Alberta proposes new rules for transporting injured workers in the province • Alberta announces WCB maximum insurable earnings for 2012 • WSIB sets maximum earnings for 2012 • Personal protective equipment focus of Ontario safety blitz • Newfoundland and Labrador WCB releases privacy compliance statement •
Alberta
Alberta proposes new rules for transporting injured workers in the province
The Alberta government has proposed clearer guidelines for employers at remote industrial sites who use their own emergency vehicles to seek help for injured or ill workers. The new rules would allow passengers to ride in the rear compartment of a mobile treatment centre module (MTC) when certain conditions are met. The Occupational Health and Safety Code requires employers to have another means of transportation when an ambulance is not available. MTCs are sometimes used by employers to transport injured or ill workers from work sites to health-care facilities or rendezvous points with a licensed ambulance. This practice violates the Traffic Safety Act, which does not allow passengers to ride outside of a vehicle’s passenger compartment. In August 2011, Alberta Transportation, Employment and Immigration, and Health and Wellness wrapped up a review of the practice. The group has recommended Alberta Transportation consider applications for exemptions to section 62 of the act. The exemptions would allow employers to transport injured or ill workers and their caregivers, on a highway, in the rear of an MTC.
Alberta announces WCB maximum insurable earnings for 2012
The province’s workers’ compensation board has announced its maximum insurable earnings for 2012 will be $86,700. The 2011 ceiling in the province was $82,800.
Ontario
WSIB sets maximum earnings for 2012
Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has announced the maximum assessable/insurable earnings for 2012. The maximum next year will be $81,700, a $1,900 increase from last year’s ceiling which was $79,600.
Personal protective equipment focus of Ontario safety blitz
An October safety blitz in Ontario will focus on personal protective equipment at industrial and health care workplaces. Personal protective equipment (PPE) reduces or prevents a worker’s exposure to occupational health and safety hazards. The equipment acts as a barrier to protect workers from blows to the body, loud noises, heat, chemicals, infections, and electrical and other hazards. PPE can refer to protective clothing, helmets, shoes, goggles, respirators and other safety gear worn or used by workers, according to Ontario’s Ministry of Labour. The blitz will mainly focus on head, eye and foot protection at industrial and health care workplaces, but inspectors may also address other types of PPE, including fall, respiratory, skin and hearing protection. Inspectors will check whether the requirements related to the selection, use and care of PPE, and worker training in the use of PPE are being met by all workplace parties, as specified in the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador WCB releases privacy compliance statement
The Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (WHSCC) of Newfoundland and Labrador has released a privacy statement to meet the requirements of the province’s Personal Health Information Act (PHIA). The WHSCC prepared a privacy statement to describe the way it handles personal health information. The statement outlines the rights of workers, which include the ability to know who has access to a worker’s records and for what reasons, the right to request a correction of records and the right to be informed about the commission’s policies
