Return-to-work strategies critical for employees with depression: Report • Oil and gas safety association releases anti-fatigue principles • A major pain in the back • Ontario rejects mine safety inquiry: Steelworkers union • WorkSafeNB to offer OHS fundamentals course • Ontario to launch health-care blitz focusing on MSDs
Return-to-work strategies critical for employees with depression: Report
OTTAWA — Canadian organizations need to put in place graduated return-to-work strategies and other accommodations to help employees who return to work after being treated for depression, according to a report by the Conference Board of Canada.
The new survey of employees and supervisors found that after a work absence due to depression, two-thirds of employees who return have difficulty concentrating, remembering things, making decisions and performing tasks — even after being medically cleared to return to their jobs.
According to the report, the specific strategies and accommodations required will depend on the individual’s circumstances but might include reducing distractions to improve concentration or providing minutes of meetings to assist with memory and follow-up tasks, found Depression in the Workplace: Insights from Employees and Supervisors.
Oil and gas safety association releases anti-fatigue principles
CALGARY — A new set of guiding principles created to address the issue of rising workplace fatigue in the upstream oil and gas industry is being released by Enform, the industry’s safety association in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The Fatigue Risk Management Guiding Principles is intended to draw attention to the effects that fatigue has on operating vehicles and operating machinery for industry-specific tasks.
The principles have met the approval of six different industry associations and will be used as the initial undertaking of a larger campaign to raise awareness of the issue, Enform says. The organization also plans to further develop tools for the industry to combat the problem.
A major pain in the back
VANCOUVER — New data from British Columbia’s workers’ compensation board shows the high toll back pain is taking on individuals and organizations.
One in five workers in the province have back problems, and it accounts for more days lost than any other type of injury, according to WorkSafeBC.
Between 2002 and 2012, back strain injury affected between 12,000 and 15,000 workers in B.C. annually — totaling more than 140,000 claims. In the same time period, back strain injury also accounted for three deaths, which arose from medical complications from the treatment of the original injury.
The agency also looked back at numbers over the last 30 years and found, overall, back injuries have remained pretty consistent in relation to other injuries — between 1980 and 2012, 22 per cent to 26 per cent of all time-loss injuries in B.C. were related to backs.
Ontario rejects mine safety inquiry: Steelworkers union
TORONTO — Ontario has rejected a call for a public inquiry into mine safety, according to the United Steelworkers union.
Instead, the province is planning to announce a review of mining practices, the union says it has learned from a senior government source.
The Steelworkers say this falls short of the scope and standards of a commission of inquiry.
The government’s plan for a review is expected to be announced soon by Labour Minister Yasir Naqvi. The minister will create a legislative review committee to consult with industry stakeholders, visit mining communities and review reports of previous inquiries and commissions, according to the Steelworkers.
WorkSafeNB to offer OHS fundamentals course
SAINT JOHN, N.B. — WorkSafeNB will offer a new educational workshop called Occupational Health and Safety Fundamentals (OHSF) this fall. The workshop builds on the prerequisites of the three-day Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) core training.
The course aims to provide trainers and health and safety co-ordinators with a basic working knowledge of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, as well as the theories underlying workplace health and safety, said Lisa Waugh, a WorkSafeNB education consultant.
The workshop takes place over three consecutive Fridays. An English workshop is scheduled in Fredericton in October, and a French workshop takes place in Saint-Basile, N.B., the following month.
Ontario to launch health-care blitz focusing on MSDs
TORONTO — Ontario will inspect health-care facilities during a province-wide blitz this fall, checking for hazards that can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). In October, Ministry of Labour inspectors will visit long-term care homes, health and community care services, retirement homes and other health-care workplaces.
They will ensure proper procedures are in place for client handling and manual materials handling to prevent MSD injuries among staff.
The blitz will focus on the following:
• client handling, including lifting, transferring and repositioning of clients
• manual materials handling, including lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling and carrying of objects
• use and maintenance of carts in housekeeping and other support service areas.
