LAWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Manitoba Workplace Injuries: First Quarter 2018 vs. First Quarter 2017
| Metric | First Quarter 2018 | First Quarter 2017 |
| Total injuries | 690 | 700 |
| Time loss injuries | 270 | 320 |
| Non-time loss injuries | 420 | 380 |
| Severe injuries | 35 | 90 |
| MSIs | 55 | 160 |
Source: SAFE Work Compass
Cannabis
April 23: Manitoba continues to make progress on recreational cannabis legalization with a trio of bills receiving second reading:
- Bill 11 regulating cannabis production, sale and distribution
- Bill 25 amending the Non-Smokers Health Protection and Vapour Products Act to ban smoking and vaping of cannabis in outdoor places including streets, sidewalks, parks, beaches, school grounds, restaurant patios and decks and health care facility grounds (indoor smoking and vaping was banned last year)
- Bill 26 imposing strict new penalties for cannabis-impaired driving. The new rules build on legislation passed last year that bans smoking and vaping in indoor workplaces and enclosed public spaces. Meanwhile, strict new penalties for cannabis-impaired driving have also been added to traffic highway safety laws.
Distracted Driving
April 23: The Assembly gave second reading to Bill 17 creating new penalties for distracted driving. Highlights:
- Licence suspensions for use of hand-operated electronic device while driving of 3 days for first offence and 7 days for subsequent offences
- Peace officers must report careless driving to Motor Vehicle Registrar
- Upon receiving report, Registrar must review driver’s record to determine need for corrective actions.
Transportation Safety
April 23: It’s on to committee after second reading of Bill 14 the proposed overhaul of the system Manitoba uses to regulate its roadways by, among other things, allowing municipalities to set their own speed limits and consolidating the antiquated “two plate” CT/PSV registration system for heavy trucks.
Manitoba OHS Fines Scorecard (First Quarter 2018)
| Fine | Offender | Offence(s) | Trigger Incident |
| $31K | Frontier School Division | Failure to provide machine guarding | Shop class student injures hand after contacting blade of table saw |
| $10,075 | 316291 Alberta Ltd. operating as Western Archrib | Failure to immediately notify government of serious incident involving a worker | Metal barrel that wasn’t properly purged of flammable contents explodes while being cut by oxygen acetylene torch |
| $5K | Utec Resources Ltd. operating as A1 Eavestroughing | Failure to protect worker on scaffold | Worker installing soffit and facia along roof of commercial building falls 9 feet after his scaffold collapses resulting in serious injuries |
| $4K | Dylan Gerring operating as Spartan Builders | Failure to control hazards of excavation work | Gas line rupture causes explosion on residential street |
