1. Vol 2 Issue 7
TRUCKING SAFETY COUNCIL OF BC
Newsletter July, 2011
Return to Work Policy = Faster Recovery
You have worked hard to put in place a complete safety management
system and it has produced positive results for your workplace. Work-
ers know the proper safety procedures and they have an improved safety
attitude. Yet even when using best practices, incidents will happen and
when they do, how you handle the return to work process can play a major
role on the speed of an injured worker’s recovery and on your workers’
compensation costs.
WorkSafeBC statistics are telling us that while the number of injury claims
in transportation is falling, claims duration, the number of days of work lost
per claim, is getting longer and claim costs are increasing. Those claims
costs are paid for by the employer. One way employers can positively in-
fluence the lost productivity and cost of an injury claim is to have an injury
management/return to work program that gets workers back to work as
quickly as possible. The time to develop your return to work strategy is
before a lost time incident happens.
A good return to work policy makes it possible for workers to get back to
work as early as they are able and lessens the disruption and inefficien-
cies caused when a worker is suddenly absent. Keeping in regular contact
with an employee who has been injured is the first step in the recovery
process. The RTW policy should support a quick and safe return to work
through involvement in the workers rehabilitation by making any neces-
sary accommodations and providing alternative work until the worker can
return to their regular duties. Active injury management maintains the
workers morale and prevents them from becoming isolated.
A good RTW program can help injuries heal faster. Studies show that the longer injured workers are off work during recovery, the
less likely it is that they will return to the job. You have invested a lot of money to get an employee through recruitment, training and
experience on the job. Your RTW policy will help make sure you continue to get a return on that investment if an injury does happen.
Rob Weston
Executive Director This month’s
safety topic:
Inside this Return to Work
issue.......
Truck Driving Championships Results .................Page 2 How Workplace Culture Affects RTW .....................Page 5
Create a Return to Work Plan ..............................Page 3 Preventing the Domino Effect .................................Page 6
Safety: It’s the Right Thing To Do ........................Page 4 Advise for Workers: Preventing Falls ......................Page 7
Save Money, Get COR ........................................Page 5 WorkSafeBC Industry Incident Reports ..................Page 8

2. COR-Certified Company Cleans House at Championships
Canadian Freightways takes home 8 trophies, including Grand Champion, at the B.C. Professional Truck Driving Championships
Wettstein,
By Leasa Hachey
Congrats Hans
Champion!
2010 B.C. Grand
P
rofessional drivers are the lifeblood of
the trucking industry, and the British
Columbia Professional Truck Driving
Championships celebrates and recognizes
their accomplishments and contributions to
the industry. The event also promotes safe
driving and professionalism.
This year, the Championships took place
on Saturday, June 25 at Tradex Centre in
Abbotsford. The event was followed by the
Awards Banquet in the evening at the Sher-
aton Vancouver Guildford hotel in Surrey,
where drivers for one of TSCBC's first COR-
certified companies, Canadian Freightways,
took home a significant amount of hardware,
including the trophy for Grand Champion that
went to Hans Wettstein. Wettstein also took
home two other trophies, first place in the
Straight Truck category and as part of the Canadian Freightways drivers pose proudly with their trophies. From left to right, Evan Hirst, Cas-
Team trophy. sandra Belanger, Hans Wettstein, Rick Jacques, Jason Arnett, Jose Lecinana, Adam Besse, Jasbir
The competition attracts up to 70 of the Cheema, Tony Gomez (son Carlos) and Dale Scott.
best professional drivers from across the
province and includes five competition class-
es ranging from Straight Truck to B-Train.
B.C. PROFESSIONAL TRUCK DRIVING
Competitors complete a vehicle inspection to
find planted defects, write a written exam and
drive an obstacle course set up to test skills in
maneuvering, cornering and judging distance.
CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Winners from each annual Provincial com-
petition compete with other winners from across
Promoting safe driving and professionalism
Canada during the National Truck Driving Cham- in the truck driving industry.
pionships, to take place this year in Calgary.
Award Winners
GRANd CHAmpION
Hans Wettstein, Canadian Freightways
TEAm TROpHY
SAFETY AWARd ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Canadian Freightways - Jose Lecinana,
Brian meredith, McRae’s Environmental dan Chistink, Ken Johnson Trucking Ltd. Dale Scott, Jason Arnett, Evan Hirst, Adam
Services Ltd.
Besse, Hans Wettstein
SUpER B-TRAIN SINGLE SINGLE SINGLE TANdEm
1st: Adam Besse, Canadian Freightways 1st: Evan Hirst, Canadian Freightways 1st: dale Scott, Canadian Freightways
2nd: david Lighton, Air Liquide Canada Inc. 2nd: Jose Lecinana, Canadian Freightways 2nd: Andy Clark, Overland West
3rd: Lorne Roadhouse, Overland West 3rd: Jason Arnett, Canadian Freightways 3rd: Jody dackgwich, YRC Reimer
TANdEm TANdEm STRAIGHT TRUCK
1st: daryl Geisbrecht, Ken Johnson Trucking Ltd. 1st: Hans Wettstein, Canadian Freightways
2nd: Brian meredith, McRae’s Environmental Services Ltd. 2nd: Tony Gomez, Canadian Freightways
3rd: Ingrid Geisbrecht, Ken Johnson Trucking Ltd. 3rd: Kris Szigeti, Bandstra Transportation Systems Ltd.

