry
activities," spokeswoman Ashley
Alemayehu said.
The 2012 EPA inspection found
fault with Exxon's maintenance
of equipment and certain proce-
dures.
The cause of the Nov. 22 fire has
not been determined. The U.S. Oc-
cupational Safety and Health Ad-
ministration and the U.S. Chemi-
cal Safety Board are investigating.
Harassment > pg. 4
Credit:
Shutterstock/Photographee.eu
Teacher > pg. 2