Safety MattersOur blog discussing workplace safety opportunities in Nova Scotia and around the world.https://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblogTrucking safety during COVID-19https://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblog/PostId/300/trucking-safety-during-covid-19GeneralThu, 02 Apr 2020 15:56:12 GMT<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="/Portals/WorkSafeForLifeRedesign/Images/Industry/trucking_secondary.jpg?ver=2017-03-30-142119-020" style="width: 300px; height: 190px; margin-right: 10px; float: left;" /> </p> <p>The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the important role trucking and transportation play in our daily lives. Right now on highways across Nova Scotia, truck drivers are carrying a broad range of goods, including life-saving medical supplies for workers on the front lines in health care.&nbsp;</p> <p>They&rsquo;re also helping the rest of us do our part to flatten the curve, by making sure the grocery stores, food services, and other businesses we rely on for supplies remain well stocked.</p> <p>Driving a truck is a tough job at the best of times. Long hours alone, spent mostly far from home make trucking more a lifestyle than a job. Doing the job safely is an ongoing challenge for employers and workers. Continued training helps employers and drivers understand how to manage the risks like fatigue, distracted driving, slips and falls, and changing road and weather conditions. With COVID-19, working safely in this sector has become even more challenging.</p> <p>The <a href="https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/" target="_blank">public health directives</a> that are helping reduce the risk of COVID-19 for all Nova Scotians include social/physical distancing and sanitation requirements that are having an impact on the way truckers work.&nbsp;</p> <p>Pick-ups and drop offs have new safety processes, and many of the rest stops truckers rely on are now closed. For those who travel long distance across provincial or national borders, there&rsquo;s the added concern of being at higher risk for getting the virus. Plus, because of the pandemic there have been changes to regulations such as hours of work, which may result in truckers being more tired.</p> <p>According to the <a href="http://www.cantruck.ca/" target="_blank">Canadian Trucking Alliance</a>, it&rsquo;s vitally important for employers and drivers to support working safely all the time, but especially during the pandemic. The Alliance has developed COVID-19 safe working guidelines that consider the unique needs of the sector. Top safety tips for drivers include:</p> <ul> <li>Putting safety first: Always being well-rested and alert on the road</li> <li>Using technology &ndash; like cell phones, iPads and radios &ndash; in place of face-to-face contact; with co-workers and with customers</li> <li>Avoiding high-traffic gathering points like rest stops, lounges and repair shops; and maintaining a safe distance whenever you need to visit these places</li> <li>Washing hands often, and using wipes to regularly clean the inside of the cab, door handles, pens, clip boards, and any other high-touch surfaces</li> <li>Keeping the lines of communication open with dispatch and co-workers, in order to receive updates or report issues</li> <li></li> </ul> <p>For the employers and truck drivers currently doing the important work of keeping the supply chain lines open in Nova Scotia and beyond, more information on how to protect your health and safety during the pandemic is available at <a href="http://www.cantruck.ca" target="_blank">cantruck.ca</a>. The Nova Scotia Trucking Association (NSTSA) also offers tips and tools on its <a href="http://www.nstsa.ca/" target="_blank">website</a>, and on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/NS_SafeTrucking" target="_blank">@NS_SafeTrucking</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>300Working safely during the Coronavirus pandemichttps://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblog/PostId/299/working-safely-during-the-coronavirus-pandemicGeneralTue, 31 Mar 2020 11:58:02 GMT<img alt="" src="/Portals/WorkSafeForLifeRedesign/Images/Covid%20Slider-moving%20text-image%20only-Mar16.jpg?ver=2020-03-31-084510-577" style="width: 550px; height: 188px;" /><br /> <br /> <p>Adjusting to the new realities brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has meant big changes for just about every workplace in Nova Scotia. <a href="https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/" target="_blank">Public health requirements</a> aimed at reducing risk and flattening the curve have limited social gatherings, and encouraged heightened levels of hygiene such as hand-washing and frequent cleaning for high-touch surfaces. They also mandate self-isolation for returning travellers and their contacts, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9gy1B0-7yQ&amp;list=PLwLZ9YtgHtLCpATUVFKVf72xyF103eHaE&amp;index=17&amp;t=0s" target="_blank">social distancing</a> for everyone else.</p> <p><span style="background-color: #f4f4f4;">At WCB Nova Scotia, we responded to COVID-19 by shifting our largely on-site workforce to working from home. We continue to serve workers and employers remotely, but have suspended in-person service at our Halifax and Sydney offices. Benefit payments for injured workers continue to be paid as usual, but health services are being delivered differently, as most clinics have closed. In some cases, appointments are continuing remotely by telephone or video link, as long as they meet <a href="https://www.wcb.ns.ca/About-Us/WCB-Nova-Scotias-Response-to-COVID-19/Information-for-Service-Providers.aspx" target="_blank">specific conditions</a>, however benefit payments are not impacted if a treatment can&rsquo;t be provided.&nbsp;</span></p> <p>Claim registration and assessment services continue to be provided as usual for employers, and WCB premiums have been deferred for a period of three months as part of a broader Government strategy to mitigate the economic impacts of the pandemic.&nbsp;</p> <p>As the situation has evolved, so too have the needs of workplaces when it comes to applying the public health directives to their unique sector and operations. An important focus going forward for the WCB, in partnership with the Occupational Health and Safety Branch of the Department of Labour and Advanced Education, will be on developing and sharing prevention messages, tools and resources to help employers and workers continue to stay safe at work.</p> <p>With that in mind, we invite workers and employers to:</p> <p>Visit our <a href="http://www.wcb.ns.ca/" target="_blank">corporate website</a>, for information about COVID-19 impacts on WCB services.</p> <p><span style="background-color: #f4f4f4;">Check out <a href="http://www.worksafeforlife.ca/" target="_blank">worksafeforlife.ca</a>, for COVID-19 prevention tools and resources, especially for essential service sectors including health care, manufacturing, trucking, retail, food services, and for all workplaces too.</span></p> <p>Follow us on Twitter for daily prevention tips, tools and resources - <a href="https://twitter.com/WorkSafeForLife" target="_blank">@worksafeforlife</a>.</p> <p>Stay tuned for more <a href="http://www.worksafeforlife.ca/Home/About-Us/Safety-Matters-Blog" target="_blank">Safety Matters</a> blogs in the weeks to come.</p> <p>Sign up for <a href="https://www.wcb.ns.ca/" target="_blank">WCB Online</a> and <a href="https://my-account.ns.ca/" target="_blank">MyAccount</a>, to stay connected to your claims, and for <a href="https://onlineservices.wcb.ns.ca/workers/" target="_blank">Direct Deposit</a>, to receive your payments faster.<br /> <br /> </p>299