Winter Safety

DRIVING INCIDENT PREVENTION MEASURES:

The Alberta Motor Association recommends these steps for safer winter driving:

1.Scan the road ahead;

2.Look for black ice (when pavement looks shiny, slow down);

3.Know where ice builds up (bridges, ramps and intersections);

4.Adjust your speed and spacing (leave more space);

5.Turn on your lights (for increased visibility); 

6.Be gentle with steering control and acceleration; 

7.Use your brakes safely (do not pump ABS brakes); 

8.Avoid bulky and restrictive clothing (hindering driving performance);

9.Don’t use cruise control on wet or icy roads (you may spin out);

10.Watch for flashing lights and slow down (watch for snowplows);

11.Don’t crowd the shoulder and slow down for emergency vehicles.

ADDITIONAL SAFE WINTER DRIVING TIPS:

• Have your vehicle thoroughly inspected and maintained.
• Recommended to use winter rated tires when temperatures are lower.
• Install winter wiper blades and carry extra windshield washer fluid.
• Make sure that tire valves are equipped with caps to keep out snow and ice.
• Check road conditions before leaving and make adjustments, as necessary.
• Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to arrive.
• Remove snow and ice from your vehicle and windshield before venturing out.
• Carry a charged cell phone and a winter emergency kit.

Working in the Cold

Holiday Safety Tips

OHS Legislation

OHS Responsibilities

Employers are required to, as far as it is reasonably practicable for the employer to do so, ensure the health and safety of workers engaged in the work of that employer and all other workers or other persons present at, or in the vicinity of the worksite. (Source: Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act- Part 1, Section 3(1))

What is Reasonably Practicable?

In OHS legislation, the term “reasonably practicable” simply means the obligation must be met in a way that is feasible given the circumstances and would be considered appropriate by most reasonable people in similar circumstances.

In short –if legislation tells you what to do, you do it. If a process, procedure, document or protection is generally good-to-have or an industry accepted best practice, you should apply what would be considered reasonably practicable (what a dozen of your peers would consider reasonable in similar circumstances) for your worksites.

What is Due Diligence?

Due diligence is the level of judgement, care, prudence, determination and activity that a person would reasonably be expected to demonstrate, under particular circumstances, in order to satisfy a legal requirement. Due diligence is a legal defense that can be used after an incident has happened and occurs when one contravenes a section of legislation, but can prove that they made reasonable efforts to try to comply.

If a health and safety incident occurs and charges are laid against a work site party for contravening OHS legislation, it is important to be able to prove that all reasonably practicable steps were taken beforehand to try to prevent the incident from occurring. This is referred to as “due diligence” and is a legal defense to be raised after an incident.

OHS Violations & Non-Compliance

Ticketable Offences

-Workers and employers in contravention of specific provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Code (OHS Code) can be issued tickets by OHS officers. OHS tickets are similar to a traffic ticket.

-They are an on-the-spot penalty given out following an infraction of the law.

-Fines range from $100 - $500 for wide range of offences (ex: Fail to have required code of practice, etc.) 

Click Here for List of Ticketable Offences

Administrative Penalties

-An administrative penalty is a monetary penalty issued by OHS. Penalty amounts are a maximum of $10,000 per day, per contravention. Reserved for serious or repeated non-compliance with legislation.

-OHS officers can issue administrative penalties to any person who has done any of the following:

• Contravened OHS legislation.
• Not complied with an order, acceptance, allowance, approval.
• Made a false statement or given false or misleading information to an officer.

Prosecutions

A work site party who breaks the rules of the OHS Act or Code, or commits other offences listed in the act, can be charged. Conviction on a first offence can lead to a fine of up to $500,000, plus $30,000 each day an offence continues and/or a jail term of up to six months per violation. A second offence can result in a fine of up to $1,000,000 plus $60,000 each day an offence continues and/or a jail term of up to one year per violation. These penalties are set out in the OHS Act.

As well, charges can be laid for workplace incidents under federal criminal law, against anyone who directs another person’s work, and whose actions or omissions “show a wanton and reckless disregard for the lives and safety of other persons”. The Criminal Code of Canada imposes serious penalties for violations that result in bodily harm (serious injury or illness) or death. In such cases, the maximum jail penalties are 10 years for each person who suffered bodily harm (serious injury or illness) and life imprisonment in relation to each person killed.

Section 217.1 of the Criminal Code reads:

"Everyone who undertakes, or has the authority, to direct how another person does work or performs a task is under a legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent bodily harm to that person, or any other person, arising from that work or task."

Health & Safety (Year in Review)

H&S Site Visits

• Total of 23 in-person Member H&S site visits have been completed in 2024.
• Total of 44 in-person Member H&S site visits have been completed since 2023.
  

