An introduction to the list of occupational diseases ms eva karpinski

Trinidad and Tobago National Safety Week April 28 – May 4, 2013

Recognition and Prevention of Occupational Diseases

Legal requirements

Eva Karpinski, M.Sc., P.Eng.Industrial Hygiene Engineer

Occupational Health and Safety DivisionWorkplace Directorate

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Canada

14 OHS Jurisdictions: 1 federal 3 territorial10 provincial

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Jurisdiction

Federal federal public service inter-provincial trucking railways airports and airlines banks radio and TV grain elevators and flour mills

(about 10% of all workplaces in Canada)

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Regulatory Framework

Canada Labour Code Part II Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (COHSR) linked

with disease prevention:– Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)– Hazardous Substances Regulations– Levels of Sound Regulations– Lighting Regulations– Confined Spaces Regulations– Safety Materials, Equipment, Devices and Clothing– Hazard Prevention Program Regulations– Violence Prevention in the Work Place– Hazardous Occurrence Investigation, Recording and Reporting

Standards referenced in Regulations

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Purpose of Canada Labour Code Part II

“…prevent accidents and injuries to health…”

“Preventive measures should consist first of the elimination of hazards, then the reduction of hazards and finally, the provision of PPE, … . All with the goal of ensuring the health and safety of employees.”

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Hazard investigation

The COHSR require that if there is a likelihood that the health or safety of an employee in a work place is or may be endangered by exposure to a hazardous substance, the COHSR require that the employer carry out an investigation.

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In the investigation the following criteria must be considered:

• chemical, biological and physical properties of a hazardous

substance• routes of exposure• acute and chronic effects• quantity of the substance handled• manner in which the substance is stored, used, handled and

disposed of • control methods• concentration or level of the substance

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Hazard investigation report must contain:

• Observations respecting the criteria considered• Recommendations respecting the manner of compliance• Recommendations respecting sampling and testing methods

The employer must develop and maintain a written procedure for the hazard control.

A report must be kept by the employer for a period of 30 years.

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Occupational exposure limits

The COHSR require that an employee be kept free from exposure to a concentration of an airborne chemical agent in excess of the value for that chemical agent adopted by the ACGIH, in its publication entitled TLVs and BEIs Based on the Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents & Biological Exposure Indices.

Note: ACGIH TLV review process is being developed to allow for the new TLVs where the referenced TLVs are not suitable, to be reviewed by the stakeholders and the Labour Program (federal authority having jurisdiction) and if a new occupational exposure limit is proposed, to recommend the change to the Minister of Labour for adoption.

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Sampling and testing methods

It is required that air samples of the chemical agent be taken and the concentration determined in accordance with:

the standards set out by the US National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the NIOSH Manual of

Analytical Methods equivalent (or better) method to collect and analyze a

representative sample other scientifically proven method

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Control of hazards

COHSR require the employer to take preventive measures to protect employees from exposure to a hazardous substance that is used, handled, processed or stored in the workplace.

Control measures must be taken in the following order of priority: elimination of hazard reduction of hazard provision of personal protective equipment, clothing, device or material administrative procedures

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Medical examinations

Where a hazard investigation report recommends a medical examination for the employee, the employer must:

consult a physician not permit the employee to handle the substance unless a physician

declares the employee

– fit, or

– fit with specified restrictions to handle the hazardous substance

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Reporting occupational diseases

When an employer becomes aware of an occupational disease affecting any of his employees in the course of employment, the COHSR require that the employer

take necessary measures to prevent a recurrence of the occupational

disease submit to the Minister a written report indicating the number of

occupational diseases during the 12 month period

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Hazardous occurrence incident report

The written report contains among other information

– a description of the disease sustained by the employee

The description is used by the Labour Program to classify (or “code”) the

occupational disease by type. The classification (or coding) is done using the CSA Z795-03, Coding of

Work Injury or Disease Information Standard, and specifically the Nature of Injury or Disease. The information is entered into the Labour Program Database, Hazardous

Occurrences module, for subsequent retrieval and analysis.

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Compensation

Provincial Worker’s Compensation Boards

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References

Canada Labour Code Part II Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations:

– Hazardous Substances Regulations– Hazard Prevention Program Regulations– Hazardous Occurrence Investigation, Recording and Reporting

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Questions?

Thank you!