Health and Safety ReportVolume 4, Issue 5 - May 2006

In the News

Expecting The Unexpected? You should, for the sake of emergency preparednessprint this article

What is the likelihood of a natural disaster striking the building where you work, or a chemical spill forcing your family to evacuate from the neighbourhood? No one knows for sure when, or if, disaster will strike. What we do know is that planning could make it far less disastrous.

During Emergency Preparedness Week, May 7 to 13, 2006, the Canadian government initiated a public education campaign titled "72 hours… Is your family prepared?" To mark the occasion, the government designed an emergency preparedness guide to help Canadians be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours in the event of an emergency.

It's important to know in advance who to call, what to do, and who will be in charge during an emergency. There's no time to figure it out when disaster strikes.

Employers have a responsibility to develop a plan, share it with their employees, and test it to make sure the plan works. For starters, an emergency plan covers essentials such as how to alert and evacuate staff, who is responsible for assisting handicapped individuals, where to find alternate medical aid, how to handle casualties, and where staff should gather for a head count once they are out of the danger zone.

Planning ahead can help prevent fatalities, injuries and property damage. It also speeds up the back-to-work process after an emergency has halted operations.

Besides providing guidance during a crisis, an emergency plan may help to equip your workplace by flagging deficiencies, such as a lack of emergency resources, supplies, or trained personnel. In addition, an emergency plan demonstrates the organization's commitment to workers' safety.

Emergency preparedness is equally important in the home. Learn what hazards exist in your area and what other types of risks for which you should be prepared. These may include flooding, earthquakes, chemical spills, power outages etc.

You need to:


  • know your home exits and the location of your fire extinguisher, water valve, electrical box, gas valve and floor drain
  • choose a meeting place for your family members (one close to your home and one outside of your neighbourhood in the event of an evacuation)
  • have a designated person to pick up your children if you are unable
  • have close and out-of-town contact persons
  • know health information
  • arrange a place for your pet to stay


Develop an emergency plan so everyone will know what to do and where to go if there is an emergency. Once you have an emergency plan, make sure everyone in your home knows it well and has access to a copy. The Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada website has an online tool to help you prepare a plan in about twenty minutes.

Your home must also have an emergency kit with all of the supplies you and your family need to survive for 72 hours during or after an emergency. Store the kit in easy to carry duffle bags or backpacks, in a location that is easy to access. Make sure everyone in the household knows where it is.

Your emergency kit should contain the following basic items:

  • Water - at least two litres of water per person, per day
  • Food that won't spoil, (canned or dried food, energy bars)
  • Manual can-opener
  • Flashlight and batteries
  • Candles and matches or lighter (place candles in sturdy containers and put them out before going to sleep)
  • Battery-powered or wind-up radio (and extra batteries)
  • First aid kit: Special items such as prescription medications, infant formula and equipment for people with disabilities
  • Babies/toddlers supplies: diapers, bottled milk, formula and food, toys, crayons and paper
  • Extra keys for your car and house
  • Cash in smaller bills ($10 bills) and change for payphones
  • Copies of important papers (personal documents such as identification for everyone, insurance papers, deed to your property)
  • A copy of your emergency plan, including contact information


Additional Kit Supplies

  • A change of clothing and footwear for each household member
  • Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each household member
  • A whistle (to attract attention)
  • Garbage bags for personal sanitation
  • Toilet paper and other personal care supplies (shampoo, hairbrush, tooth brush and toothpaste, soap and a towel and face cloth)
  • Safety gloves
  • Basic tools (hammer, pliers, wrench, screwdrivers, fasteners, work gloves)
  • Small fuel-driven stove and fuel (follow manufacturer's directions and store properly)


Mahatma Gandhi once said, "The future depends on what we do in the present." Planning and preparing today for emergencies that may occur in the future, are preventive steps that will help keep people protected and safe in their homes and in the workplace during an emergency.

Other resources:


CCOHS Emergency Planning OSH Answers

Emergency Response Planning Guide from CCOHS

Download the government's Emergency Preparedness Guide

Information from Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada

Canadian Red Cross: Together We Prepare

Hazard Alert

Don't Get Caught, Cornered Or Clipped By Equipmentprint this article

A worker in Nova Scotia was operating a bucket truck in a congested area. He was lifting the bucket in which he was standing, in the direction of a power line. While concentrating on avoiding the main power line, the operator did not notice a smaller guy wire. When the bucket caught it, the operator's hands became trapped between the guy wire and the bucket, resulting in a severed finger and several broken bones.

