Nurses Ordered to Get Flu Shot or Wear Mask

October 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

If Unwilling to Get Flu Shot, Will Need to Wear Mask
 
Health care workers in British Columbia have been informed that if they are not willing to get jabbed with the flu shot, they will have to conceal their faces.
 
The province’s Ministry of Health Services announced recently that, beginning at the start of the flu season, any health care workers who come into contact with patients at publicly-funded health care facilities will be required to wear a surgical or procedural mask if they refuse, for whatever reason, to get the influenza vaccine. Nurses not wearing the mask could be looking at discipline up to termination, the policy states.
 
 
Participation Rate of Similar Programs > 95%
 
Similar programs in the U.S. have seen immunization levels of health care workers higher than 95 percent, according to reports.
 
“We know that healthcare workers get influenza and they continue to work if they have mild symptoms and they can spread the virus and be infectious even before they get symptoms,” Provincial Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall said, noting that approximately 10 to 20 percent of nurses get influenza in a flu season, similar to the general population.
 
 
Nurses Can Quickly Spread Virus Without Showing Symptoms
 
The problem with nurses not getting flu shots, Kendall remarked, is that studies have shown that nurses carrying the influenza virus often do not show any symptoms and would still come to work — and those that do get sick are still able to spread the virus for 24 hours before showing symptoms.
 
According to the new policy, which will likely come into effect in December, workers will get a sticker that will be affixed to their ID badges to show whether they have been immunized or not. In addition to being available from anywhere flu shots are available to the public, many health authorities are offering peer nurse immunizations.
 
The ministry decided against a mandatory immunization policy and offered the option of masks in an effort to avoid any court or labor challenges that might arise, Kendall noted.
 
 
Mandatory Immunization Avoided
 
“Mandatory immunization is a hot-button issue and quite frankly we’d rather spend our energy on trying to educate and inform and produce a safer environment on patients than spending it in front of labor relations tribunals or dealing with the issues of mandatory programs,” Kendall stated.
 
Meantime, the British Columbia Nurses’ Union continues discussions with the ministry about the policy and is not talking about challenging it, according to a spokesperson.
 
The spokesperson noted that the ID badge stickers are a point of contention and are reportedly an invasion of the healthcare worker’s personal health information.
 

Author Michael B. Stack, CPA, Director of Operations, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in employer communication systems and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. He is a writer, speaker, and website publisher.  www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com.  Contact:  mstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com. 

 

 


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British Columbia Gas and Dash Laws for Workers Changing

February 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment
WorkSafeBC is changing British Columbia's gas-and-dash laws after businesses complained some of the regulations to protect late-night workers were not feasible.
 
 
According to information from The Canadian Press WorkSafeBC spokeswoman Roberta Ellis said employers now have a third option to protect workers that doesn't include hiring more employees or erecting barriers. (WCxKit)
 
 
Ellis denied the changes are watering down what's become known as Grant's Law, which was brought in after gas station attendant Grant DePatie was dragged to death in a gas-and-dash in March 2005
 
 
According to Ellis, the pre-pay gas policy remains, but employers now have the option of taking other safety measures to avoid hiring additional staff or erecting cage-like barriers in late-night stores.
 
 
But if employers include the third option, which involves eight safety controls, they are obligated to implement each one and can't pick and choose among them, Ellis said.
 
 
The third option steps are: installing a time-lock safe that can't be opened during late night hours, storing most cash and lottery tickets in the time-lock safe, ensuring good visibility inside and outside of store, limiting access to inside of store, monitoring business by video surveillance and erecting signs advising that the safe can't be opened, that there is limited cash and lottery tickets on sight and that the store is monitored by video.
 
 
The third option also requires that late-night employees must be at least 19 years old and provided with emergency transmitters monitored by the employer, a security company or another person designated by the employers.
 
 
The amendments become effective on April 15, 2012.
 
 
The Western Canadian Convenience Store Association, representing 2,400 stores with 25,000 employees, released a statement backing the amendments. (WCxKit)
 
 
B.C. Federation of Labour president Jim Sinclair noted pressure from the business lobby prompted WorkSafeBC to change some of the best worker-protection regulations in North America.
 
