Effective October 16th, Justin Chouhan is the new Manager of Audit and Training Services – filling the position recently left vacant by the appointment of Mike Roberts to the Executive Director role.

“We are proud to welcome Justin to our team,” said Executive Director Mike Roberts. “Justin’s experience as a health and safety professional will have a positive impact for the BCMSA and its members.”

Justin’s municipal health and safety career began over 8 years ago with the City of Richmond as a Health and Safety Specialist; and more recently the City of Coquitlam as a Safety and Training Coordinator. Justin is a graduate of BCIT where he received his Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety and Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health.

The Board of Directors of the BC Municipal Safety Association is pleased to announce the future appointment of Mike Roberts as the Executive Director of the BC Municipal Safety Association, following Cathy Cook’s retirement October 1, 2017. 

Mike has been the Manager of Audit and Training Services with the BCMSA since 2014.  In addition to his years of health and safety association experience, he has extensive municipal experience and a passion for safety excellence.

We look forward to working with Mike and all of the BCMSA staff in serving our communities, sharing the knowledge, and being the health and safety resource of choice.

Sincerely,
Caleb Mierau – President, BCMSA Board of Directors

The Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division (CMHA BC) and the British Columbia Municipal Safety Association (BCMSA) have partnered to offer a suite of workplace mental health awareness and training courses to BCMSA members across the province.

Read the full article at http://www.cmha.bc.ca/news/joining-forces-to-build-psychologically-safe-and-healthy-municipalities/

Great news! BCIT is granting transfer credits for our courses, if you enroll in the Occupational Health and Safety Certificate program.  The OHS Certificate is granted after completing 45 credits, of which 25 are electives; these transfer credits would apply to the electives.  So keep taking BCMSA courses and get credit towards the Certificate!

• Every 8 hour course is worth .5 transfer credits
• Every 16 hour course = 1 transfer credit
• Every 24 hour course = 1.5 transfer credits (eg. Utility Locator Specialist)
• Completion of the Supervisor Safety Certificate Program (SSCP) = 2 transfer credits
• Completion of the Municipal Worker Safety Certificate Program (MWSCP) = 1.5 transfer credits

Individual courses shorter than 8 hours don’t qualify for transfer credits, unless taken as part of the Safety Certificate programs.

For more information on BCIT’s OHS program, check out their website: http://www.bcit.ca/study/programs/6850cert#details

The BCMSA and St. John Ambulance are pleased to announce that an award has been created for BCMSA members.

OBJECTIVE OF THE AWARD:
To recognize those individuals who have acted alone or as a team in providing assistance to:

• those in need of medical aid using their knowledge in first aid; or
• those in a situation where their lives may be in danger with or without the application of first aid.

ELIGIBILITY:

1. The nominee must be a municipal worker as defined by the BCMSA
2. The deed must be performed during work hours
3. The deed must be outside the nominee’s line of duty
4. The deed must be performed within twelve (12) months of the date of application
5. It is not necessary that the deed or attempt was successful, that the nominee has a first aid certificate or is a member of St. John Ambulance

Notice of asbestos inspections and featured resources

Asbestos exposure remains the number one killer of workers in B.C. Hundreds of houses are demolished and renovated every month in our province, and as many homes built up until 1990 used products containing asbestos, this poses a potential threat of exposing workers to harmful asbestos fibres.

WorkSafeBC prevention officers will be conducting a province-wide program of worksite inspections from July 1-December 31, 2016 to ensure homeowners, contractors, and consultants are properly informed and equipped to safely remove asbestos containing materials and are complying with the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.

WorkSafeBC has a list of information and resources to help ensure everyone remains safe from asbestos-related occupational disease on the jobsite.

Some of these resources include:

• Ten simple steps to complying with asbestos abatement
• Safe work practices for handling asbestos
• Health hazards of asbestos toolbox meeting guide
• Asbestos removal toolbox meeting guide

For more information

For further information and a full list of resources, please visit the WorkSafeBC asbestos resource page or contact: Chris Back, Manager, Industry & Labour Services, Manufacturing, Retail & Construction (interim) Sectors | 604.244.6367 | 778.874.1809

After many months of work, we are happy to launch the online PoolSafe program.

This course was previously only available in face-to-face full day format, and we recognized that aquatic staff were unable to commit the time for the course.

Now it’s available online! The course is hosted on the BC Recreation & Parks Association e-learning site, at a cost of only $40.00.

Special thank you to the Alberta Municipal Safety & Health Association for taking our material and producing the online version.

The Globally Harmonized System has now been adopted in Canada and by WorkSafeBC. The former WHMIS program (now referred to as WHMIS 1988) now includes the new GHS information in what is referred to as WHMIS 2015.

There is a nearly 3 year transition period before WHMIS 2015 must be fully implemented. Some suppliers may have started sending Supplier Labels and Safety Data Sheets in the new format, which means the employers must train their staff in both systems.

Geoff Clark, Senior Occupational Hygiene Officer at WorkSafeBC, made a presentation at the last regular general meeting of the BCMSA, highlighting the changes between WHMIS 1988 and WHMIS 2015. His presentation is here: What is WHMIS 2015? (8 Sep 15)

The BCMSA offers a face to face WHMIS course, and as of November 1st, this course will be a blended WHMIS 1988 and WHMIS 2015.

Effective February 8th, we have launched our WHMIS 2015 online training. Read more at www.bcmsa.ca/course-catalogue/whmis-2015-online/.

WorkSafeBC issued the bulletin “Working around microwave radiation from rooftop antennas” last August. WorkSafeBC Bulletin

Early in 2015, Health Canada revised the exposure limits for Radiofrequency (RF) Electromagnetic Energy. As a result, testing companies are contacting employers to promote their services to conduct RF surveys.

The WorkSafeBC Bulletin notes Engineering Controls to protect workers include using physical guards or barriers to restrict access to areas near antennas, and to raise the antennas above the working level of the roof as the lowest level of radiation is directly beneath the antennas. Administrative Controls are also listed in the Bulletin, and include using signs and/or caution tape to indicate high radiation areas, and maintaining at least a 3 meter distance from an antenna.

Please review the WorkSafeBC bulletin and note that as the employer or as a property owner, you are responsible for ensuring worker exposure is kept below the values issued by Health Canada. Health Canada’s Safety Code 6 for RF Exposure limits can be found here: RF Exposure Limits 2015