It has been just over a year since Bill 168 – Violence and Harassment Legislation was passed in Ontario. The Ministry of Labour is still active in the province of Ontario enforcing this piece of legislation.

Organizations responsibilities do not end with development of the policies and procedures as many thought. A risk assessment should have been completed, changes made to the workplace based on the identified risks and workers trained. Once the changes are made as identified in the risk assessment, Employers must then complete a second risk assessment identifying that the risks prior have been addressed – reducing the risks for workers.

The HR Reporter indicated "In the year after Ontario passed amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act to address workplace violence and harassment, the province has issued about 1,100 orders related to the new legislation, according to the Ministry of Labour.

The legislation requires employers to assess workplace violence risks and develop workplace violence and harassment policies and programs.

From June 15, 2010 to March 31, 2011, ministry of labour inspectors investigated more than 400 complaints involving workplace violence and issued about 600 orders associated with the new legislation. They also investigated more than 1,000 complaints involving workplace harassment.

Altogether, they issued about 1,100 orders associated with the new law."

Most provinces have violence and harassment legislation in place except Nunavut which has nothing in place at this time and New Brunswick in which the act speaks in general terms. Both Manitoba and New Brunswick do not outline the need for a Risk Assessment but identify the need to address the issue in general terms – Manitoba outlining that policies and procedures must be in place.

Most provinces are vague about when to conduct another risk assessment outlining that if a change or event precipitates an earlier assessment that a new one must be completed. Nova Scotia takes it a step further in identifying that one must be completed at least every 5 years unless a change or event precipitates an earlier risk assessment.

All in all, across Canada the provinces individual legislation has taken a proactive approach to addressing the issues of workplace violence and harassment. Employers need to understand their provincial legislative requirements and ensure they meet or exceed the requirements in providing a safe workplace for their workers.

WORK SAFE & KNOW YOUR LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS!

Posted by Lynne at 02:24 PM | Permalink

I think this news item from BC neatly summarizes interesting developments in the realm of brownfields redevelopment on the west coast. My only concern is that I philosophically don't like to see taxpayers subsidize the cost of redeveloping polluted lands, and think polluters should pay. That being said, I recognize that government can act as a partner and "catalyst" for getting projects underway that can yield a net benefit. Anyway, here's the news item:

HEMMERA CONGRATULATES COMMUNITY OF SQUAMISH IN NEXT PHASE OF BROWNFIELD REVITALIZATION

Vancouver, BC – June 14, 2011 – Hemmera congratulates the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation (SODC)’s GBA site on being one of 14 redevelopment projects accepted into the 2011 Brownfield Funding Renewal Program, administered by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. Formerly used for industrial operations such as railway and logging, this site will benefit greatly from funding. This will feed into the site’s proposed renewal as a residential area as part of the SODC’s overall park, employment and residential development plan for the 59 acres of former industrial land extending from downtown Squamish and forming a peninsula fronting Howe Sound, the Mamquam Blind Channel and the Cattermole Slough.

This acceptance is an enormous opportunity for the District of Squamish. SODC Board Chair Bill McNeney enthused, “This exciting project is an important part of the redevelopment and renewal plan for the SODC lands. The SODC is grateful to the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations for their significant contribution towards bringing this project into reality and initiating a key transformational step for the Community of Squamish.”

Brownfield Renewal Funding will move the environmental investigation and remediation process forward at this Site, with funding granted specifically for Stage 1 and 2 Preliminary Site Investigations and a Detailed Site Investigation. Hemmera project staff have previously worked with the SODC on different parts of these Brownfield lands, including managing the decontamination and decommissioning of a former waste water treatment plant (the ‘Blue Barn’, which received 2010 Brownfield Renewal Funding), and the application for an approval under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act for the development of an Oceanfront Park. “We’re thrilled that SODC received this funding. It will allow them to address more of their Brownfield areas, ultimately contributing towards the development of this unique and sustainable community” says Greg Quandt, Business Leader at Hemmera, who has facilitated work between Hemmera’s planning and management, and engineering and sciences groups, on behalf of the SODC.

