Washington Mills Electro Minerals Corporation, a manufacturer of mineral products, was fined $70,000 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was injured.

BURNS LAKE, B.C.— Sawmill employees being interviewed by police after a Friday night explosion levelled their workplace and killed two are telling police about safety concerns. RCMP Const. Lesley Smith said Tuesday officers plan to speak to everyone who worked at the mill about the day of the disaster and the days leading up to it.

Beginning January 16th, WorkSafeBC has extended the operating hours in its Teleclaim Contact Centre from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm., to 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The extended hours reflect WorkSafeBC’s commitment to responding to the needs of B.C.’s workers and employers who have requested the longer hours, WorkSafeBC said in a statement.

I never made a conscious decision to take up this line of work. In fact, it all happened by chance and coincidence, as many of life’s bigger decisions do: you reach a crossroads, a path opens up and you think, why not?

The first important decision arising from the Bill 168 amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) held that verbal threats of workplace violence constitute just cause to terminate a worker’s employment.

In any business venture, we get results through careful planning of activities and through measuring not only the results but the activities that the people undertake to get those results. The creation of safety excellence is accomplished in exactly the same way.