British Columbia Federation of Labour

The goal of this introductory Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) course is to introduce new Committee members and Worker Representatives to the basic principles of workplace health and safety. OH&S Committee members who have had previous OH&S education can use it as a refresher.

The OHS Part 2 (Advanced Course) has been designed to allow participants to develop the tools, resources and strategies to build on their successes and to tackle the tough OH&S issues at their workplaces.

An incident or near hit happens at the workplace. An investigation by the employer and the OH&S Committee must take place. It is your responsibility to gather the facts, objectively assess those facts and arrive at appropriate solutions to prevent any future incidents. How do you conduct an effective investigation?

Incident investigation is a serious matter. This course will provide you with the opportunity to improve your investigative skills.

In BC, 34% of all workplace injuries are MSI. According to Statistics Canada, one out of every ten Canadians had a workplace musculoskeletal injury (MSI) serious enough to limit normal activities.

This course is designed to provide OH&S Committee Members and Worker Representatives with the knowledge and skills to identify ergonomic problems at the workplace, and make a case for generating solutions.

What chemical hazards are there at your workplace? Are you exposed to hazards such as: chemical solvents and cleaners, electro-magnetic fields, diesel fumes, wood dust, or asbestos at your workplace?

How can you make your workplace safer?

• 50% of nurses and social service workers report some form of violence annually, including threats and verbal abuse.
• 25% of nurses and social service workers report physical violence.
• 21% of retail workers in BC have experienced violent acts.
• 4.5% of teachers are physically assaulted.

The repercussions of violence for workers are devastating, affecting their physical and mental health and job satisfaction. For employers it means reduced productivity. This course assists Joint OH&S Committee Members and Worker Representatives in identifying potentially violent situations in the workplace and developing a plan for violence prevention.

This Ergonomics Course is designed for drivers and equipment operators in sectors such as: construction, forestry, municipal, transit, ferry workers, transportation workers (delivery, long haul), railway workers, pilots, coast guards, etc.

This course is designed to provide Joint OH&S Committees and Worker Representatives with the knowledge and skills to assess all aspects of ergonomics for heavy equipment operators. The health effects and assessments of whole body vibration are also covered.

This course is designed for Joint OH&S Committee Members and Worker Representatives to identify stressors such as job demands, job control, lack of support, management styles, bullying and lack of work and life balance that cause workplace stress and worker burnout. We will examine how the Joint OH&S Committee can work with the employer to develop prevention strategies to reduce worker stress.

The goal of this 21-week program is to educate participants about workplace health and safety using an ESL curriculum model. Participants will have an opportunity to improve their language skills while learning about workers' rights in health and safety topics such as workplace violence, preventing back injuries, workplace chemicals [WHMIS] and identification of hazards. Participants in these sessions will be able to use this knowledge and information to increase their awareness of health and safety and to become involved in the health and safety committees at their workplaces.

The goal of these three-hour educational sessions is to provide migrant or foreign workers with basic OH&S information on workers' rights and responsibilities, employer responsibilities, OH&S Committees, role of WCB and hazard identification. Course materials are translated and facilitated in the workers' first language, bilingual facilitators taking the lead role and translating for Centre staff. The sessions are designed using the popular education model, encouraging worker participation.

The feedback from participants in previous sessions has been very positive. They are most interested in their OH&S rights and were surprised to hear that they do have OH&S rights. They have never been informed, prior to this session, that they have these rights as workers in BC.

Centre staff organize and co-facilitate these sessions.

The goal of the Young Worker Health & Safety Program is to educate young workers and students around the province about occupational health and safety and how to prevent injuries, accidents and deaths. The workshops are designed to give students and young workers an understanding of the Workers Compensation Act and the Employment Standards Act which govern their rights and responsibilities in the workplace. The workshops will also provide students with the skills to interpret and respond appropriately to different situations that may arise in their workplaces with regards to their rights.