Safety MattersOur blog discussing workplace safety opportunities in Nova Scotia and around the world.https://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblogFishing safety campaign uses children’s artwork to drive the message homehttps://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblog/PostId/231/fishing-safety-campaign-uses-childrens-artwork-to-drive-the-message-homeGeneralWed, 01 Mar 2017 00:18:54 GMT<em>Encouraging signs of change across the province as safety takes greater priority in the fishing industry</em><br /> <br /> Grade six students from across Nova Scotia are urging fishermen to wear their PFDs in the 2017 Fishing Safety calendar.<br /> <br /> The calendar, now in its fourth year, is produced by the Nova Scotia Fisheries Sector Council and the Fisheries Safety Association. A contest is held in the fall with the winning artwork being displayed in the calendar and used in safety campaigns.<br /> <br /> <img alt="" src="/Portals/worksafeforlife/images/Comms-Publications-2017%20Fishing%20calendar%20small.jpg?ver=2017-02-28-195845-460" style="float: right;" />WCB Nova Scotia, along with our partners at the Department of Labour and Advanced Education, the Nova Scotia Fisheries Sector Council and the Fisheries Safety Association, used the artwork to remind lobster fishermen to wear their PFDs in preparation for the season.<br /> <br /> A radio spot and print ad featuring the children&rsquo;s artwork took the message of "Who do you wear your PFD for?" to fishing communities from Eastern Passage to Digby and all points in between along the province&rsquo;s southwest coastline. Short video clips featuring the artwork also ran in Tim Hortons store locations near those same fishing communities.<br /> <br /> WCB Nova Scotia continued our partnership with five Tim Hortons stores in Yarmouth, Shelburne and Barrington Passage, where we provide cup cozies in the shape of PFDs to distribute to customers and encourage them to participate in draws for PFDs in the stores.<br /> <br /> Attitudes in fishing continue to change as safety becomes a bigger priority. Although it&rsquo;s one of the most dangerous industries in the province, fishing has seen encouraging progress over the past few years.<br /> <br /> An example of how safety is having greater influence in the industry is the delay of Dumping Day this year because of high winds and rough seas. Dumping Day is when fishermen in southwest Nova Scotia head out at the crack of dawn to set their traps. The day is normally scheduled for the last Monday in November and is considered one of the most dangerous days of the entire season.<br /> <br /> The continued man overboard drills that are held across the province also demonstrate the industry&rsquo;s growing safety culture. &nbsp;At these events, a local captain and his crew participate in safety drills that demonstrate PFDs in action, firefighting, and man overboard rescues. The drills are very well attended at the local wharfs where they are held.<br /> <br /> Fishing Safety Now, a plan by and for Nova Scotia&rsquo;s fishing industry, was launched in June of 2015. Among its recommendations are a continued focus on community-based, hands-on training exercises and awareness activities.231Promoting Fishing Safety at the Wedgeport Tuna Tournamenthttps://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblog/PostId/142/promoting-fishing-safety-at-the-wedgeport-tuna-tournamentGeneral,What Matters MostMon, 15 Sep 2014 18:18:34 GMT<p>The Workers&rsquo; Compensation Board of Nova Scotia and the Department of Labour and Advanced Education, along with our partners at the Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Fisheries Sector Council continue to advance the message of fishing safety in communities across Nova Scotia.&nbsp;</p> <p>Last month a team attended the 11th Annual Wedgeport Tuna Tournament not only to talk about safety and promote personal floatation device (PFD) use, but also to demonstrate the importance of having an emergency plan in a man-overboard situation.</p> <p>WCB CEO Stuart MacLean spoke with the participating captains prior to the Tuna Tournament send-off and, just before the boats headed out from the Wedgeport Breakwater Wharf, hundreds of fishermen, family and community members gathered to watch a local fishing crew participate in a safety demonstration, or &ldquo;Man Overboard Drill,&rdquo; led by instructor Joe Grandy from the Nova Scotia Community College.</p> <p>Tina Comeau with T<em>he Yarmouth Vanguard</em> captured some great video and photos of the event, which you can find on their website <a href="http://www.thevanguard.ca/News/Local/2014-08-20/article-3841314/Pushing-safety-in-the-fishing-industry/1" target="blank">here</a>. &nbsp;</p> Throughout the fall, more Man Overboard Drills will be held on wharves in fishing communities across the province, while the broader work with industry and stakeholders &ndash; the Safe at Sea Alliance &ndash; to develop an industry-led Fishing Safety Action Plan continues.