WorkSafeBC has fully implemented 23 recommendations of the review and action plan report, which was prepared by special adviser Gordon Macatee.
In his report, Macatee provided 43 recommendations that were fully accepted by WorkSafeBC’s board of directors and Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour in July 2014.
The purpose of the recommendations are to ensure that an investigation model is in place that will support both cause and prosecutorial investigations; ensure that B.C.’s sawmills are safe places to work; and ensure a world class inspection and investigation regime at WorkSafeBC.
Key milestones achieved since Macatee’s first progress report was issued in December 2014, include:
• Combustible dust: considerable progress has been made to ensure employers address dust mitigation and control in the wood products manufacturing industry;
• Policies have been updated to provide clarity and consistency in relation to the mitigation and control of wood dust and inspection protocols;
• A focused inspection initiative of sawmills and pellet mills ran from Oct. 1, 2014 to Jan. 31, 2015. Over the 17-week period of the initiative, results indicate that there has been a significant improvement in compliance and that the wood manufacturing industry continues to take positive steps towards managing combustible dust in the long term for all types of mills;
• Industry has expressed support for establishing a health and safety association for the wood products manufacturing industry, which would provide continued focus on training and support the sharing of best practices;
• Enhanced training: enhanced training of WorkSafeBC officers and managers has been completed in the areas of major case management, investigation techniques, penalty process management and collaboration skills;
• A memorandum of understanding has been developed with the office of the fire commissioner and the B.C. safety authority to ensure WorkSafeBC is informed when there is a fire at a workplace in B.C.;
• Fire Inspection and Prevention Initiative funding has been extended by WorkSafeBC’s board of directors for two more years;
• Developing technology: tools have been developed to make data sharing between partners and jurisdictions possible to help employer and industry leaders proactively plan for and manage emerging issues.
Among other improvements, the employer safety planning toolkit, the serious injury guided dashboard and the industry safety information centre have all been developed or enhanced.
In addition, eight more recommendations are in progress and are on track to be completed as scheduled. Macatee will continue to oversee the implementation of his recommendations until they are fully completed. His next progress report will be issued in April 2015. Macatee’s interim report on the WorkSafeBC review and action plan, as well as the latest implementation status report, will be available at WorkSafeBC.com