The MOL released the results of its Feb. 2012 inspection blitz focused on hazards involving manual materials handling that can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Highlights:

MOL inspectors conducted 2,041 visits to 1,718 workplaces and issued 4,869 orders, including 303 stop work orders.
The most common ergonomics–related …

According to an update from WorkSafeBC, since the sawmill explosion and fire on April 23, WorkSafeBC officers have inspected 36 sawmills in the Interior North region, which encompasses sawmills that process wood killed by pine beetles. They issued a total of 59 inspection reports, 23 …

WorkSafeBC provided an update on the status of its ongoing investigation into the explosion and fire at the Babine Forest Products sawmill in Burns Lake on Jan. 20, 2012 in which two workers died. The Investigation Update provides a summary of information being shared with …

A chart of the powers government inspectors in each part of Canada may exercise when conducting inspections under the OHS law.

Beginning May 1, 2012, an MOL enforcement blitz will target workplaces where new and young workers are employed. Health and safety inspectors will check that employers comply with the OHS Act and ensure young workers:

Are protected by required safety measures, equipment and procedures to prevent …

A marine OHS inspector inspected a Coast Guard vessel and observed an elevated platform that had a fall arrest system but no guardrail. So he issued a violation for the lack of guardrail, which the employer appealed. The OHS Tribunal upheld the violation. Although it …

The MOL has released its new 2012-2013 inspection blitz schedule. Inspections will focus on hazards ranging from workplace violence and harassment to infection control and underground mining ventilation hazards. The focus of the first blitz, which will take place May through August, will be on …

What you say to government inspectors after a safety incident could come back to haunt you in criminal court.

After getting an anonymous call, CSST inspectors went to a construction site and filmed the workers. The employer was later convicted of safety violations. It appealed, arguing that by videotaping the site, the inspectors engaged in a criminal investigation. The appeals court ruled that whether …

Throughout March, MOL inspectors will visit construction projects employing workers in high-rise and low-rise formwork, masonry, siding and built-up roofing work to ensure that:

Work areas are safe from hazards that cause dangerous slips, trips or falls
Workers are using fall protection systems properly and equipment such …