The final step in the project process could include an application for a Certificate of Completion from the BC Ministry of the Environment, the awarding of which would signify that the risks associated with the site have been addressed. Once a Certificate is obtained, the site will be ready to be re-incorporated into the community of Squamish, and will help create a vibrant, sustainable, world-class “work-live-recreate” community showcasing the spirit, cultural heritage, and values of surrounding Squamish citizens.

Contact Information:

Claire Lewis, Senior Environmental Engineer
clewis@hemmera.com

About Brownfield Funding Renewal Program

Since the Brownfield Funding Renewal Program’s inception in 2007, 44 projects in 32 communities have received $3.4 million to support Brownfield redevelopment. As one of 14 successful projects in 2011, the GBA Site Renewal project has received $121,500 of funding towards the revitalization of this Brownfield, which will provide economic, environmental, and social benefits for the community of Squamish. www.sodc.ca

About Hemmera

Hemmera is a boutique environmental consulting firm that is recognized for its strong client focus, diverse expertise, and technical excellence. We act as a trusted partner to our clients, providing solutions that safeguard the environment and the community, while advancing economic opportunities. The strength of our team has made us the firm of choice for some of the largest environmental projects in Western Canada. Hemmera is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. www.hemmera.com

Posted by Guy Crittenden at 10:13 PM | Permalink

I thought I'd share this interesting online article posted by Lawrence Solomon on the Energy Probe and Probe International website on June 17. It touches on an area of science that fascinates me, and that's the study of the fluctuating energy output and activity of the sun, which is the largest driver of the Earth's climate system (along with the mitigating effect of aerosols or clouds, which is not properly represented in computer-based cliamte models). The link to the original below has further links at the end to histories of sunspot activity:

http://ep.probeinternational.org/2011/06/18/lawrence-solomon-nasa-scientist-reverses-sunspot-prediction-bolstering-global-cooling-theory/#more-6074

Lawrence Solomon: NASA scientist reverses sunspot prediction, bolstering global cooling theory

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Probe International

(June 17, 2011) Five years ago, NASA’s David Hathaway predicted that the Sun was about to enter an unusually intense period of sunspot activity. Today, Hathaway believes his earlier prediction was wrong. This comes amid a flurry of other reports, including from scientists at the U.S. National Solar Observatory (NSO) and U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, indicating that global cooling, and perhaps even a new Little Ice Age, is on its way.

Five years ago, NASA’s David Hathaway, one of the world’s leading authorities on the solar cycle, predicted that the Sun was about to enter an unusually intense period of sunspot activity. Referring to Solar Cycle 24, the 11-year period that we’re now in, Hathaway predicted that it “looks like it’s going to be one of the most intense cycles since record-keeping began almost 400 years ago.”

Because sunspot activity has historically predicted periods of global warming and global cooling – lots of sunspots translates into lots of warming and vice versa – Hathaway’s study – presented at a December 2006 meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco — acted to support global warming theorists and to discredit the various solar scientists who believe that Earth is about to enter a prolonged period of cooling.

Today, Hathaway, a solar physicist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, believes his earlier prediction was wrong. Rather than hitting a peak of 160 sunspots, and possibly 185, as he predicted in 2006, he now believes that the Sun’s activity will decline dramatically. The current prediction, to less than half that of 2006, “would make this the smallest sunspot cycle in over 100 years,” he now states.

All this comes amid a flurry of other reports, including from scientists at the U.S. National Solar Observatory (NSO) and U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, indicating that global cooling, and perhaps even a new Little Ice Age, is on its way.

“We expected to see the start of the zonal flow for Cycle 25 by now, but we see no sign of it,” states Frank Hill of the U.S. National Solar Observatory, who recently co-authored another paper in the field. “This indicates that the start of Cycle 25 may be delayed to 2021 or 2022, or may not happen at all.”

