Municipal workers placed on unpaid leave for defying the employer’s mandatory vaccination policy claimed they were the victim of OHS reprisals. Their argument: By disobeying the policy, we were looking
The union contended that the employer violated the collective agreement by unilaterally imposing and then terminating long term care home workers for refusing to comply with a mandatory vaccination policy.
An employee went on medical leave in 2016 and never returned. Three years later, the company terminated her employment for frustration of contract. A month later, she sued for constructive
A housekeeper claimed she developed shoulder problems as a result of doing repetitive tasks at work. The New Brunswick WHSCC, as it was called back then, rejected her workers comp
An elevator construction and maintenance firm issued employees a mobile device that, among other things, deploys global positioning satellite (GPS) technology to track their whereabouts during work hours. The union
A plywood manufacturer was on the receiving end of the largest administrative monetary penalty for OHS violations in BC in 2021 (reported so far). The $547,080 penalty was for a
As required by industry regulations, 5 U.S. residents employed by Delta Air Lines stayed overnight in a local hotel during a layover in Vancouver. Delta paid the hotel bill and
A yard manager initiated a work refusal claiming that his farm plant co-workers weren’t social distancing or using face masks. The OHS investigator concluded that the plant was complying with
A worker suffered a fatal injury while towing a tri-axle 5th wheel RV unit with a John Deere tractor. A co-worker found the body pinned in a jack-knife position between
An oil worker claimed that his supervisor was racist and that Suncor demanded he sign a letter acknowledging that his position was safety-sensitive and thus subject to random drug testing,
A track operations foreman got fired after a post-incident test came back positive for cocaine. The union contended that the penalty was a gross over-reaction resulting from an unfair investigation.
A maintenance worker cleaning a coal stacking machine fell 17 metres to his death when the grating of the catwalk floor he was standing on collapsed under his feet. The
When I first started covering OHS compliance more than 20 years ago, six-figure fines were relatively rare—occurring maybe 3 or 4 times per year. In 2021, there were no
The system you use to provide workers Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (TDGR) training may become obsolete on February 9, 2022, when Transport Canada’s new Competency-Based Training requirements take effect.
TDGR training must go beyond awareness and include job functions The system you use to provide workers Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (TDGR) training may become obsolete on February 9,
Alberta just made 6 significant changes to its OHS rules, all of which took effect on December 1, 2021: 1. Prime Contractors at Non-Construction Sites Any work site where workers
If you thought 2021 was a tough year, just wait until you see what 2022 has in store. In addition to the perennial difficulties that come with running an OHS
Families of the victims and others involved in the tragic 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash have joined forces to file a negligence class action lawsuit against the driver and government
An editor working in a cramped basement asked his manager to require people at the site to wear facemasks to guard against COVID-19. The manager refused, saying that he considered
An employer awaited sentence after pleading guilty to an OHS forklift violation with a penalty range of between $17,179 and $68,721. The prosecutor asked for a $48,106 fine, while the
Although it wasn’t necessarily something they had planned to do, when clients began insisting that contractor workers present proof of vaccination to gain entry, housekeeping companies adopted mandatory vaccination verification
Is coronavirus infection a work-related injury under workers comp? One of the first cases to address this crucial question involved a truck driver required to be in confined spaces where
A worker operating his forklift at high speed without wearing a seatbelt got killed when the machine tipped over on its side while negotiating a sharp 90⁰ corner. The employer
A power company required employees to self-test for COVID-19 from home and send in a video of the process twice a week. Vaccinated employees got the rapid antigen tests for
The Electrical Safety Authority’s mandatory vaccination policy was unreasonable to the extent employees could be fired, disciplined or placed on unpaid leave for refusing to comply, the arbitrator ruled. Unlike
Courts and arbitrators are now weighing in on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies. One policy to survive an early legal challenge is the one covering 4,400 security guards working at 450
A lab chemist slammed a female co-worker in the arm with her fume hood window, causing a bruise. The chemist claimed the hood was too far open and that he
A Northwest Territories diamond mine operator has been charged with multiple Mine Health & Safety Act violations, including failure to provide adequate training and safe work procedures for blasting work.
A truck driver with a record of attendance, performance and attitude issues managed to hang onto her job. The beginning of the end came when she was pulled over for
A worker at a residential construction site was stapling mesh onto a wall on the second floor when he stepped off the edge of an unguarded stairwell and fell approximately