 
 

Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. He is an editor and contributor to Workers Compensation Management Program: Reduce Costs 20% to 50%. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.

 

 


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Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.

 

©2012 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact us at: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.

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British Columbia Mining Company Pleads Guilty to Worker Fatality in Yukon

November 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A Burnaby, British Columbia-based mining company has pleaded guilty to two occupational health and safety charges stemming from a fatal workplace accident in Yukon..
 
 
According to the Canadian OH&S News, a 20-year-old apprentice mechanic employed by Procon Mining and Tunneling Ltd. was working at Yukon Zinc Corporation's Wolverine Mine site south of Ross River. While driving his 2004 Toyota Land Cruiser down a 15 percent decline to deliver a part for a piece of equipment to another worker, Paul Wentzell came upon another piece of equipment parked on the ramp. He stopped, pushed the Land Cruiser's emergency brake actuation button on the dashboard (but not the regular parking brake), left the truck in neutral and walked toward the parled equipment. (WCxKit) 
 
 
The emergency brake did not hold and the vehicle rolled down the decline, striking the young worker from behind, causing serious internal injuries according to a preliminary investigation report into the accident. The vehicle came to a stop approximately 20 meters from where it was originally parked when it collided with the second piece of equipment.
 
 
Almost two years after the incident, Procon Mining and Tunneling pleaded guilty to two charges, according to Frank Fry, a spokesman for the Yukon Workers Compensation Health and Safety Board. In particular, the charges relate to the failure to ensure that the emergency brakes on the Toyota Land Cruiser were maintained in a safe operating condition and failure to ensure that a worker had demonstrated competence in operating the vehicle to a supervisor or qualified person.
 
 
Six other charges have been stayed, Fry said. This means these counts could be revisited within a year. The charges relate to the alleged failure to:
 

1.       ensure the vehicle was properly identified when unsafe for use;

2.       inspect, repair or maintain a braking system in accordance with good engineering  practice;

3.       inspect the vehicle's braking system within its 250-hour maintenance schedule;

4.       ensure the worker had received adequate training in the safe use and operation of the Land Cruiser;

5.       ensure the worker was under direct supervision when operating mobile equipment; and,

6.       ensure the emergency brake actuation control was identified to show the function it served.

 

 
Fry said in the territory the fine for a first offense is up to a maximum of $150,000 and up to $300,000 for subsequent penalties. Procon Mining and Tunneling will appear in court for its sentencing hearing. (WCxKit)
 
 
Mine owner Yukon Zinc Corporation is not facing any charges in connection with the incident. "Only Procon was charged because the safety issues involved with the fatality were related directly to that company's operations and did not involve any aspects of the mine's operations," Fry added.
 
 

Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
 
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
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Squalid Camp in British Columbia Lead to Long Overdue Wages

October 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Some long overdue wages are finally being paid to 57 tree planters, more than a year after they were found without adequate food, water or shelter in a remote camp in southeastern B.C., according to a report from The Canadian Press.
 
 
Minister of Labour Stephanie Cadieux says the former employees of Khaira Enterprises are splitting the $105,000 held in trust since the workers were discovered in the squalid camp near Golden, in July 2010. (WCxKit)
 
 
The money is part of a Ministry of Forests holdback of payments due to the Surrey-based contractor and makes up just under half of the $228,000 in back wages the B.C. Employment Standards Branch ordered the company to pay its tree planters.
 
 
Cadieux says the province will pursue the owners and directors of Khaira, to ensure the remaining wages are paid to the mainly immigrant workers  many who had only recently arrived from Africa.
 
 
In addition to the payment order from the Employment Standards Branch, the discovery of the abused and hungry workers prompted an investigation by B.C.'s forest safety ombudsman. (WCxKit)
 
 
That report, issued in late July, made 13 recommendations, such as changing the way forestry contracts are awarded, to ensure the lowest bidder is not automatically successful.
 
 
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.

