Archive for category: Safety Resources

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada states that around 45,000 Canadians will suffer from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) every year and 2.1% of Canadians have a history of heart attacks. With huge numbers like that, we need to be prepared for SCA at the workplace too. In come AEDs… They are relatively affordable, user friendly, and if used correctly can save lives. Let’s go over the in’s and out’s of these little lifesavers.

First, what exactly is an AED? According to American Heart Association “an AED is a
lightweight, portable device that delivers an electric shock through the chest to the heart. The shock can potentially stop an irregular heart beat (arrhythmia) and allow a normal rhythm to resume following sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).” What makes them so user friendly is that the computer in the AED will tell you if the victim needs the shock and a prerecorded voice will guide you through it. Training on proper use of AEDs is highly recommend, but you should at least be familiar with how to use them. If not, talk to your safety crew and/or foreman.

Why are they so important?  According to the government of Canada, a victim’s chance of survival are increased to 75% or more if  CPR or defibrillation is started within the first 1-3 minutes after cardiac arrest. Not everyone is trained in proper CPR and it’s not always as effective. Using an AED can take some of the guesswork out of resuscitating the victim and could be more effective. Come back tomorrow and we’ll go over how to keep your AED ready to go.

P.S. we teach our own First Aid Course here at ABCS.

There is actually quite a bit of controversy surrounding this topic. Lots of people in the trades believe that Canada has a complete ban on asbestos and asbestos containing products, but this not true. CBC News reported in Oct 2018 that “New regulations designed to ban asbestos will go into effect by the end of this year [2018] — but an analysis of the final rules reveals they have been watered down from what the federal government originally proposed. The final regulations include new exemptions to allow the military, nuclear facilities and chlor-alkali plants to continue using the hazardous substance for several years.” The CBC article goes on to state that, “In its regulations, the government estimates that asbestos exposure was responsible for approx. 1,900 lung cancer cases in 2011 and 430 cases of mesothelioma – a cancer that affects a layer of tissue that covers many internal organs.”

Somewhere along the line most trades workers got the idea that you only need to be concerned about asbestos if you are demoing an old house. However, asbestos fibres are in a ton of items here in Canada. Such as, cementing compounds, shingles, floor tiles, insulation, spray fireproofing, fireproof doors, pipe and boiler wrap and break pads. Yes, asbestos is relatively safe, if it’s contained and not bothered, but any sort of deterioration, or drilling, cutting, grinding or sawing can release tiny fibers. These tiny fibers can cause a lifetime of health problems, ultimately leading to death. It’s reported that “Exposure to asbestos is the leading cause of occupational death in Canada.”

Symptoms can take years to show up. The earliest symptoms usually include change in breathing, shortness of breath, cough and a crackling sound when inhaling. Tomorrow, we will go over who’s at risk and what to do when faced with this hazard.

I find it hard as a consumer to know what I’m getting into with these drinks. Lots of them have added vitamins and therefore marketed as “health drinks” or they add ginkgo biloba and it’s marketed as making your mind sharp. Not to mention there are a million studies both for and against these drinks. One argument is that your healthy allowable amount of caffeine is a whopping 400mg a day and energy drinks are around 100-800 mg. So that makes some of them safe right?……Unfortunately, this may not be so. Sadly, the WHO (World health organisation) studies against energy drinks have one thing to support their argument that the others don’t… Stats on hospital visits and deaths. In Canada, we do have some regulations on energy drinks, but there is still definitely some gray area. Some drinks fall into different categories such as the energy shots that can have as much as 800mg of caffeine in one mouthful shot. Also, mixing any of these drinks with alcohol is a huge no-no, but still allowable in most places in Canada. There are still no regulations on these drinks being sold to children.

So, I guess what I’m saying is know your stuff, educate yourself on the risks. If you already have a heart condition, definitely do your research and talk to your doctor. One now and then is probably safe if you’re healthy, but given the controversy, I’d recommend always playing it safe. So, does this mean we just fall asleep at work? No, instead try getting more sleep at night, regular exercise and a healthy diet. I know it’s not a quick fix but hey neither is a heart attack?

We need to be proactive in protecting ourselves. I know it’s not very likely, but when we can, try and replace diesel with electric engines. Keep on top of our tune ups and maintenance of the diesel engines we are using, we should be doing this anyway for other safety reasons and the longevity of our equipment. Install engine exhaust filters, use cleaner fuels and it wouldn’t hurt to test the air for unsafe levels. Even doing all of that, we need to limit our exposure to diesel emissions. Try to always keep them outside. If you have to run it indoors, be very cautious about ventilation, keep fumes away from other workers in the same work zone and use a respirators. Even if your equipment is running outside, be sure the fumes are not blowing directly into walkways, use a tail pipe hose to direct it out of the way of other workers. And when those temperatures dip into the ice age realm, try not to idle your engine for long periods.

I know this is a hard one to mitigate the hazards of… Diesel is everywhere on site. If you’re weird like me and the smell doesn’t bother you… maybe you actually like it? Hey it smells like money to me! You still need to take every precaution to avoid it. The life altering and threatening side effects just aren’t worth the extra 10 minutes it may take you to plan better and remove the hazards.

Most people in the trades dread the weekly safety meeting and I kind of get it. It can be a bit dry, there’s not usually a lot of excitement and in my experience there’s always the one worker who asks the same questions, has the most ridiculous complaints and dominates every single meeting. On the other hand, you have the workers who love safety meetings… treating them as extended breaks, taking naps, finishing their snacks or maybe on the phone? If you fall into one of these categories, you need to stop and remember why you are all there. These sites can be huge, it’s good to get caught up on what’s going on in your work area, what new hazards to look out for and other important information that could affect you and your crew. These meetings can also tell you about incidence that may have taken place and what to do to avoid the same thing. It’s also a great time for you to get involved if you have a legitimate safety concern. This is not the time to complain that the vending machine took your toonie without dropping your chips to you. I know there’s no marching band and fireworks to entertain you but you should be thankful that you are being involved in such meetings. Many places in the world don’t offer safety meetings to their workers…  think about that. You are being paid to sit and discuss how to make your job safer! Maybe not entertaining but it sure is impressive. So try and keep an open mind and pay attention in your meetings.