Published on: February 07, 2018

Richmond B.C. — WorkSafeBC has released a new three-year plan to help employers reduce serious injuries in the manufacturing sector. The 2018-2020 Manufacturing High-Risk Strategy is designed to assist employers in strengthening their safety management system by focusing on risk reduction — taking a two-pronged approach of inspections and employer self-evaluations.

“The injury rate and serious-injury rate in the manufacturing sector are above the provincial average, and the risks that drive serious injuries in this sector are varied,” said Dan Strand, Director of Prevention Field Services for WorkSafeBC. “Our goal with the high-risk strategies is simple — to reduce the number of serious injuries.”

WorkSafeBC officers will focus on the manufacturing sub-sectors that are at risk for serious injury, and evaluate whether the employer:

• Identifies hazards and risks
• Implements effective and compliant controls
• Develops safe-work procedures, programs and policies
• Provides related instruction, training and supervision
• Conducts effective inspections
• Performs effective accident investigations
• Engages the joint health & safety committee or worker health and safety representative

The strategy will also address the risks of serious injury from seven areas of strategic focus, with inspections focused on the areas most applicable to each location. These include:

• Safeguarding and lockout
• Powered tools
• Hand tools (knives)
• Material handling (falling objects)
• Falls from elevation
• Falls on same level
• Mobile equipment

Additional risk areas are fires and explosions.

WorkSafeBC’s high-risk strategies identify and target industries and employers with a high risk of serious workplace injury and a significant contribution to the serious-injury rate. High-risk strategies include four industry sectors: construction, forestry, health care and manufacturing.

More information about the manufacturing high-risk strategy, including 2018 deliverables and timelines, is available at worksafebc.com.

Quick Facts:

• The serious-injury rate in the manufacturing sector is higher than the average in other sectors. In 2016, the serious-injury rate in manufacturing was 0.5 per 100 person-years of employment, compared to 0.3 across all sectors in B.C.
• More than one-third (around 35 percent) of the serious injuries in manufacturing were related to lack of or improper safeguarding and lockout.
• Over a five-year period, approximately 390 workers suffered an amputation, primarily from machines, metal items and conveyors; 98 percent were to wrist, fingers and hands.

WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the provincial government. The organization serves approximately 2.3 million workers and 231,000 employers throughout British Columbia. In administering the Workers Compensation Act, the organization is accountable to the public through the provincial government.

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For more information, contact:

Craig Fitzsimmons
WorkSafeBC Media Relations
Email: media@worksafebc.com
Phone: 604.276.5157