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Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
 
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
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British Worker Killed from Poor Machine Maintenance Program

June 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A British worker suffered fatal head injuries recently when he was struck by a steel barrier while carrying out maintenance on a machine.
 
 
Balbir Rayatt, 55, from Ilford, Essex, worked as an engineering and maintenance manager for car mat manufacturer Cannon Automotive Limited in Tottenham, London. (WCxKit)
 
 
On May 20, 2008, Rayatt suffered fatal head injuries when the heavy steel fabrication barrier fell on him while carrying out repairs on a rubber-mixing machine.
 
 
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation revealed the barrier had been stored vertically and unsecured against rubber compound powder containers. The court heard the firm failed to assess the risks and implement a suitable and sufficient safe system of work for the maintenance of the mixer. 
 
 
City of London Magistrates’ Court heard Cannon Automotive Limited did not supervise, manage, monitor, audit or review its arrangements regarding maintenance operations on the mixer to ensure they met the health and safety standards.
 
 
Cannon Automotive Limited of Tottenham, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined a total of $33,266 and ordered to pay costs of $21,836.39.
 
 
Speaking after the prosecution, HSE Inspector Neil Fry noted, "This tragic death was utterly preventable. Poor standards and failure to keep working environments in a good condition are a major cause of these types of incidents and also occupational diseases.
 
 
"Maintenance is a process that affects every aspect of safety and health and when a tragedy such as this occurs it demonstrates the importance of planning when carrying out maintenance work. (WCxKit)
 
 
"Unfortunately it is too late for Mr. Rayatt, but I would hope employers in London and around the UK will take note."
 
 
 
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact:Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.

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Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
 
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
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Roofing and Construction Injuries Top List of British Columbia Workplace Safety Fines

April 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment
In 2010, WorkSafeBC (British Columbia) imposed 256 penalties, totaling $3,163,898 against employers for violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation and theWorkers Compensation Act.
 
 
The 256 penalties issued in 2010 were imposed against 232 individual employers, with penalty amounts ranging from $1,000 to $145,046.98. A total of 12 incidents in which an employer was penalized involved a fatality. (WCxKit)
 
 
“WorkSafeBC penalizes employers who have not been motivated by other means to comply with their responsibility to ensure their workplaces are healthy and safe,” said Donna Wilson, vice president of the Industry Services & Sustainability Division of WorkSafeBC. “A penalty is not imposed if an employer is found to have taken all reasonable steps to prevent circumstances that involve violations that can lead to serious injury or death.”
 
 
Employers from 58 industry classifications received penalties in 2010. Companies in five construction-related classifications accounted for 65% (168) of the penalties imposed. Those companies were in the following industry classifications:
 

1.      Steep Slope Roofing – 34.7% 89)

2.      House or Other Wood Frame General Contracting, Construction or Renovation Work – 11.3% (29)

3.      Framing or Residential Forming – 10.9% (28)

4.      Low Slope Roofing – 4.68% (12)

5.      Industrial, Commercial, Institutional or Highrise Residential General Contracting or Construction – 3.9% (10)

 
Administrative penalties are not the only means to motivate an employer to comply with the Regulation and the Act. Following is a list of WorkSafeBCs enforcement activities in 2010:
 

1.      41,813 inspection reports issued

2.      74,565 orders written

3.      143 investigations completed (includes fatal and serious injury investigations only).(WCxKit)

 
 
WorkSafeBC has prioritized enforcement in recent years, significantly increasing the number of compliance and safety officers: to 247 in 2010 from 185 in 2004 to a 33% increase.
 
 
Author Rebecca Shafer, JD, President of Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is a writer, speaker, and website publisher. Her expertise is working with employers to reduce workers compensation costs, and her clients include airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com
 
 
 
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
 
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
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British Columbia Flaggers Death Leads to Anger

March 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A suspended sentence issued earlier this month to an elderly driver who killed a flagger in British Columbia three years ago has angered members of the province's traffic control community.
 