The upshot is chilling: “If we are right, this could be the last solar maximum we’ll see for a few decades,” Hill states. “That would affect everything from space exploration to Earth’s climate.”

The notion of another Little Ice Age, as happened in the last half of the 1600s, is no longer dismissed. Asks the National Solar Observatory: “An immediate question is whether this slowdown presages a second Maunder Minimum, a 70-year period with virtually no sunspots [which occurred] during 1645-1715.”

Lawrence Solomon is executive director of Energy Probe and author of The Deniers.LawrenceSolomon@nextcity.com.

Posted by Guy Crittenden at 08:06 PM | Permalink

Some folks migh tbe surprised to learn that Texas is among the leading jurisdictions in the United States moving forward with product stewardship, but when you think of the state's free market spirit, it's perhaps not suprising that Texans are beginning to understand the need to remove subsidies to waste and recycling and make producers responsible for the end-of-life management of products and packaging. In that regard, the following news item is of interest:

Texas Finally Has Statewide Television TakeBack Recycling Law

Recycling advocates and businesses celebrate as Governor Perry signs the “TV TakeBack” bill into law

Austin, TX – Environmentalists, local government leaders and recycling businesses have praised Texas legislators for passing a bill that will! have TV manufacturers take back and recycle obsolete televisions, keeping toxic materials such as lead and mercury out of Texas landfills and water sources. Governor Rick Perry signed Senate Bill 329 into law—unlike in 2009, when Gov. Perry vetoed a similar bill. Advocates count this as one of the rare environmental victories during the 2011 Texas Legislative Session.

“We applaud Governor Perry for signing the TV TakeBack Recycling bill into law,” said Robin Schneider, Executive Director of Texas Campaign for the Environment. “This bill is the long-awaited companion to the Computer Takeback Law that Governor Perry signed in 2007.
TV takeback in Texas is long overdue, so this law is a crucial step toward bringing free and convenient recycling to all Texans. That said, there’s still work to be done!”

An estimated 2 5 million televisions are disposed each year in the US. Old-style cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions contain several pounds of lead and most new flat-screen TVs contain mercury bulbs. Typically, less than one in every five old TVs is recycled. Many communities across Texas routinely must clean up illegal dumps of old electronics. The new law will extend recycling opportunities to more Texans.

“This law will help every county in the State of Texas. This is just the right thing to do,” said Fayette County Judge Ed Janecka. “Work crews will no longer have to pick up electronics off of roadsides and creek beds. We thank the Governor and the State Legislature for listening to Texas businesses, retailers, recyclers and residents. We also appreciate the hard work and dedication put forth by Texas Campaign for the Environment in its pursuit to better recycling in our state.”

SB 329, sponsored by Senator Kirk Watson (D-Austin) and Representative Warren Chisum (R-Pampa), requires manufacturers selling TVs in Texas to offer free, convenient recycling programs for Texas residents. Industry support was a key factor in the bill’s passage. The Consumer Electronics Association, which represents more than 2,000 electronics companies, supported the bill—marking the first time this trade association has supported any state producer takeback recycling law. Other business groups, local governments, recycling businesses and faith-based organizations also backed the bill.

Twenty-four other states have passed similar laws for electronics recycling, 20 of which cover computers and TVs. Over the next 10 months, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will design the rules to implement and enforce the new law.

“With this market-based solution, manufacturers in the television industry will improve their corporate responsibility,” said Mike Buckles, head of TechnoCycle, an electronics recycling firmin Houston. “TechnoCycle and other recycling businesses will work closely with electronics companies, Texas lawmakers and the state environmental agency to make sure this law gets the results Texas needs.”

Advocates say the law will help the economy as well as the environment, and that it will save taxpayer money.

