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WorkSafeBC cancels public hearings in Kelowna and Nanaimo due to adverse weather
Interested parties still able to provide input
Richmond, B.C., November 29, 2006 — Owing to adverse weather conditions in parts of British Columbia, sessions on proposed changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation scheduled for Kelowna on November 27 and Nanaimo on November 30 have been cancelled.
There were 12 presenters scheduled to be heard in Kelowna and eight scheduled for Nanaimo. Those parties or anyone else wishing to make submissions to the public hearing process can still make their views known by submitting their input through the online survey, mail, e-mail, or fax as follows:
| By online survey: | accessed through www.worksafebc.com |
| By mail: | WorkSafeBC |
| By e-mail: | Regquery@worksafebc.com |
| By fax: | 604 279-7599 |
| or toll-free in B.C. | 1-877-279-7599 |
“Regrettably, the recent weather conditions and subsequent flight and road difficulties made it necessary to cancel the Kelowna location. As well, the anticipated weather conditions for the rest of the week have raised concerns about the feasibility of a Nanaimo session,” said Roberta Ellis, vice-president, Policy, Investigations and Review. “WorkSafeBC is concerned to balance the desire for multiple locations with the safety and security of participants.”
Ellis, who chairs the public hearing process, also confirmed that everyone who made arrangements to present in either Kelowna or Nanaimo is being contacted to ensure that their written positions are included as part of the public record.
“Written submissions hold the same weight as oral presentations and we very much look forward to receiving input from anyone who wants to provide their views on these proposed regulations,” added Ellis.
The deadline for written submissions is 4:30 p.m., Friday, December 1, 2006. With regard to this deadline, Ellis confirmed that registered presenters in Kelowna or Nanaimo who don't have access to fax or e-mail will be given an additional week to ensure that material that is mailed in will be included in the final report to the Board of Directors.
The topics of this current round of public hearings into proposed changes to the Regulation include:
- pre-payment for gasoline at service stations in urban locations during late night and early morning hours. This proposed regulation is being introduced at the request of the Minister of Labour who referred to it as “Grant's Law” in recognition of the tragic death of gas station attendant Grant De Patie
- the orientation and training needs of young or new workers, and
- safety engineered devices for all hollow-bore needles and other medical sharps
Public hearings by WorkSafeBC are conducted under the authority of the Workers Compensation Act, which provides that WorkSafeBC may make regulations it considers necessary or advisable in relation to occupational health and safety and occupational environment. The law requires WorkSafeBC to hold at least one public hearing. However, there is always an attempt to schedule hearings in multiple locations.
The purpose of the proposed amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation is to reduce injuries. WorkSafeBC is committed to reviewing aspects of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation on an ongoing basis to ensure regulations are current and meeting the needs of B.C.'s workers and employers to support safe and healthy workplaces.
Serving nearly two million workers and about 185,000 employers, WorkSafeBC is a provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors and funded by employers. WorkSafeBC was born out of a compromise between BC's workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers or fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. WorkSafeBC is committed to a safe and healthy workplace and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits to workers injured as a result of their employment.
For more information please contact: |
Donna Freeman
|