WINNIPEG, Man. — Ayesha Badiola from Steinbach, Man., who has been named the winner of SAFE Work Manitoba’s annual SAFE Farms drawing contest, not only won an iPad, but also a spot in the 2017 SAFE Farms calendar. “While Ayesha’s picture was drawn randomly from all contest entries, I also want to commend her for her very colourful and artistic take on storing chemicals on the farm safely,” Jamie Hall, chief operating officer with SAFE Work Manitoba, said in a statement dated June 17. The SAFE Farms drawing contest received 147 entries this year from children aged six to 12 from across the province. Children were asked to submit pictures that show how to find a safer way when faced with one of four common hazards on the farm: livestock, grain, farm equipment and chemicals. Drawings to be included in the 2017 SAFE Farms calendar, which will highlight the best of this year’s contest entries, will be selected based on number of likes received through SAFE Work Manitoba’s Facebook page. “SAFE Work Manitoba has narrowed down our finalists, but now we need Manitobans’ help in picking the drawings to be included in the 2017 SAFE Farms calendar,” said Jeff Shaw, prevention consultant with SAFE Work Manitoba. “Get the whole family involved in picking your favourites and take the opportunity to talk to your kids about safety on the farm.”
Category Archives: Young Workers
Former sales worker awarded $21,288 in harassment case
A member of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has ordered a Calgary mobile-phone store to pay a total of $21,288 in compensation to a former sales employee and manager, who lodged a complaint against her supervisor alleging multiple instances of sexual harassment.
Tribunal member Ricki T. Johnston signed the decision in Ottawa on June 15, awarding to complainant Shelby Anne Opheim $12,000 for the employer’s willful and reckless conduct, $7,500 for her pain and suffering and $1,788 to make up for lost earnings.
Opheim was hired by Gillco Inc. to work at the store, Mobilicity, on May 4, 2011 at the age of 18, according to the written decision by Johnston. She often worked alone in the store with her boss, Gagan Gill, who was there two or three days each week. Opheim alleged that Gill had begun making sexually explicit comments to her within the first two weeks of her employment. The comments intensified and soon developed into unwanted touching, such as Gill forcing his hands up Opheim’s skirt and grabbing her breasts, she alleged.
Opheim quit the job on June 25, 2011, after Gill had allegedly asked her to walk up and down the street in front of the store in a skirt and high heels with flyers for a promotional sale – a request that made her feel “cheap” and unsafe, the Tribunal decision stated.
“There were considerable challenges with regard to determining the facts in this matter,” wrote Johnston in the decision. “Credibility was a significant factor, as the complainant and the respondents disagreed as to the occurrence of many of the events at issue.”
But Johnston determined that Opheim had offered “clear and specific evidence” that was consistent with the allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct in her complaint. “This sexual conduct consisted of… sexual comments, sexual touching, sexual requests and the sexualized and demeaning work request that the complainant walk up and down the street in front of the Mobilicity store. The conduct was both frequent and ongoing.”
In contrast, Johnston deemed the evidence of Gill and Gillco to be lacking in substance. The respondents did not even challenge Opheim’s accusations in cross-examination or address any of her specific allegations.
“The only evidence Mr. Gill gave in his examination-in-chief on this point was to state that there was ‘nothing sexual’ with the complainant and that he ‘never touched her,’” Johnston wrote.
The decision noted that Opheim had begun to suffer from depression and anxiety following Gill’s alleged behaviour “and will be required to take anti-depressants for the rest of her life, at a cost of approximately $135 per month.” But she did not offer any evidence that these conditions had affected her ability to work full-time.
“I prefer the evidence of the complainant and find the individual respondent committed a discriminatory practice in sexually harassing the complainant,” wrote Johnston.
Ontario to promote young-worker safety with inspection blitzes, media campaigns
Two inspection blitzes and two awareness campaigns will be underway across Ontario this year, as the provincial Ministry of Labour (MOL) is gearing up to promote the safety of young workers.
In a May 27 news release, the MOL stated that it was taking action to protect youths in seasonal, part-time or temporary employment to coincide with the rush for summer jobs. The Ministry is stepping up inspections of workplaces known to employ young workers: the first blitz, which already began on May 2 and lasts until June 30, will determine whether employers in food services, retail and construction are complying with the Employment Standards Act, while the second, from July 18 to Sept. 2, will target the industrial sector to be sure that employers are following the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The MOL is also providing financial support to two social-media campaigns. One of them, #safe4life, is run by injury-prevention charity Parachute Canada and intends to motivate young workers to share safety ideas online with the hashtag #safe4life, according to a Ministry backgrounder. A new awareness campaign by Workplace Safety & Prevention Services, Bring Safety Home, will target parents, friends, relatives, coaches and teachers of young workers beginning in June. Bring Safety Home will use blogs, videos and social media to drive home the message about keeping youth safe at work.
