Workers in emerging economies most concerned with workplace safety • North American retailers set 5-year factory plan for Bangladesh • Ontario targets mine safety in summer workplace inspection blitz • Company, directors guilty in 2008 Toronto propane plant explosion
Workers in emerging economies most concerned with workplace safety
NEW YORK (Reuters) — Workers in emerging countries are concerned about corporate behaviour, including workplace safety, more so than employees in more developed nations, according to a poll released on June 25.
According to the poll, the three most important things companies must do to be respected are: prioritize workplace safety, contribute to the socioeconomic development of the country and abide by local laws and rights.
The Ipsos survey of 24 nations showed feelings about corporate responsibility were highest in Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia and India, where more than half of workers said it was very important for their employers to be responsible to society and the environment.
North American retailers set 5-year factory plan for Bangladesh
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Reuters) — Nearly 20 North American retailers, including Canadian Tire and Walmart, unveiled a five-year safety plan for Bangladesh garment factories on July 10 that would include inspecting every factory within a year. The announcement in Washington by the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety comes after 1,129 workers were killed in the collapse of a Bangladesh garment plant in April and another 112 killed in a November fire at a Bangladesh factory.
A separate safety plan including co-ordinated inspections was announced by a group of mainly European brands on July 8.
Funding for the North American plan is based on how much production each retailer has in Bangladesh; those at higher levels will pay $1 million each year for five years.
So far, $42 million has been raised for the project. They will set aside 10 per cent of the funds to assist workers temporarily displaced by factory improvements or if a factory closes for safety reasons. The money will also support a non-governmental organization chosen to implement it. A decision on the NGO should come within 30 days.
Ontario targets mine safety in summer workplace inspection blitz
TORONTO – Ontario is launching a province-wide safety blitz targeting underground and surface mines this summer to ensure these facilities have an effective internal responsibility system (IRS) in place.
The IRS promotes a co-operative approach to health and compliance with Ontario’s health and safety regulations. It brings together all workplace parties, including employers, supervisors and employees who have key roles and take responsibility for workplace health and safety.
Mining inspectors will focus on the IRS by reviewing the following:
• employers have a safety policy posted in the workplace that is reviewed at least annually and have a program in place to implement that policy
• workers are aware of the policy and their roles and responsibilities
• an active joint health and safety committee or health and safety representative exists in the workplace where required.
Company, directors guilty in 2008 Toronto propane plant explosion
TORONTO — The directors of a Toronto propane facility have been found guilty of workplace safety and environmental violations in a 2008 explosion that killed a worker and a firefighter. The blast also forced the evacuation of 12,000 people from their homes.
Sunrise Propane Energy Group and two directors were convicted of nine of the 10 charges against them. Two charges fell under the Ontario Health and Safety Act, while seven were under the Ontario Environmental Protection Act.
Sunrise employee Parminder Saini was “incinerated” in the Aug. 10, 2008 blast when propane vapours ignited during a truck-to-truck transfer. The explosion created a massive fireball that was visible across the city. Bob Leek, a 55-year-old off-duty Toronto firefighter who responded to the call, died of a heart attack.
An Ontario Fire Marshal’s report noted that tank-to-tank and truck-to-truck transfers are illegal in the province. The company had been warned about the problem two years prior to the date of the explosion.