&nbsp;142National Drowning Prevention Week 2014: Spotlight on Fishing Safetyhttps://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblog/PostId/119/national-drowning-prevention-week-2014-spotlight-on-fishing-safetyGeneralMon, 21 Jul 2014 19:45:30 GMT<p>July 20 to 26 is National Drowning Prevention Week - a time to reinforce the need for safety while working, swimming, boating or playing near water.</p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.6;">Statistics from the Lifesaving Society show that in 2012, 344 Canadians died by drowning, including 17 Nova Scotians. Given that the majority of fishing deaths are drownings, the WCB and our fishing safety partners are also using this week to shine a spotlight on fishing safety.</span></p> <p>We know that in order to improve safety in an industry that has long been one of the most dangerous in our province, the culture needs to change. The good news is that we are seeing signs of a fishing safety culture slowly start to emerge. Dumping days have been delayed due to dangerous weather conditions. More fishermen are wearing PFDs. Fishermen and community members come out in large groups to observe and learn safety tips at Man Overboard Demonstrations.&nbsp;</p> <p>But the strongest signs come from some of the feedback heard firsthand on wharves and in fishing communities. Feedback such as the type we received in this note from Nellie Baker Stevens of Musquodoboit Harbour, NS:</p> <p><em style="line-height: 1.6;"></p> <p>My husband would only wear a PFD (inflatable) when using his aluminum boat for recreational purposes and he only does that because he did get thrown overboard in the past but luckily I was with him.</p> <p></em><em style="line-height: 1.6;"></p> <p>He resisted the thought of wearing a PFD on his fishing boat as he didn&rsquo;t believe he needed it as he has fished for many years and didn&rsquo;t see the need although his crew has been wearing them the last few years. &nbsp;I insisted that it was law that he wear a PFD and he did buy additional ones this year but he didn&rsquo;t like the inflatable ones and I was thinking he wouldn&rsquo;t wear it all of the time but only if he thought he would be checked.</p> <p></em><em style="line-height: 1.6;"></p> <p>After I saw the floater vest at your Overboard Exercise I explained to him that he didn&rsquo;t have to wear the inflatable PFD but a floater vest without the arms is acceptable and it looked really comfortable.</p> <p></em><em style="line-height: 1.6;"></p> <p>He did go out and buy this floater vest and he found it quite comfortable and has been wearing it every day.</p> <p></em> <em style="line-height: 1.6;"></p> <p>This morning is the first morning his crew was late and Ron was removing the big buoys off his boat when he fell overboard.&nbsp;I won&rsquo;t say that the floater vest saved his life but for a man who cannot swim his experience this morning was only swallowing some seawater and a very cold dip into the ocean.</p> <p></em> <em style="line-height: 1.6;"></p> <p>I&rsquo;m very grateful I attended your Overboard Drill and got the information that helped my husband this morning.&nbsp;</p> <p></em></p>119Fisherman safety put first as start of lobster season delayedhttps://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblog/PostId/40/fisherman-safety-put-first-for-start-of-lobster-seasonGeneralMon, 26 Nov 2012 15:32:36 GMT<p>Today was to be the start of the 2012/2013 lobster season for southwestern Nova Scotia, but the Department of Fisheries and Environment Canada made a decision Sunday to delay the start by one day to ensure the safety of fisherman due to gale-force winds.</p> <p>Nova Scotia fishermen are 19 times more likely to be killed at work than working Nova Scotians in general, according to Workers&rsquo; Compensation Board of Nova Scotia (WCB) statistics. About 1,700 boats are licensed to fish lobster from Digby to Halifax Counties. Measures to keep the fishermen safe can contribute to bringing all fisherman home safe at the end of the day.</p> <p><a href="http://www.worksafeforlife.ca/Home/IndustrySafety/Fisheries.aspx">Here are some resources&nbsp;to help everyone in the fishing industry stay safe.</a><br /> <br /> <br /> </p>40Spotlight on fishing safety during National Drowning Prevention Weekhttps://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblog/PostId/23/spotlight-on-fishing-safety-during-national-drowning-prevention-weekGeneralThu, 26 Jul 2012 11:49:40 GMT<p>&nbsp;</p> <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>This is National Drowning Prevention Week, a time to reinforce the need for safety while working, swimming, boating or playing near water.