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Health and Safety Committee
UFFW HEALTH AND SAFETY REPORT
A Report on the MFL "Safer Workplaces" Health and Safety Conference by Russ Morrow
On May 7, 2003, a contingent of UFFW Safety Committee members traveled to The Pas, Manitoba to attend the annual Manitoba Federation of Labour Health and Safety Conference. Brothers Bruce Duncan, Rob Labossiere, Jeff Wilgosh Russ Morrow and Sister Rose McIntyre joined a busload of workers from other unions in the six-hour ride to the North.
There were two days of workshops including topics such as:
Having made presentation to the government in the consultation process, it was my privilege to receive the overview of the new changes to the Workplace Safety and Health Act in the "Safer Workplaces" workshop.
Many of the changes to The Act were very interesting and may make our profession a little safer.
One important change demands that the employer develop a workplace specific safety and health program. This program must be in writing and effectively communicated to all employees. It must also be developed in consultation with our Safety Committee.
The changes also emphasize that we all have a shared responsibility for safety and I believe that direct supervisors (i.e. Lieutenants and Captains) will have to become more familiar with The Act.
The employer is now directed to jointly investigate accidents or incidents with the worker representatives. We will now have to educate some of our own members on proper investigative procedures.
There are many more changes to The Act we are still studying and determining the implications to our work. The next stage in this process is a complete review and re-write of all of the Regulations associated with The WS&H Act. Brandon Local 803 President Terry Parlow and I have been working on the Provincial Fire Fighter Code of Practice, which will be greatly expanded and written into a new Regulation. This should be completed by the end of June.
Information on this and other workshops can be obtained directly from the members mentioned above.
All in all, it was a great Safety Conference. It was especially interesting to meet and hear from the other unions attending, especially the Auto Workers and the Home Care Workers. Safety is such an important part of our job, it was most gratifying to be able to attend and share this experience.
One last thought: There was one other thing we learned at this conference. It was that Jeff knows every song on the Karaoke machine – and he can actually sing quite well (just ask the people who tried to sleep on the bus!).
Stay Safe!