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Occupational Health and Safety

March 15, 2010

Chilliwack Cultural Centre project sets tilt-up concrete record

The $22-million Chilliwack Cultural Centre project recently set a Canadian construction record for tilt-up concrete, as massive panels 82 feet (25 metres) in height were erected in January. The panels each weigh an average of 100,000 lbs. (45 tonnes) and represent the tallest ever erected in Canada.

March 11, 2010

Shoddy home construction blamed for Turkey earthquake toll

Homes in eastern areas of Turkey prone to earthquakes must be better built to withstand jolts like the magnitude 6 quake that toppled village houses and killed 51 people, the Turkish government acknowledges.

March 11, 2010

Ontario General Contractors Association applauds plan for WSIB advisory committee

The call for creating permanent stakeholder advisory committees at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is a progressive move by the WSIB, says the head of a construction industry task force.

March 11, 2010

Plant Engineering and Maintenance Association establishes Fort McMurray chapter

The newest chapter of a national association for plant and facility maintenance has been established in Fort McMurray, Alta. to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry in the region.

March 9, 2010

Construction industry accounted for most 2009 workplace fatalities in Alberta

The construction industry had the highest number of workplace fatalities of any sector in Alberta in 2009, but this figure is the lowest in the last five years.

March 5, 2010

In wake of toddler death, Calgary task force takes on highrise safety

In the aftermath of a toddler’s death from falling construction debris, the City of Calgary and the local construction industry have formed a committee to study safety.

March 5, 2010

In new Woody Harrelson movie, Hamilton, Ont. construction worker becomes ‘Defendor’ at night

The recent Canadian movie release Defendor pulls off a neat trick by daring to set the tale of an everyday superhero in an undisguised Hamilton, Ont.

March 4, 2010

Full text of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s budget speech

As I rise in this House today, our nation is at a crossroads. We have passed through some steep and rocky terrain. Much of the territory was uncharted. We were prepared, and we protected ourselves. We are making our way through, and our compass has not failed us.

March 4, 2010

Report unsafe work sites, Building and Concrete Restoration Association of Ontario says

The Building and Concrete Restoration Association of Ontario (BCRAO) Safety Task Force continues to encourage anyone who sees any health and safety violations at a work site to call the Ministry of Labour.

March 3, 2010

Full text of the throne speech

The following is the unedited text of the speech from the throne delivered by Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean on Wednesday.

March 3, 2010

Workplace Safety and Insurance Board should establish industry advisory committees, chair says

Creation of permanent stakeholder advisory committees at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is a progressive agency recommendation, says the head of a construction industry task force.

March 2, 2010

Heavy construction company Sigfusson Northern fined in drilling mishap

Sigfusson Northern Ltd., a Kenora-based heavy construction company, was fined $50,000 on Feb. 12, for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that caused an injury to a worker.

March 1, 2010

Skilled worker shortage leads to rising construction costs on Truro, Nova Scotia hospital project

Experts say the escalating price of a new hospital in Truro, N.S., is symptomatic of growing cost pressures on public and private projects, brought on partly by a growing shortage of skilled workers.

February 26, 2010

Painters’ union member rescues six from blaze in Texas

The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades has heralded one of its Texas members as a hero thanks to his daring rescue attempt at the site of a recent suicide attack on an Internal Revenue Service building in Austin.

February 26, 2010

ITC Construction manager lends expertise to Winter Olympics

The person in charge of safety with a local construction firm is working as a volunteer safety co-ordinator during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

February 25, 2010

Roofing contractor inducted into Grand Valley Construction Association Hall of Fame

Roofing contractor Dave Walden, a newly minted member of the Grand Valley Construction Association Hall of Fame, is an ardent supporter of education in the skilled trades.

February 25, 2010

B.C. Industry Training Authority retains roadbuilding veteran

Over the past four years, Kent Orrock has made a name for himself in the roadbuilding industry by creating, managing and overseeing the development of training programs for the B.C. Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association.

February 25, 2010

Injured workers file suit over Connecticut plant explosion

Two workers injured in a power plant explosion filed a lawsuit Feb. 22 alleging that proper safety procedures were not followed, and an attorney said that included live electricity running through the site, workers welding and a gas-fueled torch heater running when the blast happened.

February 24, 2010

Trial gets underway in Chinese studio fire

Twenty-three people will go on trial this week for alleged involvement in a deadly fire triggered by an illegal fireworks display that gutted a hotel at the new headquarters of China’s main television network last year, a court official said Feb. 22.

February 22, 2010

Metal forging company IMT Corporation fined $60,000 for safety violation

Metal forging firm IMT Corporation has been fined $60,000 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that caused an injury to a worker.

February 19, 2010

Economic diversification paying off during Vale Inco strike in Sudbury

Three decades ago, a nine-month miners’ strike in Sudbury devastated the northern Ontario city’s economy and drove home the perils of being a one-industry town.

February 19, 2010

Concrete-testing company chief convicted of concocting phony results

The president of a concrete testing company that worked on such New York City landmarks as the new Yankee Stadium was convicted Wednesday of concocting phony test results, but a jury acquitted a low-level manager and has yet to reach a verdict on the top racketeering charge against the president and company.

February 19, 2010

No injuries in Pennsylvania arena roof collapse

A large section of the roof of a skating rink collapsed while the ice was being resurfaced during a youth hockey tournament, but no one was injured.

February 19, 2010

Construction worker’s fatal fall didn't involve swing stage

A construction worker is dead after falling as much as six storeys from a building in east Toronto Thursday. Police say a piece of metal may have fallen and hit the worker, knocking him off the building.

February 18, 2010

Haiti to mandate use of specific sand in structural concrete

Haiti’s government is banning a commonly used sand from structural construction in an attempt to improve building safety.

February 17, 2010

Texas Rangers owner sued in construction dispute

A lawsuit accuses the Texas Rangers and companies controlled by owner Tom Hicks of failing to pay US$6.9 million for architectural and construction work.

February 17, 2010

Inquest to be held into Hamilton, Ontario worker’s death

An inquest will be held into the construction work site death of Ryan Herbert in September, 2008.

February 17, 2010

Qualified tradespeople can go in many directions, Algonquin College students told

Qualifying in one of the construction trades can lead to a satisfying career, high school and college students were told recently. But being a tradesman doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll spend your working life on the jobsite.

February 16, 2010

Ontario Electrical League accuses safety councils of union bias

The terms of reference for new Infrastructure Health and Safety Association advisory councils contain a union bias in worker representation, states the Ontario Electrical League (OEL).

February 12, 2010

Challenges abound in rehabilitation of Oakville sewage treatment plant

A three-year $60 million rehabilitation project now underway at the Oakville Southwest Sewage Treatment Plant is not considered an expansion.

February 12, 2010

Alberta budget good news for construction sector

The 2010 Alberta Budget will sustain investment in the construction of basic infrastructure in a tough economic climate, by increasing the government’s deficit and spending initiatives.