A miner named Mike Laforet, aka “Black Mike,” wrote a letter threatening to make war against government inspectors. In his letter, which was sent to the Premier, members of Parliament and the media, Laforet claimed that “make-work bureaucrats” are harassing placer miners, that is, miners …

A routine inspection of a construction site revealed two workers on a roof without fall protection and a person under the age of 16 working onsite. The contractor pleaded guilty to three violations of the OHS Act for failing to utilize a fall protection system, …

Starting Feb., the MOL will blitz workplaces in the construction, health care, industrial and mining sectors looking for hazards involving manual materials handling that can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Click here for information from the MOL on preventing MSDs.

Last August, the MOL conducted an inspection blitz on hazards involving all types of access equipment at construction sites. Inspectors visited 903 workplaces and issued 2,955 orders, including 243 stop-work orders. The most commonly issued orders were for lack of adequate supervision and training, and …

A poultry processing plant is appealing an order to clean up the facility’s air, much to the union’s dismay. Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health division issued the plant a second improvement order as the air in the plant was making workers sick. For the past …

An MOL inspector ordered a company to install a fireline in a tunnel under construction. There was no fireline, standpipe or hose in the tunnel but there were several fire extinguishers, which the company claimed were sufficient for worker safety. So it challenged the order …

The penalties collected in 2011 in Alberta for OHS violations totaled more than $3.4 million—doubling the $1.7 million collected by the province in 2010. More than $2.3 million was in creative sentences paid to third parties, such as post-secondary institutions, training programs, rescue societies and …

The MOL released the results of recent safety blitzes on: Pits and quarriesNew and young workers.

In some jurisdictions, the agencies in charge of enforcement of the OHS laws conduct inspection blitzes in which they focus on a particular type of hazard, requirement or industry. AB, ON and SK are just a few examples. Should Government Warn Employers of Coming Inspections? …

During a routine inspection of a construction site, inspectors saw workers on the rafters of a new building without fall protection or approved headwear. The contractor pleaded guilty to three safety violations and was fined $2,040. A supervisor for the contractor also pleaded guilty to …