<br /> <br /> More than 500 people die in Canada every year in water-related incidents. Last year, nine Nova Scotians lost their lives because of drowning, according to a report from the Lifesaving Society.</td> <td> <table style="border: #ffc000 3px solid;"> <tbody> <tr> <td>&nbsp;Fishing Safety<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/informationmorningns/2012/07/26/fishing-safety/">The CBC's Zak Markan looks at the problematic culture surrounding safety in the fishing industry.&nbsp;</a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>National Drowning Prevention Week in Nova Scotia is organized by the provincial branch of the Lifesaving Society.</p> <p>"Almost two-thirds of all drowning deaths occur when people fall into the water unexpectedly," says Mike Melenchuk, president of the Lifesaving Society. "Wearing a personal flotation device if you work or play around the water will save your life."<br /> <br /> The society offers the following tips to help ensure a safe summer:</p> <ul> <li>make sure everyone in the family can achieve the Canadian Swim to Survive standard, including being able to surface after falling in deep water, tread water for one minute, and swim 50 metres</li> <li>take a lifesaving course and learn how to reduce the risk of drowning</li> <li>teach children to swim and be comfortable around water</li> <li>always wear a life jacket or personal flotation device (PFD) when boating</li> <li>do not consume alcohol while swimming or operating a boat</li> <li>keep children within arms' reach when near water and, whenever possible, swim in an area supervised by a lifeguard</li> </ul> <p>For more information about water safety, visit <a href="http://www.lifesaving.ca">www.lifesaving.ca</a>.</p> <p >&nbsp;</p>23Too many Nova Scotians dying in the fishing sectorhttps://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblog/PostId/22/too-many-nova-scotians-dying-in-the-fishing-sectorGeneralThu, 19 Jul 2012 13:54:54 GMT<p><img alt="" style="width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="/Portals/worksafeforlife/PFD_Demo_off_wharf.jpg" /></p> <p><em>Alfred Deveau, fisherman and experienced diver, demonstrates an inflatable PFD to local crab harvesters prior to opening day of the season in Cheticamp on Thursday, July 12.</em></p> <p>Nova Scotia fishermen are 19 times more likely to be killed at work than working Nova Scotians in general, according to Workers&rsquo; Compensation Board of Nova Scotia (WCB) statistics.</p> <p>In light of a recent <a href="http://www.tsb-bst.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/marine/2011/m11m0017/m11m0017.pdf">Transportation Safety Board (TSB) report,</a>&nbsp;it&rsquo;s a sombre reflection on the desperate need for cultural change in the province&rsquo;s fishing sector.</p> <p>WCB representatives were on the main wharf in Cheticamp July 12, 2012 to wish fishermen a safe season and to urge everyone to wear a personal flotation device when working at sea.</p> <table> <tbody> <tr> <td><iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RVx2OT6MxOs" frameborder="0"></iframe></td> <td>Cheticamp crab fisherman Alfred Deveau demonstrates an automatically inflating personal floatation device by jumping off the wharf in Cheticamp. The demonstration was part of a safety campaign being rolled out by the Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Read more about why people who work in Nova Scotia's fishing industry experience one of the highest rates of death in the country in the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wcb.ns.ca/About-Us/News-Room/News-Archive/2013/Too-many-nova-scotians-dying-in-the-fishing-sector.aspx">press release</a> and <a href="http://www.wcb.ns.ca/Portals/wcb/FishingSafetyBackgroundInformation2012_FINAL.pdf">Fishing Safety - Statistical Overview</a>.</p> <p>Media Coverage:</p> <p>Cape Breton Post - <a href="http://www.worksafeforlife.ca/LinkClick.aspx?link=http%3a%2f%2fwww.capebretonpost.com%2fNews%2fLocal%2f2012-07-12%2farticle-3030179%2fCampaign-aims-to-get-fishermen-hooked-on-safety%2f1%3futm_source%3dtwitterfeed%26utm_medium%3dtwitter&amp;tabid=327&amp;mid=934"><em>Campaign aims to get fisherman hooked on safety.</em></a></p> <p>Cape Breton Post - <a href="http://www.worksafeforlife.ca/LinkClick.aspx?link=http%3a%2f%2fwww.capebretonpost.com%2fNews%2fLocal%2f2012-07-13%2farticle-3031094%2fWarmer-weather-heats-up-lobster-landings-off-Cape-Breton%2f1&amp;tabid=327&amp;mid=934"><em>Warmer weather heats up lobster landings off Cape Breton</em></a></p>22