 
According to the CanadianOH&S News, Melle Pool, now 88, received a suspended sentence from a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in connection with the death of Terry Mitchell near the community of Fort Langley in February of 2008. Pool, who is legally blind and whose license had not been renewed since 2001 due to his poor eyesight, struck Mitchell with his pick-up truck on Feb. 25 of that year. (WCxKit)
 
 
As part of the sentence, the judge ordered Pool to perform 15 hours of community service, two years of probation and issued a 10-year driving ban.
 
 
"We don't fully understand how the judges make their decisions, but it was a shock to all of us that there was basically no real sentence imposed. Doing 15 hours of public service really devalued Terry's life in our eyes," says Terry Veer, roads and drainage manager for the Township of Langley, which had contacted local company Valley Traffic Systems Inc to perform traffic control.
 
 
"People were very upset here that it was treated so lightly," Veer added. "You'd think they'd be a little more inventive in terms of trying to deal with the restrictions rather than saying he's too old to go to jail," he charges.
 
 
While Veer suggests an "in-house restriction" such as a bracelet to monitor driving habits, Katherine Keras, owner of Pro-Safe Traffic Service in Surrey, BC, says that the sale of Pool's estate is another option.
 
 
On the day of the accident, a work crew was required to handle ditch clearing and two flaggers were resetting the work site up following a lunch break, according to Veer. Mitchell was standing at the far end of the curved road, talking via radio with the other out-of-sight flagger.
 
 
"Our understanding is he was on the radio talking to the other flag person, letting the other flag person know that he was ready and they could bring the machine back into the work zone," Veer says. "He had his paddle [stop or go sign] out while he was talking on the radio… the vehicle didn't see him and ran right over him."
 
 
Mitchell was airlifted off the site, but later died, according to Veer, adding that counselors were also brought in for workers.
 
 
Mitchell had worked on township projects for several years, Veer says. "He was one of the preferred flaggers. He took it very seriously."
 
 
Keras is concerned that "it may end up being the same outcome" for one of her employees who was also fatally struck by a vehicle last July.
 
 
At about 8:15 am on July 19, Donald Cain, 49, was directing traffic near Mission, BC when a Jeep made a sharp right turn and struck him. Cain, who was behind the fog line (the white painted line on the right side of the road), was dragged about six meters.
 
 
"He tried to turn and run, but it was just on him," Keras says of the vehicle. "He basically ran over him and didn't see him and kept driving until the other flagger stopped him."
 
 
That second flagger is still off work and she is undergoing counseling, Keras reports.
 
 
The driver of the Jeep, which was found to have "mechanical issues," has not yet been charged. (WCxKit)
 
 
If he is not charged, Keras says she will launch a private lawsuit.
 
 
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact:Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
 
 
 
Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
 
©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
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Canadian Worker Who Killed 100 Sled Dogs Awarded Compensation

February 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The Whistler, British Columbia Company at the center of an animal cruelty investigation has voluntarily suspended operations days after a leaked WorkSafeBC document showed a worker who developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was awarded compensation after killing upwards of 100 sled dogs last year.
 
 
According to Canadian OH&S News, on Feb. 1, Outdoor Adventures at Whistler Ltd (OAW) said it had suspended operations and ceased conducting tours at Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc (HDTW), the company it assumed control of in May, 2010. The announcement follows a Jan. 25 WorkSafeBC review decision awarding the former general manager of HDTW compensation for euthanizing the dogs on April 21 and 23, 2010. (WCxKit)
 
 
The ruling overturns a previous WorkSafeBC decision that denied the claim on the basis that the workers PTSD did not "arise out of a sudden and unexpected traumatic event." WorkSafeBC spokeswoman Donna Freeman confirms that the organization did not release the document – which was leaked to the media – as compensation claims are protected by privacy laws.
 
 
In the decision, review officer Allan Wotherspoon says an incident in which the worker was attacked by a wounded dog was unexpected and traumatic.
 
 
"Notwithstanding the absence of physical injury to the worker, the circumstance where the worker found himself on his back, fighting off a wounded sled dog and eventually dispatching it with a knife, was emotionally shocking such as to constitute a sudden and traumatic event," Wotherspoon writes.
 
