WCB Orders 2009 SD5 (Southeast Kootenay) SD6 (Rocky Mountain) SD8 (Kootenay Lake) SD10 ((Arrow Lakes) SD19 (Revelstoke) SD20 (Kootenay Columbia) SD22 (Vernon) SD23 (Central Okanagan) SD27 (Cariboo Chilcotin) SD28 (Quesnel) SD33 (Chilliwack) SD34 (Abbotsford) SD35 (Langley) Noise exposure limits for a music teacher in a room not set up for music, were above acceptable exposure limits (McKim Middle School); employer did not minimize the risk of MSI to workers (Blarchmont Elem.) Worker alleged adverse health effects from exposure to carpet cleaning chemicals and employer directed to provide a written account of their; allegations of worker adverse health effects in pop choir room to be investigated investigation (Trafalgar Jr. Sec.) Non safe handling of molten aluminum (Revelstoke Sec.). Unsafe (poorly positioned) and unlockable electrical switchgear installed on woodworking equipment (Stan Humphries Sec.). Regular inspection of dust monitoring system in wood work shop was not done; no record of face velocities being checked or smoke tubes being used to check the performance of the laboratory fume hoods in previous 12 months. (Williams Lake Sec.); energy isolating devices not locked out when machinery/equipment shut down for maintenance; no record of face velocities being checked or smoke tubes being used to check the performance of the laboratory fume hoods in previous 12 months (Peter Skene Ogden Sr. Sec.); SD issued EMP 76 Hour Advanced Workplace Level 3 Supplement First Aid certification to 12 candidates taught and evaluated by an instructor/evaluator who was not certified The grounds welding bay not maintained to protect from danger; failed to provide general WHMIS education; controlled products in other than the container received from the supplier were not labelled; reports from 3 most recent joint committee meetings not posted; energy isolating devices not secured in a safe position; eyewash stations and showers not clearly marked with signage; emergency washing facilities not in place where workers eyes or skin may be exposed to harmful materials; records of inspection, maintenance, repair or modification not kept; annual fit tests not completed for workers required to wear respirator; safety requirements not met for bridge, jib, monorail, gantry or overhead travelling crane; machinery and equipment not fitted with adequate safeguards to protect workers from contact with hazardous power transmission parts; grinding machine did not have adjustable work rest for hand held work; paints and other flammables in the welding bay were stored inappropriately, near a welding machine and oxy acetylene; no inspection done of worker transportation vehicle; names and workplaces of joint committee members not posted and kept posted; compressed breathing air not tested annually to ensure air being supplied meets CSA standards; no appropriate workplace label on a controlled product decanted from the supplier s container; access to emergency eyewash blocked by material or equipment; (Maintenance Shop and Transportation Department). Immediate notification to WCB did not take place when there was a release of a vapour cloud and liquid after a student lowered heated lauric acid into a beaker of cold water (Abbotsford Collegiate); Failure to supply contractor with information re chrysotile containing material. Immediate investigation into the cause of an accident/incident not undertaken; asbestos exposure control plan not fully implemented; adequate information, 1
SD36 (Surrey) SD37 (Delta) SD38 (Richmond) SD39 (Vancouver) SD40 (New Westminster) SD41 (Burnaby) SD42 (Maple Ridge) SD43 (Coquitlam) SD44 (North Vancouver) SD45 (West Vancouver) SD46 (Sunshine Coast) SD47 (Powell River) SD48 (Sea to Sky) instruction, training and supervision not provided; no up to date written procedures for providing first aid at worksite; joint committee rules of procedure and how it would perform its duties and functions not established; joint committee not meeting at least once a month; compliance report to be issued; the designated first aid attendant did not have a first aid certificate in good standing at the required level; a list of concerns relating to worksite and buildings was given to employer from the PAC President and although some items were acted on, there were still outstanding reports of what appeared to be unsafe or harmful conditions thus not ensuring corrective action was taken without delay; an air quality investigation conducted failed to include a complete record of the complaint (Langley Secondary) Written action plan re David Brankin Elem. to be submitted; summary of number of monthly joint committee meetings held by each sub committee for Sept., Oct., Nov. & Dec/09 to be submitted as meetings are not all being held once a month; joint committee rules of procedure had not been implemented; to advise in writing how workplace inspection practices will be revised to ensure they meet the regulation (Surrey SD site); must revise asbestos exposure control plan and submit to Board; must submit action plan with timelines for ensuring all asbestos containing materials identified; must identify all deficiencies in worker instruction and training relating to asbestos and report back and include an action plan; must provide an action plan specific to school (DBE) on completion of first inspection; failed to investigate an unsafe or harmful condition and to provide an action plan to ensure such conditions are addressed without undue delay; failed to ensure h & s of workers exposed to asbestos; (David Brankin Elem.) Ventilation system for part of building