“Our youth are our future, and as such, we must ensure that we do our utmost to protect them,” provincial Labour Minister Kevin Flynn said in a media statement. “We need to do what we can to make sure that young workers are treated fairly at work and are able to come home safe and sound.”
Ontario Chief Prevention Officer George Gritziotis said in his own statement that employers, supervisors and parents had a responsibility to make young workers aware of their rights and responsibilities. “All injuries at the workplace are preventable,” he noted.
The MOL is also promoting the winners of the annual It’s Your Job video contest for students. This year’s first-prize winner in Ontario, Breakdown from Markville Secondary School in Markham, depicts a student worker who spirals into a meltdown from occupational stress; the film also came in second place in the national contest.
Last year’s provincial winner, Who I’d Still Have by Mississauga’s St. Francis Xavier Secondary School, was later screened to employees of construction firm CRH Canada Group Inc. (COHSN, Aug. 25).
Ontario saw 17 deaths of workers between 15 and 24 years old from 2010 to 2015, and more than 6,000 young workers in the province require time off work following serious injury, according to information from the MOL.
Calgary Stampede holds Farm Safety Day event for young workers
CALGARY, Alta. – Grade 6 to 9 classes from schools in the Calgary area and elsewhere came to Stampede Park on May 26 to attend the first Farm Safety Day, a new educational initiative supported by the Calgary Stampede and AltaLink. The free, four-hour event took place at AltaLink Hall in the Park’s Agrium Western Event Centre, according to a notice on the Stampede website. Intended to raise student awareness of agricultural safety, Farm Safety Day consisted of four hours of information stations and interactive activities about safe use of farm equipment, electricity safety, animal safety, distracted driving, first aid, grain safety, chemicals, confined spaces and other topics. Media reports have stated that more than 700 students from across southern Alberta attended the event. Farming safety has been a notable and contentious issue in the province since last year, when the NDP government proposed Bill 6, the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act, which entitles injured agricultural employees to workers’ compensation benefits (COHSN, Nov. 24); the bill passed into law on Dec. 10.
Lost-time incidence rate in Newfoundland drops to historic low
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newly released numbers from WorkplaceNL, formerly known as the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission, have revealed that the rate of incidences due to workplace injury or illness in Newfoundland and Labrador dropped to an all-time low last year. The province’s workers’ compensation authority announced on April 27 that the rate for 2015 was 1.5 incidents per 100 workers. In addition, about 260 fewer workers submitted short-term claims last year than in 2014, and about 200 fewer required healthcare-only assistance from WorkplaceNL in 2015 than in the previous year. The lost-time incidence rate for workers between 15 and 24 years old was 1.4 incidents per 100 workers, an 18 per cent drop from five years before. “Newfoundland and Labrador workplaces rose to the challenge and reduced the provincial lost-time incidence rate to the lowest level it has ever been,” WorkplaceNL CEO Leslie Galway said in a press statement. “We will continue to work with workplace parties, employer and labour groups, government and safety associations to bring even more workers home safe and healthy.” Despite the good news, the province has a rising rate of workplace violence, and there were 24 work-related fatalities last year, WorkplaceNL admitted.
Ontario government to launch series of workplace safety blitzes
TORONTO, Ont. – The Ontario Ministry of Labour (MOL) announced on April 12 that it was planning to conduct an 11-month series of workplace safety inspections. More than 20 targeted blitzes across the province are anticipated for the period from May 2 to next March 31, an MOL news release stated. Inspectors will visit workplaces in industries with vulnerable employees and/or a history of safety violations, such as construction sites, mines, retail stores and food services. The officers will be looking for violations of occupational health and safety regulations and employment standards, as well as those concerning the pay and work hours of temporary foreign workers, young workers and employees of past offenders. “Targeted blitz programs like these increase awareness, compliance and overall safety among workers and employers throughout the province,” Ontario Labour Minister Kevin Flynn said in a media statement. “Our goal at the Ministry of Labour is to ensure that workers in Ontario are treated fairly by their employers and return home safely at the end of the day.” The day after it announced the blitzes, the MOL posted an online checklist for employers to help them evaluate how well they are complying with oh&s requirements in the province.
Annual award to recognize the best N.B. safety educators
SAINT JOHN, N.B. – New Brunswick’s occupational health and safety authority has founded a new award for educators who make a difference in workplace safety. According to a WorkSafeNB press release from March 15, the WorkSafeNB Health and Safety Educator Award will be presented annually to an English-speaking and a French-speaking education professional, both of whom promote leadership and learning opportunities in workplace safety for students. To be eligible, a nominee must be an employee of a school or Early Learning and Child Care centre and involved with any students between kindergarten and Grade 12, WorkSafeNB announced. “Educators are critical to the health and safety of our youth, and we’re pleased to recognize their efforts,” WorkSafeNB president and CEO Gerard Adams said in a media statement. “This award will recognize educators who clearly demonstrate a commitment to promoting and advancing youth health and safety.” The first awards ceremony for 2016 will take place in Moncton in October, and nominations will be accepted until May 20, the release added.