 
The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SCPA), who has launched an animal cruelty investigation, says that the decision to euthanize the dogs followed a downturn in tour bookings following the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
 
 
"In most cases, dogs were shot more than once or had their throats slashed before they were dumped into what is described in the documents as a mass grave," says an SCPA statement, adding that animal cruelty charges are pending.
 
 
The worker – who OAW says ceased managing the business shortly after the culling – first saw a clinical counselor on April 28, 2010 and also visited his family physician and a psychologist. In an Oct. 3, 2010 assessment, the decision says, the psychologist noted that the worker "complained of panic attacks, nightmares, sleep disturbance, anger, irritability and depressed mood since culling approximately 100 dogs."
 
 
There is some dispute over the number of dogs euthanized. In a Feb. 2 joint statement between OAW and the worker, Robert Fawcett, the former general manager estimated that 50 dogs that were "'too old' or 'sick' and 'not adoptable'" would be euthanized. The statement also says that "considerable efforts" were made to arrange for dogs to be adopted, which were "not as successful as hoped."
 
 
The WorkSafeBC decision adds that "a veterinarian was contacted, but refused to euthanize healthy animals."
 
 
OAW also disputes claims that it instructed Fawcett to euthanize the dogs in the manner described in the report. "There were no instructions given to Mr. Fawcett as to the manner of euthanizing dogs on this occasion, and Mr. Fawcett was known to have very humanely euthanized dogs on previous occasions," the joint statement says.
 
 
The company admits that it was aware of the "relocation and euthanization of dogs at Howling Dog Tours Whistler Inc in April 2010, but OAW expected this to be done in a proper, legal and humane manner. We only learned otherwise on Friday, January 28, when we read the [WorkSafeBC] ruling for the first time."
 
 
Since the incident, the company says it has improved safety protocols. "Guns are no longer allowed on site and the companys new policy is that euthanasia must be performed at a veterinary office," the release says.
 
 
On Feb. 2, BC Premier Gordon Campbell announced that he appointed Dr Terry Lake, a veterinarian and MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson, to lead a task force to review the case. "The task forces review will examine the circumstances leading up to the killing of the dogs, as well as the chain of events following any initial reports of the killing to WorkSafeBC or any other agencies and why the information was not communicated to appropriate authorities." (WCxKit)
 
 
In response, WorkSafeBC says in a statement that it "has never encountered a situation like this. We will be considering the direction and guidance that should be provided within the organization regarding reporting to other agencies."

Sad, very sad situation. The one dog who attacked the workers should receive an award, posthumous. This brave dog is my hero.

 

Author Rebecca Shafer, JD, President of Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is a writer, speaker and website publisher. Her expertise is working with employers to reduce workers compensation costs, and her clients include airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing.  See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact:  RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.

 
WORK COMP CALCULATOR:   http://www.LowerWC.com/calculator.php
 
WC GROUP:  http://www.linkedin.com/groups?homeNewMember=&gid=1922050/
SUBSCRIBE: Workers Comp Resource Center Newsletter

Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.

©2011 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Filed Under: Canada Workers Comp Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Online Tool Helps British Retailers Assessing Retail Hazzards

February 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A quick and easy online tool to help British retailers assess the hazards in their shop is available to trial.
 
 
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has worked to produce the web tool to help implement Lord Young's recommendation that low-risk workplaces, such as shops, are spared unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy. (WCxKit)
 
 
The aim of the tool is to take the mystery out of risk assessments, giving retailers the means to be confident that they have identified the key risks in their premises and how to minimize them. The whole process can be completed quickly and easily.
 
 
Local Authority (LA) inspectors who carry out inspections will take account of the assessments as evidence that shops have taken the appropriate action.
 
 
The Health and Safety Executive wants to ensure that it is a helpful, easy-to-use tool and will be seeking views and feedback until March 2011.
 