not designed, constructed, etc. in accordance with engineering principles (Mathew McNair Sec.). No information provided re hazard of exposure (inhalation) to dry cleaning methods used for cleanup of clay dust and contamination (SD site). Excess carbon dioxide levels detected; adequate supply of outdoor air not provided (Trafalgar Elementary). A carcinogen and reproductive toxin, lead solder, was used and must be replaced with a lead free substitute (Alpha Sec.); accurate reporting not being done at JOH&S committee meetings; accident investigations not being completed as required. (Douglas Rd. Elem) While a written Pandemic Flu (H1N1) Exposure Control Plan Traffic had been prepared, the workers were not informed of the contents; control person not using traffic control paddle; traffic control person not using high visibility apparel (Albion Elem.); the employer representative was unable to determine the actual number of workers on site who may require first aid at any time; no written lockout procedures in place for some of the machinery in the metal shop; JOH&S worker reps were not participating in accident investigations (Pitt Meadows Sec.) District wide Violence in the Workplace (VitW) violations to be addressed; notice of compliance re steps taken to correct these to be submitted to Board (Montgomery Middle). Ventilation ducts and plenums had not been constructed and maintained to minimize the opportunity for growth and dissemination of microorganisms throughout the ventilation system; no JOH&S committee established; (Windsor Secondary School) 2
SD49 (Central Coast) SD50 (Haida Gwaii/Queen Charlotte) SD51 (Boundary) SD52 (Prince Rupert) SD53 (Okanagan Similkameen) SD54 (Smithers) SD57 (Prince George) SD58 (Nicola Similkameen) SD59 (Peace River South) SD60 (Peace River North) SD61 (Greater Victoria) Failure to establish an effective WHMIS program (Skaddga Naay Elem.) Lack of general WHMIS education to workers; poisoning chemicals storage area not designed and constructed to provide containment in event of breakage; splash proof goggles not worn by worker to protect from splashing during preparation of solutions; suitable face protection not being worn; fire extinguishers in labs not mounted to prevent falling; fume hoods with transite walls not identified by signs, labels, etc; lab fume hood with moveable sash not clearly marked to identify maximum size of operational face opening that would maintain average face velocities; glass pane in fume hood cracked; lab and fume hood water faucets equipped with goosenecks not protected by vacuum breaks; written emergency spill containment and cleanup procedures not available; personal protective equipment required during emergency cleanup or escape not immediately available; transite (asbestos containing material) observe d in the Chemistry Lab; (Prince Rupert Sec.). Face velocity of operational face opening of lab fume hoods not measured since 2001; splash goggles not worn by workers handling corrosive liquids; posted emergency procedures had a number of deficiencies; peroxide forming compounds not inspected or tested for presence of peroxides; pieces of transite in chemistry room fume hood; no h&s training given to new lab worker; to notify the Board in writing of steps taken to correct contraventions; employer has not provided a Level 2 First Aid Attendant (Charles Hays Sec.). The SD had not been providing and maintaining the owner s land and premises in a manner that ensured the health and safety of persons at or near the workplace (accumulations of snow and ice and the first observed aggregate application took place 10 days after a snowfall) Refuse and waste materials were allowed to accumulate so as to constitute a hazard; table saw in carpentry shop not equipped with a guard; workers not provided with adequate information, instruction and supervision with regard to fall protection selection, use and maintenance (Admin Office and Maintenance Shop); ventilation system for controlling airborne contaminants in paint booth was not designed, installed and maintained using established engineering principles; specific written lockout procedures had not been established for the hard wired shop equipment. (Merritt Sec.) Failure to ensure indoor air quality was investigated when complaints had been reported; no effective preventive maintenance program for the ventilation system had been established; the ventilation system was not balanced to ensure adequate allotment of outside air; some means of alerting workers to hazards in crawl spaces was needed as were measures to ensure workers cleaning in poorly ventilated areas with toxic chemicals were not harmed by those chemicals (Alwin Holland Elem.). Did not immediately notify WCB of the occurrence of an accident that resulted in serious injury; accident investigation not carried out by persons knowledgeable about type of work involved with the participation of the employer or a representative and a worker representative; accident investigation did not thoroughly determine cause of incident, identify unsafe conditions, acts or procedures that contributed to the incident and recommend corrective action to 3
