Quick Links
Customer Centres
WorkSafeBC announces results of pilot phase of provincial forest compliance strategy
Additional resources
- Backgrounder (PDF 36kb)
Richmond, B.C., June 2, 2006 — WorkSafeBC’s forest compliance strategy, rolled out in January 2006 in response to the increased number of deaths and serious injuries in B.C.’s forest industry, resulted in more than 300 targeted inspections of forestry operations across the province. The results of the first pilot phase were announced today at a joint WorkSafeBC- industry- and labour-sponsored safety conference being held in Qualicum Beach, on Vancouver Island.
The new compliance strategy emphasizes shared responsibility and accountability for safety. During the pilot phase, conducted in the first three months of this year, WorkSafeBC inspections of forestry operations resulted in 603 written safety orders — nearly double the amount issued during the same period last year (to date, WorksafeBC has issued a total of 650 written orders to forestry stakeholders as well as 10 warning letters — see the attached backgrounder for more information). In addition to the enforcement component of this initiative, WorkSafeBC safety officers also spent more time in forestry workplaces educating forestry workers and employers about their training, supervision, and health and safety responsibilities.
Most of the worksites visited by WorkSafeBC officers were operated by more than one employer, yet only 63 percent had written agreements designating prime contractors responsible for the coordination of all health and safety on the site. And, alarmingly, 24 percent of interviewed workers reported that they hadn’t received adequate safety training for either the work they were doing nor the equipment they were using and 17 percent of workers were not supervised.
“Our investigation and inspection activities have confirmed that the root causes of most forestry accidents are the same today as they were 75 years ago — a lack of adequate supervision, training, and safety planning,” said Betty Pirs, executive director of Prevention for WorksafeBC. “Under the new compliance strategy, we will be increasing awareness of stakeholders’ regulatory responsibilities and ensuring that all parties are held accountable for their safety performance. And that means looking beyond individual worksites; WorkSafeBC will follow the line of accountability wherever it leads — from the logging camp to the corporate boardroom.”
But enforcement is only part of the strategy. WorkSafeBC is also collaborating with stakeholders, from all levels of industry, to find new ways of changing workplace culture. “For too many years, injury and death have been seen as inevitable costs of doing business in the woods” said Pirs. “This is simply unacceptable. If we want to see drastic improvements, all stakeholders need to work together to transform the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours that directly impact safety in the forest.”
In the spirit of collaboration and shared responsibility, WorkSafeBC has partnered with seven major forestry stakeholders — Western Forest Products Inc., United Steelworkers, the BC Forest Safety Council, Island Timberlands, the Truck Loggers Association, TimberWest, and Interfor — to host today’s forest safety conference in Qualicum Beach. The event brings together over two hundred employers, workers, union representatives, policy makers, and industry leaders to discuss strategies on how to dramatically reduce and ultimately eliminate fatalities and serious injuries in the forest sector.
“It’s encouraging to see this level of participation and leadership from all areas of the industry,” said Reynold Hert, President and CEO of Western Forest Products Inc., and keynote speaker at the safety conference. “It’s indicative of just how much concern there is out there. We may bring differing perspectives to the table, but we all share common concerns about the state of health and safety in our forests and we all want to see employees return safely and uninjured to their families everyday.”
Last year there were well over 5,000 injuries in B.C.’s forest sector and 49 deaths — the highest incidence of forestry-related fatalities in nearly 20 years. In the first four months of 2006, there were five deaths in the forestry sector and nearly 1,600 injuries, which is down about 4 percent from the comparable period in 2005.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” said Pirs. “But we can’t get complacent — there is still a long way to go.”
WorkSafeBC is currently gathering feedback from industry and labour on results of the compliance pilot project and is working to fine tune the program before it is fully implemented this summer. Once permanently in place, the compliance strategy will be a key driver for reducing injuries and deaths in this industry and ensuring that working in forestry is a safe and healthy way to earn a living.
WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors that serves nearly two million workers and about 179,000 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.
|
For more information please contact: |
|
Donna Freeman
|