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WorkSafeBC announces results of forest industry compliance pilot
Richmond, B.C., August 18, 2006 — A WorkSafeBC inspection blitz of 300 forest industry worksites earlier this year has resulted in 650 compliance orders for violations of the Workers Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation.
Every order written during this initiative will be followed up on and continued non-compliance will lead to financial penalties and consideration for prosecution.
“The 3-month pilot was initiated to determine what types of compliance issues were evident in these worksites and what needs to be done to reach our goal of reducing or eliminating forest industry injuries and death,” said Don Dahr, manager of industry and labour services who oversees the forest-industry compliance strategy for WorkSafeBC. “The results clearly indicate a lack of understanding and acceptance of safety responsibility which is disappointing, particularly following a record year for deaths in the forest sector.”
In 2005, there were 49 deaths in the forest industry. This was the highest number of fatalities in this sector in a single year in the past 20 years. This included individuals working in integrated forestry, log towing, log hauling and wood and paper products manufacturing. In the first 6 months of 2006 there were 10 deaths, compared to 24 at the same time last year.
The inspection pilot found that at the 300 worksites inspected:
- Only half of all owners reviewed the health and safety program of prime contractors
- Only 30% of prime contractors reviewed the health and safety programs of sub-contractors
- In only 37% of the cases was a contractor’s previous compliance history considered prior to awarding the contract (while this is not a legal requirement, it is considered to be good practice)
- Only one-third of worksites had a record of supervisor training applicable to work being supervised
- One-quarter of worksites did not have designated supervisors
- At only half of the worksites was a review of current safe work procedures conducted on a regular basis before start-up of work
- Workers were instructed in emergency response and participated in safety drills at only half of the worksites inspected
“We know that proper planning, training and supervision are key elements in preventing injury and death. This is not a new message,” said Dahr.
In November, 2005, as a result of the increase in deaths in the forest industry, the chair of WorkSafeBC sent letters to every forest-industry CEO summarizing the legal responsibilities of all parties (owners, licensees, prime contractors, sub-contractors, etc.) and the consequences of non-compliance with occupational health and safety laws. A second letter has now been sent advising forestry employers of the results of the three month pilot that took place earlier this year.
More information on the forestry compliance initiative is available at www.worksafebc.com.
WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors that serves nearly two million workers and about 184,000 employers. WorkSafeBC was born out of a compromise between B.C.’s workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers and fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. The organization is committed to safe and healthy workplaces and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits.
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For more information please contact: |
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Scott McCloy
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