Honeywell’s Miller Hybrid Lanyard
Reduce confusion and increase compliance on your work sites by staying abreast of new technologies.
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The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announces the availability of a new Ladder Safety smart phone application (app). This new app uses visual and audio signals to make it easier for workers using extension ladders to check the angle the ladder is positioned at, as well as access useful tips for using extension ladders safely. The app is available for free download for both iPhone and Android devices.
Falls from ladders are a common source of preventable construction injuries. Misjudging the ladder angle is a significant risk factor for a fall. If the ladder is set too steep it is more likely to fall back or away during use, and if it is set too shallow then the bottom can slide out.
“The ladder safety app is an innovative way to help keep workers safe and a tool to reduce these preventable injuries,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “The development of this smart phone app also demonstrates how we are constantly working to make science-based practical information accessible to workers and employers in a way they need and can easily use.”
The app provides feedback to the user on positioning the extension ladder at the optimal angle. It also provides references and a safety guide for extension ladder selection, inspection, accessorizing, and use.
While the app follows along with standards set for the United States – it is still highly useful for workers in other jurisdictions.
]]>Hours of Work, Rest Periods and Days of Rest
“Hours of work” is the period of time during which an employee works for an employer. It includes time off with pay instead of overtime pay provided by an employer and taken by an employee. An employee may work a maximum of 12 hours in a day unless an unforeseeable or unpreventable emergency occurs, or the Director of Employment Standards issues a permit authorizing extended hours of work beyond 12 hours.
An employee is entitled to at least 30 minutes of rest (break) in each shift longer than five consecutive hours of work. Likewise, employees are entitled to certain minimum days of rest as follows:
- one day of rest each work week, or
- two consecutive days of rest in each period of two consecutive work weeks, or
- three consecutive days of rest in each period of three consecutive work weeks, or
- four consecutive days of rest in each period of four consecutive work weeks, or
- at least four consecutive days of rest after 24 consecutive work days.
To learn more, see the Hours of Work, Rest Periods and Days of Rest Fact Sheet.
Exemptions
Question: Are Managers and Supervisors considered ‘Employees’ under the standards, and are they included in the day’s of rest requirements?
Answer from Employement Standards Contact Center: The minimum standards under the Employment Standards legislation apply to all employees & employers that fall under Alberta’s jurisdiction. Employment Standards legislates hours of work and overtime, payment of wages, vacation pay, general holiday pay, maternity and parental leave, reservist leave and notice of termination of employment for employers and employees in provincially regulated employment. Depending on the industry, there may be some exceptions to the minimum standards.
Managers and supervisors are exempt from days of rest.
For more information for your specific employment standards questions, contact:
Employment Standards Contact Centre:
Phone: 780-427-3731 or toll free by dialing in Alberta 1-877-427-3731.
Hours of operation: Monday through Friday 8:15 am-4:30 pm excluding general holidays.
Website
Even though everyone is excited to get started on their projects, crews and residents must remember to call ahead before they dig to ensure that all underground utilities are identified and marked out before work is started. This is true for both commercial and residential projects, since homes have power, water and gas running beneath the lawn.
Failure to have utility lines flagged can result in electrocution, explosion, or flooding, and can lead to serious consequences including injuries or death. Striking utility line can also cause outages to the communities that rely on those services. Fines and damages associated with a line strike can be extremely expensive.
In order to avoid the expense, damage and injury caused by unsafe digging, please be sure to call the Alberta One Call Centre at 1-800-876-6711.
]]>Learn first aid for peace of mind.
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Source: WorkSafe BC
]]>Anyone who has successfully completed Enform’s Petroleum Safety Training (PST) has automatically received an eGSO Record of Completion. Individuals and companies have two options for providing PST certificate holders with a printed eGSO Record of Completion.
1.) Individual PST certificate holders can use the self-serve eGSO Record of Completion print functionality in their Enform Connect account. Click here for instructions
2.) Companies with a larger number of PST certificate holders can provide their employees with eGSO Records of Completion in house in a process similar to that of eGSO group delivery. Interested companies should download the eGSO PST Equivalency Bundle which includes:
- A step by step guide to eGSO PST Equivalency
- eGSO Administrator Application Form
- eGSO PST Equivalency Submission Form
- A guide for users to reprint their eGSO Record of Completion within Enform Connect
Any questions regarding eGSO Group Delivery or eGSO PST Equivalency may be directed to [email protected] or phone enrolment services at 1.800.667.5557.
]]>Source: SciShow
]]>“It’s a priority of this government, a priority for me personally, and a priority of the labour minister.”
-Oneil Carlier
Agriculture workers in Alberta aren’t included in protection provided by occupational health and safety laws, the provincial labour relations code, the employment standards code or the workers’ compensation act.
Alberta is the only province with an OHS exemption, an issue that has been raised repeatedly by labour groups.
Provincial data shows 447 Alberta farmers died on the job between 1985 and 2010. Last year, 24 deaths in Alberta were related to farming — including five who were employees, and 15 who were the owners of a farm or a family member working on it.
Carlier said the specifics and timing of the upcoming changes will be co-ordinated with the province’s labour ministry, but he hopes to tackle “big portions of it” this year.
There are some concerns regarding the advent of new legislation, however there are lobby group and farmer advocacy groups that have been working to make this reality for over 10 years. Similar legislation has been in place for years in other provinces and id believed to be ‘a long time due’ here in Alberta.
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