By: Brenna Hill
Summer is coming to an end, which means my job as a summer student at WCB is also ending. I have had a wonderful summer exploring the other side of the country and working at a job that I love. I have also learned a lot about young workers safety and workplace safety in general, which I will be taking home with me and implementing at my part-time job. So here it goes, my last blog post as a summer student, let’s check out safety in the news from around the globe.
Goodbye summer 2013!
At the beginning of August just outside of Highvale a 24 year old man was killed at work at an oil rig. “The service rig was pulling a rod out of the hole when the block fell down and struck the worker” said a spokesperson with OHS. It was said that the very heavy blocks had fallen from a rather long distance. There was a stop-work order issued and an investigation by OHS is underway.
On the same day a second accident occurred in Fort McMurray while on the construction site of the Steinhauer Bridge. A 48 year old man was killed when a dump truck slipped, and fell over on top of the semi-trailer he was operating. The cab of the trailer and the man were crushed. A stop-work order has been issued for this site as well, and an investigation is ongoing.
Early last week a 17 year old boy was involved in a workplace accident and sent to hospital with serious injuries. The incident happened at an automotive service station in Lloydminster Saskatchewan. RCMP has reported that the boy was struck in the head by a tire assembly machine. He was taken to the local hospital but was later airlifted to Saskatoon.
New Zealand has found that most employees find it hard to understand their workplace’s health and safety paperwork! A new study has shown that 65 per cent of all employees didn’t completely understand their employers’ policies and rules, information about hazards, and safety procedures. Therefore there will now be a Crown Agent called WorkSafe New Zealand, which will be in place by this December. WorkSafe New Zealand will work closely with employers and employees to improve workplace safety practice and to make sure regulations are understood and enforced.