SD62 (Sooke) SD63 (Saanich) SD64 (Gulf Islands) SD67 (Okanagan Skaha) SD68 (Nanaimo) SD69 (Qualicum) SD70 (Alberni) SD71 (Comox Valley) SD72 (Campbell River) SD73 (Kamloops Thompson) SD74 (Gold Trail) SD75 (Mission) SD78 (Fraser Cascade) SD79 (Cowichan Valley) SD81 (Fort Nelson) SD82 (Coast Mountain) prevent similar occurrences (Reynolds Sec.). The employer must respond in writing to the Joint Committee s written request for a response to recommendations relating to air temperature in school office; did not ensure temperature and humidity levels within the indoor work environment were maintained within acceptable comfort ranges; the employer must post a copy of compliance reports and any follow up compliance reports and provide a copy to the JOH&S committee, plus forward a copy to the Board (Strawberry Vale Elem.). Adequate fall protection system not in place; safety head gear not worn in a working area where there was a danger of head injury from falling, flying objects, etc. (SD site). Backhoe operator not wearing seatbelt; backhoe and dump truck had tools and equipment on floor of machines; to submit Notice of Compliance to Board (Chase River Elem.). New worker had not received orientation to workplace; ladder/stairway not fastened securely at top; notice of compliance to be submitted (Cedar Comm. Sec.). A worker was observed cutting brush with a chainsaw without wearing any leg protection (John Howitt School). The employer did not produce a single written Incident Investigation Report after investigating conditions relating to indoor air quality in a number of portable classrooms which had water and/or mould damage and which were to serve as classrooms. Two table saws in the carpentry shop were not equipped with saw guards; specific written lockout procedures were not established for pieces of equipment which needed to be locked out for cleaning, adjusting and maintenance; deterioration of weight room carpet to the point of being a tripping hazard (Clearwater Sec.). A tire hoist was not marked to its rated capacity; controls for an automatic lift for buses site built and assembled with inadequate valve function signage and questionable function; maintenance, inspection, modification and repair records for each automotive lift not kept. The setting of an adjustable work rest for an abrasive wheel of a large bench grinder not set within appropriate measurement of the cutting surface; local exhaust ventilation for a welding fume was not effective (David Stoddard Sec.). An investigation was not conducted when a worker complained about mould in a portable classroom which had a musty odour and dark stains on the wood where a mouldy carpet had been removed; OH&S meeting minutes were not posted over the last year (Riverside Trades & Training). The water in the eyewash was grey coloured when initially run out; grinding machine did not have an adjustable work rest within the proper measurement of the cutting surface (Lake Cowichan Sec.). Three orders re no asbestos exposure control plans in place for work performed on asbestos containing materials; asbestos contaminated material found in dumpster; failure to ensure Board received written notice of construction project within 24 hours before starting where the activity involved the removal, encapsulation or enclosure of friable asbestos building materials; workers not provided with adequate 4
SD83 (North Okanagan Shuswap) SD84 (Vancouver Island West) SD85 (Vancouver Island North) SD87 (Stikine) SD91 (Nechako Lakes) SD92 (Nisga a) SD93 (Francophone Education Authority) information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure their health and safety; (Clarence Michiel Elem). Floor mats at gym entrance curled up at corners posing a tripping hazard (Thornhill Jr. Sec.). Joint committee does not have a sufficient number of members; reports of three most recent joint committee meetings not posted; joint committee not meeting at least once a month; procedures for obtaining first aid not conspicuously posted; first aid records not available at time of inspection (John Field Elem.). Unknown chemicals observed in containers in science prep rooms that had not been labelled; adequate ventilation for lower and upper floor chemical storage and prep areas ; coffee/tea area established in laboratory area ; failure to ensure that a workplace label had been applied to each container of hazardous waste; no information provided to principal and vice principal on a recent release of asbestos containing material in the school boiler room; barriers used to restrict access to the boiler room, where asbestos containing material had been released, had been removed from both entrances (Mt. Elizabeth Sec.); the point of operation of a manually powered press in the Wood Working Shop was not equipped with a safeguard; the thickness planer in the Wood Working and Metal Shop was a known source of potentially harmful noise and an engineered noise control had not been used to protect the worker; the emergency eye wash in the Wood Working Shop had not been equipped with a tempered water supply; no substitute appeared to have been provided for the flask support screens for retort stands which had an insulating component which appeared to have been made of an asbestos containing material; many bottles and small vials of chemical solutions were in the lab storage and preparation area which were no longer being used and could pose a hazard of chemical exposure if spills occurred (Bear Valley School). Health and safety committee meetings are not being held monthly and agenda items of the School Safety Committee are not worker health and safety related, therefore the requirement to establish a joint health and safety committee has not been met; controlled products observed in the wood shop with no effective WHMIS program in place; an emergency exit was partially obstructed by desks; oxy acetylene cylinders were in the shop free standing and not restrained from falling (Nishga Elem/Sec). S:\Health and Safety\Health and Safety\WCB\WCB Orders 2009.docx efm:tfeu 5