Anyone operating a bucket truck, Zoom Boom, boom truck or other elevating device is at risk of similar injury, especially in congested areas. The operator in Nova Scotia was injured because he could only give his full attention to one hazard at a time. When there are multiple hazards, operators have trouble watching all hazards simultaneously.

To help an operator avoid multiple hazards, there should be a "signaller" on site to help watch for hazards and warn the operator to avoid contact. Doing a hazard analysis (job analysis) ahead of time is important for operators working in congested areas or performing complex operations because it helps identify and avoid hazards before the work starts.

In another incident, a New Brunswick worker received injuries to his head and face while operating a roll-off truck. The incident happened when he attempted to transfer a roll-off waste container from a flat bed truck onto the bed of his truck.

The winch cable mounted on the roll-off truck was not long enough to reach the container. The operator used a grab chain with a small 5/16" cast hook to pull the container. He used it between the container and the 7 1/2 ton-rated hook on the end of the winch cable.

Once he had the container positioned at the edge of the flat bed, he tried to pull the roll-off container onto his truck, but because the bed of his truck was not tilted enough for a proper roll, the container got caught against the truck's back end. When the winch continued to pull, the container did not move. The small hook on the grab chain broke.

The 7 1/2 ton-rated hook and winch cable whipped back toward the rear window of the cab, where the operator was facing backward to observe the operation. The hook went through the rear window and struck the operator in the forehead.

The Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission of New Brunswick recommends the following preventive actions:


  • Never use a chain, rope or other connecting device between the winch cable and the container.
  • To prevent the hook from inadvertently becoming unhooked, it must have a safety latch.
  • When tilting the bed of a roll-off truck, follow manufacturer's instructions.
  • Finally, provide adequate protection for the rear window of the roll-off truck, such as a screen, shield, grill, deflector or guard, to be safe from flying or intruding objects.


Read the full alerts:

Nova Scotia Environment and Labour


Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission of New Brunswick

OSH Answers

Lower Back On Trackprint this article

It's time to debunk a couple of myths about preventing lower back injury. Myth #1: that strong back and abdominal muscles alone protect the back. Myth #2: that mobility and flexibility of the lumbar region are guaranteed to prevent episodes of back pain. Yes, strength and flexibility are generally recommended - but back health isn't quite so simple. Sometimes, traditional exercises that focus solely on developing the back muscles can cause more harm than good.

Having a healthy, pain-free back requires aerobic fitness, as well as healthy muscles in the "core" region of the spine and abdomen. These muscles are responsible for stabilizing the spine. Fairly recent research on the biomechanics of the back suggests that spinal stability, through muscle endurance, is critical to a healthy back.

The way to achieve and maintain a stable spine is to exercise the back extensor and abdominal muscles in a special way that spares the back. Exercises designed for spinal stability, as detailed on the OSH Answers website, focus on keeping the spine properly aligned with no additional load. Ideally, these exercises should be tailored to the individual, however those listed here are generally safe for anyone wanting to improve the stability of their spine.

Recommended exercises include the "Cat-Camel," as a warm-up; the "Bird-dog" for the back extensors; the "Curl-Up" for the abdominal muscles; and the "Side Bridge" for the lateral and oblique muscles of the abdominal and lumbar regions.

You'll find step-by-step instructions, with photos showing how to perform each exercise, at the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety's OSH Answers website.

For best results, do these exercises every day for at least 15 to 30 minutes (when you're just getting out of bed is not a good time to exercise). Do not force any movements. Ignore the old "no pain, no gain" principle - remember, you're trying to spare your back. You can complement your back exercises with gentle cardiovascular activity, such as walking, cycling or swimming. If you want to increase the intensity of your exercises, increase the number of repetitions rather than using additional weights.

Your lower back is a complex structure of vertebrae, disks, spinal cord, and nerves, and should be treated with care. Add this set of exercises to your fitness regimen. If you are patient and stick with it, you'll soon start to feel the benefits of a healthier lower back on your quality of life.