Agricultural Safety Week focusing on kids’ safety this year
NATIONAL – Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW) is back this year, running until March 19, and the theme for 2016 is “Keeping Kids Safe”. A project of the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, CASW is a yearly public-awareness campaign across the country that promotes safe farming, and both organizations have also launched a new three-year campaign called Be an AgSafe Family, according to the CASW website. Both initiatives aim to give family farms the tools to work safely: next year’s CASW will focus on adult family members, and the one for 2018 will be about senior citizens. “We believe that we can teach the love of agriculture to our children in a safe and healthy way,” CASA executive director Marcel Hacault said in a press release on March 1. “We are providing tools and safety advice [online] that can help make farms a safe place for children to grow up.” Events planned across Canada include an all-day CASW launch session in Vineland Station, Ont. on March 15, an adult information session on the same day in Wolfville, N.S. and a Ladies Farm Safety Evening in Balzac, Alta. on March 16. More information is available at http://www.agsafetyweek.ca.
Alberta oh&s officials inspecting province’s convenience stores
Following an incident that occurred at two Edmonton Mac’s stores in December, when two separate clerks were shot dead while working alone by the same group of robbers, the Alberta government has announced that occupational health and safety officials are currently touring the province’s convenience stores and gas bars to inquire about safety standards.
In a March 1 announcement, Alberta’s Ministry of Labour stated that oh&s officers would be inspecting about 200 worksites over the following three months. Inspectors are meeting with employers and workers to discuss how employment standards and safety legislation affect such issues as violence on the job, working alone, pay deductions and young workers.
The Ministry has given the inspectors the authority to issue orders to employers on the spot, such as stop-work or stop-use orders, or orders to show documents such as the results of risk assessments, the Ministry added. Any oh&s officer can refer a store for a follow-up visit if he or she suspects that it is not up to proper employment standards.
“Health and safety on the job is paramount,” Alberta Labour Minister Christina Gray said in a press statement about the inspection campaign. “Employers are responsible to take all precautions to ensure their workers are safe, [are] treated fairly and go home to their families at the end of the day, no matter what industry they work in.”
Two men and a 13-year-old boy were charged with first-degree murder following the Dec. 18 Mac’s robberies. The tragedy prompted Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley to announce plans to work on safety legislation for the province’s late-night workers.
On Feb. 8, yet another Mac’s employee in Edmonton was seriously injured in an attempted armed robbery. Two men and a woman assaulted the worker and left him with non-life-threatening injuries, according to information from the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL).
Following the latter incident, the AFL called for a new regulation in which retail stores open all night must have more than one employee on duty, or when this is not possible, that a lone employee must work behind a locked, secure barrier – similar to the law in British Columbia.
“Anyone who reads the papers or watches the news can see that workers who are alone late at night are being targeted for violence,” AFL president Gil McGowan said on Feb. 8. “We can’t ignore incidents like this one.”
Western Convenience Stores Association president Andrew Klukas said in a media statement on March 1 that his organization would work with the Alberta government to make proven safety procedures accessible to all retailers who work alone in convenience stores.
“Alberta retailers operate in a challenging environment, and their safety and that of the public is paramount to our industry,” said Klukas.
The inspection campaign’s findings are expected to be used in an upcoming review of Alberta’s oh&s and employment-standards laws, the Ministry of Labour said.
Serious worker injury nets drilling company $75,000 fine
DAWSON CREEK, B.C. – Horizon Drilling, a division of Western Energy Services Corp., was recently fined $75,000 over an employee injury at an oil and gas site near Dawson Creek on Sept. 9, according to information from British Columbia’s workers’ compensation authority. WorkSafeBC noted in the “Penalties” department of the January/February issue of its magazine WorkSafe that the company had been drilling a well on the site at the time of the accident. The worker, described only as “young,” was seriously hurt while troubleshooting a steam heater’s fan, WorkSafeBC said. A subsequent investigation found that Horizon had not developed specific lockout procedures for the equipment at the worksite, a high-risk violation, although WorkSafeBC had ordered the firm to do so after an inspection prior to the incident. WorkSafeBC later fined Horizon for failing to train and supervise workers sufficiently to protect their health and safety. Other significant B.C. corporate fines noted in the WorkSafe issue have recently gone to Firstonsite G.P. Inc. ($74,704.99 for lack of fall protection, observed on Aug. 13) and Rokstand Power Corporation ($71,866.79 for a worker’s leg injury from a broken guy wire on July 30).