Canadian Safety Reporter

August 2017

Focuses on occupational health and safety issues at a strategic level. Designed for employers, HR managers and OHS professionals, it features news, case studies on best practices and practical tips to ensure the safest possible working environment.

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Trial in wake of fatal stage collapse delayed Companies, engineer charged in death of stage technician, but judge was appointed to another court before end of trial BY JEFFREY R. SMITH THE TRIAL of a concert promotion company and a stage engineer charged with health and safety violations from a fatal stage roof col- lapse before a 2013 Radiohead concert in Toronto has been delayed after the presiding judge removed himself from the proceedings af- ter an appointment to another court. On June 16, 2012, the English rock band Radiohead was sched- uled to perform an outdoor concert at Downsview Park in Toronto Time for tech Pen-and-paper workplace safety procedures can leave dangerous gaps in workplace safety systems — technology solutions can fix them BY MELISSA CAMPEAU NOT EVEN a decade ago, a dis- cussion about incorporating technology into the workplace might have touched on pro- ductivity or communication, but probably not safety. That's beginning to change, though, as software and devices evolve and become increasingly afford- able and easy to use, and leaders discover the potential benefits to worker safety. A recent survey by Verdantix, for example, found sales of tech- nological solutions were grow- ing faster than any other part of the workplace safety industry, at a rate of 15 per cent annually. The survey authors suggested several reasons for the growth, including advances in technol- ogy, a proliferation of connected devices, younger employees and managers, and new demands on safety professionals. Data also shows improved safety for companies making the leap from pen-and-paper solutions to higher-tech safety management systems. A survey by Aberdeen Group found top safety performers achieve 80 per cent fewer injuries and spend five per cent less on health and safety budgets when using a digital so- lution. That's good business: A Liberty Mutual Insurance Com- pany study found that of CFOs who calculate ROI of their safety initiatives, 60 per cent report a Safety Reporter Canadian www.safety-reporter.com August 2017 BAD RELATIONS WITH MANAGERS, CO- WORKERS NOT CONSTRUCTIVE DISMISSAL Worker had to go off work due to anxiety and stress but crumbling relationships not harassment pg. 5 ODOUR IN PLANE JUSTIFIED WORK REFUSALS pg. 3 CUPE wins appeal over flight crew work refusals after tribunal found Air Canada was directed to notify employees of potential health hazard WORKER WINS APPEAL FOR PERMANENT IMPAIRMENT BENEFITS Evidence showed worker suffered shoulder pain and limitations after reaching maximum medical recovery pg. 6 INSIDE NEWS BRIEF Traditional > pg. 4 Credit: Shutterstock/Pressmaster Crown > pg. 2 PM #40065782 POLICE SHIFT WORK LINKED TO IMMUNE SYSTEM DISRUPTION (Reuters Health) — Police shift work is associated with increases in circulating white blood cells (WBCs), and some specific WBC types, an ongoing study has found. Shift work "may lead to disrup- tion of circadian-influenced com- ponents of the immune system," which in turn may cause various chronic diseases, researchers wrote. Along with previous re- search, the findings "may provide evidence that shift work may lead to immune system dysregulation." The current study examined blood samples from 425 police officers enrolled in the Buffalo, NY Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress cohort. The researchers cautioned that it's not entirely clear whether the WBC increases "are due to overall increase in immune cells among shift workers, an abnormal circadi- an pattern of immune cells among shift workers, or increases in sub- clinical disease in shift workers." More broadly, shift work is asso- ciated with physiological changes and chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, gastroin- testinal complaints, metabolic ab- normalities and depression.

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