News briefs: OHS news from across Canada and around the world

New CSA standard targets workplace safety

TORONTO — A new standard to provide consistent, quality occupational health and safety training for workers, managers and supervisors is being launched by CSA Group in Canada. The standard also provides direction for health and safety committees and representatives.

While the value and importance of safety training is well-recognized in Canada, until now there were no general standards on this subject in Canada. The new standard, Z1001 — Occupational Health and Safety Training, will help organizations invest their training resources appropriately and effectively, according to CSA Group.

This first edition of CSA Z1001 specifies requirements for management and administration of occupational health and safety (OHS) training, identification of OHS training needs and outlines the development, implementation, and maintenance of an OHS training program and its courses. It also specifies how to select training providers with the appropriate qualifications and the requirements for the design and delivery of OHS training courses.

Nova Scotia continues 8-year injury decline

HALIFAX — Fewer Nova Scotians were injured at work in 2012, marking the eighth consecutive year of decline in the number of people seriously hurt on the job, according to the annual report from the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia.

The province's workplace injury rate is measured by the number of people per 100 covered workers who are injured on the job seriously enough to lose three or more days of work. In 2012, the workplace injury rate was 1.96, down from 2.02 in 2011.

There were a total of 32 workplace fatalities in 2012, which up from the five fatalities reported in 2011.

Of the 32 fatalities in 2012, 10 were the result of an acute traumatic event in the workplace, up from four acute fatalities in 2011. One-third of the acute fatalities occurred in fishing.

There were 22 deaths resulting from chronic or health related conditions. Of these 22 chronic workplace fatalities, nine died from occupational diseases due to workplace exposures in the past, and 13 died due to other health conditions, primarily cardiac-related — which may or may not have been directly related to the work.

Workplace deaths hit 30-year high in Saskatchewan

REGINA — Saskatchewan had more workplace deaths in 2012 than it has had for more than 30 years, according to the province’s workers’ compensation board.

In its annual report, the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) says 60 people died on the job in 2012.

The cause of death varied among the fatalities, but each of the WCB’s 10 industry classes experienced at least one workplace death in 2012. The construction industry had the highest number of deaths at 14 fatalities. Five workplace deaths involved youth, which is an increase from the two reported deaths in 2011.

Occupational disease, such as asbestos-related cancer caused by exposure years prior, caused 19 deaths in 2012. Heart attacks were the cause of 15 deaths.

Quebec study identifies tools, jobs with high risk of silica exposure

MONTREAL — Researchers at Montreal-based L'Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) have developed a database on occupational exposure for construction workers, which identifies tasks and tools that most expose workers to silica, as well as job designations that create high risk of exposure.

The IRSST analysis identifies the tasks and tools that may expose workers to silica at levels above the allowed exposure limit by regulations. These tasks and tools include sawing masonry pieces with portable masonry saws, roughening (bushhammering), cracking masonry pieces (hammer drills and jackhammers, on concrete or ceramic), tunnelling and grinding joints of brick or stone.

Crystalline silica is a basic component of soil, sand, granite and many other minerals. Prolonged inhalation of this substance at high concentrations can cause a lung disease called silicosis.