"I am extremely pleased that our lawmakers recognized the need to add television recycling as a companion law along with the existing computer takeback law," said Kim Mote, chair of the Texas Product Stewardship Council and the Solid Waste Manager for the City of Fort Worth. "When properly implemented, these two laws will take a difficult-to-handle solid waste burden off of our local governments in Texas. What is just as gratifying is to see that the bill had TV manu! facturer support in its passage," he concluded.

“Producer takeback recycling creates jobs in the recycling industry, saves local tax dollars and clean up the air, land and water in Texas,” said Stacy Guidry, Austin Program Director for Texas Campaign for the Environment. “Cities and counties in Texas can’t afford to spend tax dollars on recycling obsolete electronics. We’re glad more manufacturers will be taking responsibility for the entire life-cycle of products in our state.”

Texas Campaign for the Environment (TCE) is a statewide grassroots organization focused on recycling and trash issues. In 2002, TCE joined the effort to make electronics companies responsible for the life-cycle of their products. TCE organizes Texans door-to-door from offices in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston.

Posted by Guy Crittenden at 07:59 PM | Permalink

With the changes to the Health and Safety Act in Ontario and the ever changing/review of the legislation across the country, Organizations need to reevaluate their Health and Safety Programs to ensure they are up to date.

The internal responsibility system (IRS) is a health and safety philosophy. It is based on the principle that every individual in the workplace is responsible for health and safety. That includes the CEO, executives, management and workers. Giving workplace parties responsibilities and authority is the driving force of an effective health and safety management system (Ontario Definiation).

The Internal Responsibility System (IRS) is a system, within an organization, where everyone has direct responsibility for health and safety as an essential part of their work (Government of Nova Scotia’s Definition).

Internal responsibility system is a phrase often used when referring to the work place and policy health and safety committees or health and safety representative. In reality it goes further, and is actually the collaborative approach taken by an employer and the employees to resolve health and safety concerns in the work place or when performing work activities (Human Resources and Skills Development Canada Definition).

The internal responsibility system is an underlying philosophy of the occupational health and safety legislation in all Canadian jurisdictions. The IRS is the very foundation of health and safety in the workplace, establishing workers and employers responsibility for his or her own safety, for the safety of their co-workers and for development of your Health and Safety Management System for your organization. Although the acts and regulations in your province may not impose or prescribe the steps you must take to comply, it holds employers, supervisors and workers responsible for determining the best practice steps for their operation and industry to ensure health and safety of all workers in the workplace.

Across provinces there are similarities in legislative requirements for Occupational Health and Safety; for example, the rights and responsibilities of workers, responsibilities of employers, supervisors, etc. are similar in all the jurisdictions across Canada and in the United States. Occupational Health and Safety legislation and how the laws are enforced however will vary from one province or state to another. It is therefore imperative that you understand your province or state’s legal requirements in compliance with OH&S Legislation in your area.

In developing your IRS processes, procedures and overall Management System, here are a few tips to ease the burden using the PDRC Method (Plan, Do, Check & Review):

1. The Planning Stage:
This is the most critical stage in the process. Document all steps in the process development of your Health and Safety Management System (HSMS), Processes and Procedures; always getting the approval of senior management (owner, president or CEO of the company).

2. The Do Stage:
a) During this stage in the process you will establish policy, procedures, protocols and training; establishing timelines, strategy and performance measures.

b) Establish your management system processes, procedures and check systems.
By establishing your HSMS philosophy in everything you do, you will increase productivity, reduce costs and build a sustainable, reliable and cohesive workplace and above all a healthy safe workplace.

3. The Check Stage:
During this stage in the process you will audit/check the system to ensure it is functioning properly: efficiently and effectively.

4. The Review and Change Stage:
The review and change stage creates the cyclical nature of the H&S Management System. It is critical that you review and update procedures, policies, and training; establishing new system procedures with additions and changes to the operations of your business minimally annually but more frequently as changes occur in the organization.

Posted by Lynne at 09:24 PM | Permalink