Noise-cancelling isn’t the same as hearing protection. 🎧
Personal audio devices may block out distractions, but that doesn’t mean they protect your hearing on the job. Learn more about hearing protection at work in this quick video from WorkSafeBC occupational audiologist Sasha Brown.
If you or someone you know uses noise-cancelling headphones at work, watch and share this video, or read the full article in the spring issue of WorkSafe Magazine from the link in bio.
Being prepared is part of building a safe and healthy workplace. 🦺
This week is Emergency Preparedness Week, and this year's theme is "Be Prepared. Know Your Risks." That work starts by having a plan in place before an emergency happens.
Under B.C.'s workplace health and safety legislation, employers are required to have an emergency response plan. If you’re not sure where to begin, here are three key steps to get started:
✅ Visit our website to learn about risks specific to your workplace
✅ Create and communicate a response plan with your team
✅ Assemble and maintain an emergency kit on-site
You can also visit the link in bio to identify local risks, build a workplace emergency plan, and update your kit.
Take some time this week to make sure you and your team know what to do in an emergency, and let’s keep every worker in B.C. informed, prepared, and ready to respond.
Roadside work safety should start even before workers arrive on site. That planning is crucial to protecting workers from the all-too-common risk of being struck by a vehicle.
Read how risk assessments, traffic control plans, effective supervision, and clear worker orientation help protect workers from traffic hazards
For more information on working around traffic, visit the link in bio.
“Construction Safety Week highlights the progress we’ve made in improving safety on worksites, but known and emerging risks continue to result in injuries to workers, showing there is more work to be done.” says Todd McDonald, head of Prevention Services at WorkSafeBC.
From 2021 to 2025, WorkSafeBC accepted approximately:
▪️ 38,000 claims in construction
▪️ 7,400 serious injury claims
▪️ More than $1.3 billion in total claim costs
The most common injury type continues to be musculoskeletal injury, with nearly 11,000 claims caused by overexertion and other bodily motions.
Falls from elevation and struck-by incidents also remain major risks, with nearly 5,800 claims related to falls and nearly 7,000 involving workers being struck by objects, equipment, or vehicles.
Read our latest news release for more information and access to construction safety resources (link in bio)
#ConstructionSafetyWeek #ConstructionSafety
This Construction Safety Week, we’re recognizing the progress made across B.C.’s construction sector and the continued work needed to keep people safe.
Over the past decade, the overall time-loss injury rate in construction has declined by 25%, reflecting stronger safety planning, training, supervision, and hazard management across the industry. But construction remains one of B.C.’s highest-risk sectors, and safer worksites depend on everyone doing their part: identifying hazards, applying effective controls, and speaking up when something doesn’t look right.
Learn more in our latest news release (link in bio)
#ConstructionSafetyWeek #ConstructionSafety
Ladder safety always matters, even at smaller sizes.🪜
From stockrooms to back-of-house spaces, if you’re using a step-ladder, make sure you follow these three important safety steps:
✓ Clear the area and remove all clutter and distractions
✓ Make sure the ladder is fully opened and locked on a firm, level surface
✓ Maintain three-point contact with the ladder
Always choose the right ladder for the job and use it safely. Learn more by watching the full video at the link in bio.
Fall protection isn't optional, it’s essential.
Even low-height falls can cause serious or fatal injuries. That’s why planning, training, and the right equipment matter.
The Occupational Health and Safety Regulation requires fall protection when working at heights of 3 m (10 ft.) or more, or , or under 3 m (10 ft.) where a fall could cause more harm than falling onto a flat surface.
Before the job starts, make sure to assess the risk and apply the fall protection hierarchy:
✓ Guardrails
✓ Fall Restraint
✓ Fall Arrest
✓ Safe Work Procedures
Learn more at the link in bio.
Today, we honour all those who have lost their lives due to workplace injury or disease in B.C.
Wherever you are, we encourage you to take a moment today to pause and remember.
You can learn more about the Day of Mourning at the link in bio.
#DayofMourning
Mobile equipment and pedestrians can be a dangerous mix without the right controls in place.
See how two major B.C. forest-products employers are using designated walkways, barriers, controlled crossings, and other safety measures to build safer pathways for workers, contractors, and visitors.
Because every workplace has a unique configuration of equipment and traffic flow, you can also access a downloadable practical template to help map out hazards and select effective control systems for your worksite.
Read the full article at the link in bio.
Asbestos remains a serious hazard in older buildings across B.C., especially during renovation, maintenance, and demolition work.
It’s Construction and Skilled Trades Month, and we’re now two years into B.C.’s mandatory licensing and certification framework for asbestos abatement. The impact is becoming clear: Nearly 600 employers have now been licensed and more than 11,000 worker certificates have been issued, helping to strengthen accountability, identify high-risk work, and protect workers before exposure occurs.
For employers, prevention starts before work begins: make sure to verify licences, confirm worker qualifications, and have the right controls in place.
You can learn more about how asbestos licensing is changing the industry in the Spring 2026 issue of WorkSafe Magazine at the link in bio.
Day of Mourning ceremonies are expected to take place across the province on Tuesday, April 28.
Please note that this year's provincial Day of Mourning ceremony, led by the @bcfedoflabour will take place on the steps of the Legislature in Victoria at 12:15 p.m. on April 28. The ceremony will not take place at Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver, where it has been held in previous years.
To find a list of ceremonies across the province, visit link in bio.
For vocational rehabilitation consultant Barb Heine, losing her dad in a workplace accident was unthinkable, and it wrapped her in grief. She reflects on her loss and how the Day of Mourning reminds her to be present with the people she loves.
Learn more about her story at the link in bio.
#DayofMourning
