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Occupational Health and Safety

August 2, 2010

Construction firms learn to get ‘Bear Smart’

Residents of a Canadian city debated whether police correctly handled a call reporting that a bear was shot and killed in April.

August 2, 2010

Rigger acquitted in New York crane collapse

A crane rigger has been acquitted of manslaughter charges stemming from the collapse of a New York City crane in 2008 in which six construction workers were killed in midtown Manhattan.

August 2, 2010

Worker survives crane rollover in Victoria

A construction worker is lucky to be alive after the crane he was operating rolled over into an excavated hole in Victoria, B.C. last week.

July 28, 2010

Underground utilities disaster looms

It seems that we only learn once a disaster has occurred. The massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the latest example of government and industry ignoring a potential problem until the worst-case scenario unfolds.

July 28, 2010

Mike Holmes partners with First Nations on community-building pilot project

Assembly of First Nations National Chief, Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, and Mike Holmes have partnered on a pilot project to assist in building homes, enhancing community design, and planning and utilizing appropriate green technologies and clean energy sources to improve health and living conditions in First Nations communities.

July 28, 2010

Georgian College expansion goes green in Collingwood, Ontario

Construction is expected to get under way early next month on Georgian College’s permanent home in Collingwood Ont., a 20,000-square-foot facility to house nine classrooms as well as a student lounge.

July 28, 2010

City of Vancouver report slams botched demolition

A report into a botched demolition at a downtown Vancouver construction site found several problems with the operation.

July 26, 2010

BC Construction Safety Alliance merger complete

The paperwork has gone through and the BC Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA) has officially been created.

July 26, 2010

Highrise tool toss lands Calgary contractor in hot water

An online video that appears to show a Calgary construction worker tossing a tool to another worker on scaffolding high above the street is being investigated by the Alberta government and the city.

July 21, 2010

Driver who hit road crew gets two years in prison

A Calgary driver has been sentenced to two years in prison for slamming into a road maintenance crew at high speed in the middle of the night and injuring three workers.

July 21, 2010

Over-compensation issue has nothing to do with false claims

The article on the over-compensation of apprentices and COCA’s (Council of Construction Associations) campaign to stop this over-payment has drawn responses from two B.C. labour leaders.

July 21, 2010

Warehouse roof collapses during storm in Edmonton

The roof of a warehouse for a building material supply company in Edmonton partially collapsed during a storm last week and investigators are trying to figure out why it happened.

July 21, 2010

Investigation launched after flag person killed in Mission, British Columbia

An investigation is underway into the death of a 49-year Langley resident, who was struck and killed by a car last week while controlling traffic at a construction site on the Lougheed Highway in Mission, B.C.

July 19, 2010

Manitoba worker rescued after slab falls

A construction worker was pinned under a slab of concrete at the bottom of a narrow trench in Winnipeg last week and was freed by firefighters with the help of bystanders.

July 19, 2010

Mayfair hotel demolition goes wrong in Edmonton

An investigation is underway after the demolition of a building sent construction debris falling into downtown Edmonton’s main street last week.

July 14, 2010

Ontario General Contractors Association leaves construction association

The Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA) has left the Council of Ontario Construction Associations (COCA) and both organizations stand by their recent track records through their parting of ways.

July 14, 2010

Calgary procurement code puts ethical onus on suppliers

Environment-friendly criteria have long been a part of the landscape in government procurement policies. but the City of Calgary, however, is going one step further with its Sustainable, Environmental and Ethical Procurement Policy (SEEPP).

July 14, 2010

Calgary firefighters dig out worker trapped in collapsed trench

Calgary firefighters had to dig a construction worker out of a trench by hand after he was partially buried in a cave in and could not free himself.

July 12, 2010

Over-compensation for injured apprentices a concern in British Columbia

The pay for an apprentice in B.C. gets a lot better if they’re injured and this concerns some construction employers. After an apprentice has been injured on the job and has received temporary wage-loss benefits for 10 weeks, he or she is eligible for compensation at a rate of 90 per cent of a beginner journeyman’s wage.

July 12, 2010

Alberta’s auditor general criticizes immigration ministry’s occupational safety record

Alberta employers with open Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Act non-compliance orders for more than a year, originally mentioned in April’s auditor general’s report, may not be as numerous as originally reported.

July 7, 2010

Ledcor Construction employee injured working on Epcor Tower elevator

A man was injured and taken to hospital last week while working on an elevator at the Epcor Tower construction site in downtown Edmonton.