 
Judith Hackitt, Chair of HSE, noted, "Shop managers are best placed to identify what happens in their premises and we want to enable them to have confidence to say that they have dealt with the risks that do exist. One of the real plus points is that the tool helps to clear away those things that retailers really don't need to waste time worrying about.
 
 
"It will save time and effort and help to focus their efforts on any real issues which need to be addressed, including identifying areas where higher risk activities do take place."
 
 
"The new 20-minute risk assessmentsmake it clear that the assessment of low-risk shops can be done quickly and easily. There really is no need for long detailed documents covering very minor and highly improbable risks."
 
 
The online tools prompt users to answer a series of straightforward questions that generates their risk assessment and action plan. HSE recently launched a similar 20-minute risk assessment tool for offices and one specifically for use in classrooms is out to consultation. Simplified risk assessments for other low risk workplaces currently being developed. (WCxKit)
 
 
The new online risk assessment for shops is not intended to replace specific risk assessments for higher risk activities such as the sale or storage of chemicals or fireworks, or outlets where there are machinery operations.


Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact:  Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.

 
WORK COMP CALCULATOR:   http://www.LowerWC.com/calculator.php
 
WC GROUP:  http://www.linkedin.com/groups?homeNewMember=&gid=1922050/
SUBSCRIBE: Workers Comp Resource Center Newsletter

Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.

©2010 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
Filed Under: Safety and Loss Control, WC in Other Countries (International) Tagged With: , ,

Canada Takes Holistic Approach to Severely Injured Workers

January 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Last year, WorkSafeBC (British Columbia) enhanced its Special Care Services team to provide more holistic services to severely injured workers.
 
Workers, who suffer lifelong and life-altering injuries, including spinal cord injuries, catastrophic burns, amputations, and brain injuries, often don’t return to their old jobs or their regular day-to-day life. (WCxKit)
 
“They’re the most serious cases and they don’t always have tidy, happy endings,” said Jennifer Leyen, WorkSafeBC special care services director. “Individuals may suffer from anger and even depression and it’s our job to provide ongoing compassionate assistance to ease their burdens.”
 
As understanding of the complexities of living with a serious injury has increased, WorkSafeBC has enhanced its services and support by adding to its team of medical specialists, case managers, psychologists, and social workers. Special Care Services continues to enhance its ongoing training for staff who works with specific injuries.
 
“We believe that treatment for the most severely injured must rehabilitate not only the body, but the mind and spirit as well,” said Leyen. “We want to have more involvement, more interaction — all the things we believe will help improve the outcomes for seriously injured workers.”
 
One result of this holistic approach was a photo essay by injured worker Simon Paradis, whose experience inspired him to depict his grueling morning routine in a poignant photo essay, entitled Simon’s Legs. It was unveiled last week at WorkSafeBC.
 
Two years ago, while working as a finishing carpenter, Paradis fell three meters from a scaffold and suffered a devastating spinal cord injury that left him unable to walk, and with brain injuries that forced him to relearn the most basic motor skills.
 
“I wanted to bring the viewer into my environment,” said Paradis of his black-and-white photo montage, created with his wife Kara Stanley. “It was a great outlet — I was focused and enthusiastic about this project because it’s a creative representation of what I’m going through.” (WCxKit)
 
But as a recipient of the BC Rehab Foundation’s 2009 Gert Vorsteher Memorial Award, demonstrating incredible determination in reaching personal independence, Paradis is no stranger to being focused.
 

Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact:  Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
 
WORK COMP CALCULATOR:   http://www.LowerWC.com/calculator.php
 
WC GROUP:  http://www.linkedin.com/groups?homeNewMember=&gid=1922050/
SUBSCRIBE: Workers Comp Resource Center Newsletter

Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers comp issues.
 

©2010 Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. If you would like permission to reprint this material, contact Info@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com

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Professional Development Resource

Learn How to Reduce Workers Comp Costs 20% to 50%"Workers Compensation Management Program: Reduce Costs 20% to 50%"
Lower your workers compensation expense by using the
guidebook from Advisen and the Workers Comp Resource Center.
Perfect for promotional distribution by brokers and agents!
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