A recent report from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has said that Canadian border officers are being put at risk by many health and safety hazards at the smaller and more remote crossings. Excessive radon gas, insufficient heating and poor shelter were a few of the risks highlighted.
The report, Evaluation of Small and Remote Ports of Entry (SRPOE) – Final Report, also noted pests, inadequate ventilation, lack of air conditioning and lack of water as issues contributing to health and safety risks for the officers. “At some SRPOE locations, the primary- and secondary-inspection area does not provide a shelter from the elements,” it read, adding that the lack of camera systems and cell-phone reception “presents threats with respect to general safety and security of officers at these ports.”
Although the report is dated September 2014, it wasn’t published on the CBSA website until the end of January, according to Agency spokesperson Esme Bailey.
Another safety concern was the ages of many of the SRPOE facilities, according to the report, which identified 34 facilities that “have buildings more than 40 years old, with the oldest over 80 years old. This is beyond the expected service life of these structures and presents repeated maintenance issues and health and safety concerns.”
Additionally, the remote locations of many border-crossing facilities have created possible safety hazards “due to the distance from law-enforcement backup or medical services in the event of an emergency and the lack of cell-phone coverage in some areas. The Personal Alarm Security System radio system used at POEs [points of entry] has limited ability for port-to-port communication and cannot be used to communicate with other agencies.”
From 2008 to 2013, the report stated, there had been 105 reports of occupational health and safety-related incidents at SRPOEs. “Only 6.7 per cent of the incidents reported were related to infrastructure,” it added. “Between 2008 and 2012, 64 grievances and two work refusals related to OHS were initiated at SRPOEs, compared to 206 grievances and 25 work refusals related to OHS at other land-border POEs over the same period.”
In response to these concerns, the CBSA plans to invest $99 million over the next five years towards both infrastructure and oh&s issues at SRPOES.
“There are plans to address these issues through the replacement of critical SRPOE infrastructure under the Small Ports Infrastructure Replacement Initiative by 2015 and the implementation of recommendations developed by the Small Ports Working Group,” the report concluded.
Evaluation of Small and Remote Ports of Entry (SRPOE) – Final Report is available online at http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/reports-rapports/ae-ve/2014/srpoe-pepte-eng.html.