Excavation Contractor Fined $25,000 for Pedestrian Fatality
A pedestrian died after getting hit by a dump truck that was clearing debris from a shopping center undergoing renovations. The driver apparently got the signal to reverse from an […]
Favorite
Texting at Service Stop Is Just Cause to Fire Driver with Disciplinary History
Sending a text message on her cell phone while her vehicle was parked at a service stop with its four-way flashers on was the last straw for a city bus […]
Favorite
$25,000 Fine for Dump Truck Fatality
A construction management firm was fined $25,000, including a $10,000 creative sentence to produce safety videos, for a fatality involving a dump truck that was backed at the water’s edge […]
Favorite
Traffic Accident Is Work Related Even If Worker Isn’t Doing Ordinary Job Duties
An injured electrician was told she could return to work as long as she produced a doctor’s note assessing her medical capabilities. She got the letter and was in the […]
Favorite
Fatal Traffic Accident Costs Bus Driver His Driving Position but Not His Job
A Toronto Transit Commission bus driver got fired after running over a 14-year-old passenger right after she exited the bus. Adding to the gut-wrenching was that the driver continued on […]
Favorite
Bakery Company Fined $700,000 for Separate Temp Worker Fatalities
The first fatality took place when a tractor-trailer backed into a temp who had left his post on the bread assembly line to smoke a cigarette in the loading area. […]
Favorite
The Biggest OHS Fines of 2021 (So Far)
OHS fines keep getting higher. There have already been over a dozen 6-figure reported penalties in the first 6 months of 2021. That’s more than we’d usually see for an […]
Favorite
The Most Important OHS Compliance Cases of 2021 (So Far)
Although COVID-19 continues to command the attention of OHS regulators, courts across Canada have also issued a number of significant non-pandemic OHS compliance rulings in the first 6 months of […]
Favorite
Installing Camera in Truck to Analyze Accident Causes Is Valid Safety Measure
The union claimed that installing a DriveCam system in the cockpit of concrete mixers was an unwarranted intrusion of drivers’ privacy. The employer contended it was a justifiable safety measure […]
Favorite
Driver Keeps His Job Even Though His “Slackness” Caused Expensive Accident
The semi-trailer driver would have noticed the misalignment between the vehicle and trailer had he been paying attention and gotten out of the vehicle to inspect before unloading the way […]
Favorite
Speeding Past Stopped School Bus Is Just Cause to Terminate
A heavy truck driven by an Apprentice Powerline Technician “blew by” a yellow school bus that had stopped to pick up a young girl. Witnesses, including one of the girl’s […]
Favorite
Stop Work Order Appeal Leads to Citation for OHS Violation
What began as an appeal of a stop work order requiring a building contractor to stop using a backup proximity sensor on a Ford F-350 pickup truck after modifications to […]
Favorite
Is a First Distracted Driving Offence Just Cause to Terminate? – Ask The Expert
Employees guilty of distracted driving may not get a second chance if driving is their job. QUESTION Can we terminate an employee for distracted driving if it’s just a first offence, or […]
Favorite
Driver Safety Quiz
QUESTION What are the three main types of distracted driving? ANSWER Visual distraction – taking your eyes off the wheel. Manual distraction - taking your hands off the wheel. Cognitive distraction - […]
Favorite
Delay in Reporting Work Injury Nearly Costs Worker His Workers Comp Benefits
On Sept. 4, a truck driver in a stone quarry twists his knee while climbing out of the vehicle. Not wanting to miss any work, he takes anti-inflammatory drugs and […]
Favorite
Safety Requirements for Servicing of Tires, Wheels & Rims Around Canada
Tire explosions are an all too frequent source of workplace fatalities and serious injuries. Incidents typically occur while tires mounted on fixed rims are inflated or subject to extreme heat. […]
Favorite
Around the Provinces: Powered Mobile Equipment Signaler Requirements Across Canada
Incidents involving forklifts and other powered mobile equipment are a leading cause of workplace injuries. And while all jurisdictions require employers to deploy signallers to direct PME operators, the rules […]
Favorite
Compliance Cheat Sheet: How to Comply with Powered Mobile Equipment Signaller Requirements
Unsafe operation of forklifts and other powered mobile equipment (PME) is a leading cause of workplace fatalities and serious injuries. Although there are no equivalent Canadian studies, OSHA estimates that […]
Favorite
Vehicle Safety Checklist
BENEFITS Anyone who operates a motor vehicle as part of his or her job is at risk of being involved in a roadway crash. You can help your workers stay safe […]
Favorite
Is Employer Liable for Worker’s Negligent Driving of Work Vehicle Without Permission?
SITUATION A roofer is working at a residential construction site in the winter. His employer gives him access to a company truck located at the site. The truck’s attached to a […]
Favorite
Who’s Liable for Injury in Accident Caused by Worker’s Speeding?
SITUATION A transportation company employs workers to carry cargo for third party customers. It leases vehicles for use by its workers. Two workers use a leased truck to transport cargo for […]
Favorite
Does Stopping for Coffee on Work Trip Remove Worker from Course of Employment?
SITUATION Two co-workers using a company car to travel to a worksite as directed by their employer decide to stop for coffee along their route. After getting their coffee, they continue […]
Favorite
Traffic Control Planning & Preparation Checklist
BENEFITS Because workers who work on or near roadways are at risk of being hit by passing vehicles, employers must implement measures to protect workers from this hazard, such as by […]
Favorite
Roadside Work Preparation Checklist
BENEFITS When workers must work on or near roads, they’re at risk of being hit by passing vehicles or by work vehicles being used by co-workers. To adequately protect workers at […]
Favorite
Traffic Control Plan Checklist
BENEFITS Workers who work on or near roadways are at risk of being hit by passing vehicles. Employers have a duty to protect workers from this hazard and can do so […]
Favorite
ERAP Application Checklist
BENEFITS The Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act (TDGA) sets requirements for transporting dangerous goods to minimize the risk of a release or spill that could endanger the environment, workers and others. […]
Favorite
Distracted Driving: The Impact on Employer Liability
Technology changes faster than law. As a result, the OHS laws don’t currently address cell phone use by workers much less distracted driving. But the fact is that employers do […]
Favorite
Vehicle Inspection Checklist
BENEFITS If your workers regularly drive as part of their jobs, it’s important that you have road safety policies and practices in place to ensure their safety while on the road. […]
Favorite
Winter Driving Preparation Checklist
BENEFITS If your workers drive as part of their jobs, it’s important that you have road safety policies and practices in place to ensure their safety while on the road—which is […]
Favorite