B.C. safety agency raises worker danger alerts for flooding cleanup

Key takeaways:

Asbestos, electric hazards and also animal remains could be strange risks.
Workers in regions affected by November’s storms are advised to be careful as there can be some unusual risks near.

Workers working in the storm-affected region warned by the safety agency:

Reconstruction firms and contractors in British Columbia that are near to back launch a massive flood cleanup and restoration work must be informed of the dangers and risks their work could pretend to employees, says the regions worker protection agency.

The hazards differ depending on the flood and slide loss, but potential risks include building materials with asbestos, chemical or biological contamination, structural or electrical destruction and animal remains, stated Barry Nakahara, WorkSafeBC’s senior prevention services field manager.

Various houses, fields and infrastructure sections in southern B.C. were damaged or ruined in a set of atmospheric rivers that began flooding and landslides, cut off shipping routes, swamped agricultural services and made thousands of people leave their homes.

“Employers must ensure healthy and safe workplaces,” stated Nakahara in an interview. “As we move into this cleanup and recovery and rebuilding effort, it’s going to be very important for them to think about what risks are out there and what are the hazards that my workers are going to be exposed to as I proceed with this work.” Source – cbc.ca

Employers are expected to manage hazard evaluations to recognise hazards in the workplace and how they could put employees in danger, WorkSafeBC stated in a press release Tuesday.

Architects, NGOs and wildfire teams beginning work

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth told floodwaters were falling and restoration work will begin with contractors, non-governmental organizations and specific B.C. Wildfire Service teams.

Farnworth was catalogued to visit Merritt on Tuesday but cut the trip because of climate problems. Merritt’s 7,000 citizens were assigned to empty the city the previous month after its drain and water system broke.