Read the CCOHS OSH Answers: Exercises for a Healthy Back

Partner News

Handle With Care: Let's Protect Our Young Workersprint this article

Here comes summer, and with it an onslaught of eager young workers. As thousands of Canadian youth start their summer jobs, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) wants to make sure they're informed of their rights, aware of the hazards and risks and safe on the job.

The injury statistics on young workers are alarming. Workers between the ages of 15 and 24 accounted for one in five of Ontario's lost-time and no-lost-time claims between 2000 and 2004. During that same time period, 60 workers under the age of 25 died of work-related traumatic injuries.

The WSIB has launched an extensive marketing campaign targeted at young workers, their parents and employers. The campaign features radio ads, web banners, and poster ads on public transit and at convenience stores. The ads highlight the true stories of Trista, Randy and Leonard, three young workers whose lives have been seriously affected by a workplace tragedy. The WSIB's campaign is designed to make youth more aware of safety risks in the workplace, and to reinforce that they have rights and responsibilities under health and safety law.

While every employer has a legal responsibility to ensure a safe workplace, young workers should know that they, too, have an important role to play in ensuring their safety and the safety of their co-workers.

"Statistics indicate that young workers are more likely to be injured on the first month of a job than at any other time," says WSIB President and Interim Chair Jill Hutcheon. "It's vital that we help change this trend and, through improved safety tips and knowledge, we are optimistic we can accomplish this."

Why are young workers getting injured on the job? Research from WorkSafe BC has uncovered a few reasons: Young workers lack training and experience. They may not fully understand, or be confident about, their rights as workers. They may not be prepared for the workplace. Sometimes, young workers are asked to do dangerous jobs and, feeling youthful and invincible, they face the challenge head-on without asking questions. Young workers also tend to be more easily distracted than older workers.

Workplaces can be dangerous and the risk of injury further increases when employers fail to provide orientation, training, supervision and a positive environment for young workers. Employers should think of themselves as mentor, teacher and guide to every new employee, particularly young workers.

The WSIB's safety awareness campaign aims to promote a safer, healthier workplace to protect those who are most vulnerable - today's youth who are tomorrow's workforce.

Have a safe summer.

Visit the WSIB's young worker website, www.youngworker.ca


Visit the Young Workers Zone, a safety site for new and young workers and their parents, teachers and employers.

CCOHS News

Workplace Violence print this article

Wherever you find people, there is a possibility of finding violent behaviour. Workplaces in every business sector have had people problems. Behaviour considered "violent" means not only hitting, shoving, pushing or kicking, but also includes threatening behaviour such as shaking one's fists, throwing things, swearing, or expressing an intent to inflict harm. Any behaviour that physically or verbally demeans, embarrasses, humiliates, annoys, alarms, hurts or abuses a person should be unacceptable in any workplace.

Do such problems exist at your work? Your best bet for finding out, and for addressing violence or preventing future incidents, is to develop a comprehensive workplace violence prevention program. The process actually starts with a hazard assessment, which is key to finding out what the issues are in your workplace. Another essential piece is a written policy that lets employees know that management is committed to violence prevention and will not tolerate violent behaviour. The policy spells out, in clear language, what behaviour - violence, intimidation, bullying, harassment, etc. - the organization considers inappropriate and unacceptable. It outlines what employees should do in case of an incident, including whom to contact and how to report the incident.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has introduced a trio of e-courses focused on the prevention of workplace violence.

The free 15-minute Violence in the Workplace: Awareness course defines workplace violence, describes important risk factors and introduces the next two e-courses in the series.

Recognize the Risk and Take Action helps frontline supervisors and workers assess the level of risk in their organization and take preventive measures. It takes approximately one hour to complete. Content includes ways to reduce the risk of violence, what to do during a violent encounter in the workplace, employers' legal responsibilities, and more.

Establish a Prevention Program participants will gain the knowledge and tools they need to eliminate or minimize the potential for workplace violence. This 90-minute course provides guidance and tips on how to develop an effective workplace-specific violence prevention program.

Fear nor harm should be a part of a person's work day. Employers have a legal obligation to provide a safe workplace for employees and to ensure they are free from workplace violence. After completing these CCOHS e-courses, you will know how to recognize the risk in your organization, develop a prevention program, and take necessary action to keep your workplace safe.

More information on the Violence in the Workplace e-courses

OSH Answers on workplace violence

Violence in the Workplace Prevention Guide (171-page publication)

Download the free violence prevention poster.

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