Purpose:

• Perform a gap analysis on the Member’s current Health & Safety Program.
• Provide Members with specific recommendations and/or suggestions to help strengthen their own Health & Safety Programs.
• Educate Members on various health and safety requirements, FEDGAS services/supports and useful H&S tools/resources.

Online Course Library

• Agreement between Federation of Alberta Gas Co-ops Ltd. and BIS Safety Software was formed.

Benefits:

• 30% discounts to all Federation Members for online training courses completed in the FEDGAS course library.
• Federation Members get discounts on 1000+ online courses.
• 10% discount on SafeTapp/BIS Safety Software for all Federation Members.

Contact Scott McLeod by email scott.mcleod@bistraining.ca or by phone (780) 265-0281 to receive the 10% referral discount.

Safety Leadership Award

A safety leadership award and evaluation process was developed to recognize safety excellence within Membership. An online nomination form was integrated into FEDGAS website. Award is presented annually at the Federation Convention. Winner Receives: Safety Leadership Award winner plaque. $500 pre-paid MasterCard/Visa gift card.

Newsletters & Safety Chats

Throughout 2023-24, Membership received a total of 4 health and safety newsletters and 4 safety chats. Topics: OHS obligations, due diligence and enforcement. Return-to-work programs and managing claim costs. Alberta Forestry & Parks and Town of Sundre: FireSmart and emergency preparedness. Alberta Odorant Services (AOS): Services provided, odorant disposal, odorant ERP.

Bulletins

A total of 12 Health and Safety bulletins/alert/memos have been sent to Membership since in 2023. Topics include: Unsecure Loads BIS Safety Reseller Program Lead Acid Batteries Line Strike Awareness Noise Level Assessments Tornados Wildfires Preparedness Carbon Monoxide Incident Review Aggression and De-Escalation Incident Review Damage Prevention Info Sheet

Intro to Health and Safety Management Systems Course

H&S Webpage (FEDGAS Website)

Continue to ensure the Health and Safety Portal on the Federation website is updated and maintained. Members have access to: Pre-built health and safety program: Policies and procedures, Hazard assessments, Forms and checklists Multitude of H&S tools/resources: Regulatory bulletins and info sheets, Safety alerts and safety chat recordings Updates made to website are highlighted in H&S Newsletters.

Future Goals

Leak/Damage Reporting

Explore a way to share data trends and statistics with Membership to help target damage prevention efforts.

Revamp H&S Questions within O&M Audits

Explore the possibility and benefit of updating health and safety questions within O&M audit.

Simplify HSMS Templates

Examine the option to simplify FedGas HSMS Templates to eliminate redundancy, repetition and reduce administrative burden. 

Provide Digital Turnkey Option for Health and Safety Templates

Examine potential to provide a digital/app-based health and safety template to Members Utilities.

Safety Leadership Award Winner

The FEDGAS Safety Leadership Award recognizes a Federation Member for their commitment and contribution to enhancing/protecting safety in their workplace, in their community and/or the natural gas industry.

This special award is presented to a Federation Member who has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to improving safety awareness, expanding safety knowledge and preventing damages & losses in the workplace.

2024 Winner:

Ste. Anne Natural Gas Co-op Ltd.

(Special Recognition: Dallas Schneider) 

• Has supported other Member Utilities integrate health and safety into their operations.
• Maintains a comprehensive safety program and performs annual audits to help ensure continuous improvement.
• Contributing member of the Federation Health and Safety working group since inception.
• Recognized for outstanding public safety achievement at the CGA Conference for their natural gas safety awareness campaign.
• Hosts and attends community events to promote health and safety in the natural gas industry.
  

Winner Received:

• $500 Pre-Paid Visa
• Award Winner Plaque
• Winner Certificate

OHS e-Learning

OHS - Emergency Response Planning (Click Here)

OHS - Workplace First Aid (Click Here)

OHS - Hazard Assessment & Control (Click Here)

OHS - Ergonomics (Click Here)

OHS - Quizzes (Click Here)

Additional Free Courses:

Safety Knowledge Evaluation (Click Here)

Office Ergonomics (Click Here)

Office Ergonomics Self-Adjustment Tool (Click Here)

Situational Awareness for Material Handling (Click Here)

Infection Prevention and Control (Click Here)

Forklift Pre-Shift Inspections (Click Here)

Skid Steer Loader Pre-Shift Inspections (Click Here)

Telehandler Pre-Shift Inspections (Click Here)

Privacy Legislation (Click Here)

More (Click Here)

2023 HSMS Manual Available for Download

HSMS Manual has been updated to align with the March 31, 2023 OHS Code update.

Call or email the Federation H&S Specialist if you have any questions relating to the updated sections. 780-220-9351 or bwood@fedgas.com.

Click here to download the HSMS Manual