3. How to Create Your Own RTW plan
Preventing workplace injuries and illness is the responsibility of everyone in the workplace.
When injuries and illness do occur, however, it is important for you and your employer to try to
minimize the impacts by focusing on returning you to safe and productive work as soon as it is
medically possible for you to do so.
Why return to work?
Most people who have a workplace injury or illness are able to return to some type of work
even while they are still recovering, provided the work is medically suited to the injury or illness.
Returning to daily work and life activities can actually help an injured worker’s recovery and
reduce the chance of long- term disability. In fact, worldwide research shows that the longer
you are off work due to injury or illness, the less likely it is that you will return to work. Have you
Both you and your employer benefit in cooperating in your early and safe return to work.
You benefit by restoring your source of income and staying active and productive, which visited
are important to the healing/recovery process. Your employer benefits by minimizing the
financial and human costs of your injury or illness.
our
Return to Work plan
A return to work plan lays out the steps that need to be taken to return an employee to
his or her pre-injury job. In the ideal situation, the plan is developed jointly by the injured
website
employee, the employee’s supervisor, and if applicable, the return to work program
manager (who co-ordinates the process), the worker’s health care provider (through the
provision of restrictions), and the union representative (if applicable).
yet?
A return to work plan includes the following:
• The goals of the plan.
These goals set out milestones for the worker to achieve until he or she To learn more about the
reaches the final goal: a return to pre-injury employment.
Council and our programs,
• The actions required to achieve these goals. visit our website:
This includes the responsibilities of the worker, the supervisor or manager,
and any co-workers who will be assisting the worker.
• Time frames for achieving these goals. www.safetydriven.ca
These will provide a yardstick to measure the employee’s progress. It
is important that the plan has a beginning and an end, as graduated
work is a means to achieve a return to pre-injury work, and is not an
end in itself. Make sure to include a clear definition of what is consid- Look to our website for safety
ered progress (e.g., the employee can work five hours a day by week information, latest news and
three, or the worker can assume tasks by week five).
resources, such as:
• Health care needs.
If, for example, the worker is going to attend health or medical ap- • Industry event listings
pointments during working hours, these visits must be co-ordinat- • COR training calendar
ed with the requirements of the proposed return to work plan. Staff • Newsletters
that will be impactedby these health care needs will also need to
• Safety tip sheets
be advised (with the worker’s permission).mples of causes are:
• Alerts and bulletins
• Forum
Published with thanks to wsib.on.ca • Health & safety information
Visit our website to download sam-
ple forms to guide you in creating a
Return to Work plan for your company. You can also follow us on Twitter (SafetyDrivenBC)
www.safetydriven.ca/safety_tools for up-to-the-minute trucking industry news and
safety bulletins.

4. Safety: It’s not just good business, it’s
the right thing to do. By Leasa Hachey
Increasing Profits Through Reputation
T
here is probably nothing worse for a hardworking individual
than to have their livelihood threatened by some simple, in-
nocuous and likely easily-preventable Workplace incident.
Yet in B.C. this happens every single day, workers are injured, Companies work hard to build a positive and respected image
made ill or killed on the job. Nobody thinks it will happen to them or for their business and everyone knows a good reputation will in-
their workplace. Employers of injured workers didn't wake up in the crease sales, generate new customers and attract stronger em-
morning thinking someone was going to get hurt that day. Protecting ployees. A company’s approach towards health and safety plays
the health, safety, and general welfare of all our employees is the a very important role in supporting the reputation of the organiza-
right thing to do and the smart thing to do. tion. A well-managed health and safety policy results in enhanced
employee loyalty and attitude. This contributes to a positive repu-
Profits are Important tation with your customers, suppliers and local community and
proves the company’s commitment to being a good citizen.
With every company trying to find as many ways as they can to re-
duce the amount of money they are spending annually, many over-
look the dollar value of investing in solid workplace safety programs.
But neglecting safety and cutting corners where safety is concerned Health and safety
will ultimately result in high costs to the business by way of injuries
or fatalities. matter because
For instance, take a driver that hasn't been trained or reminded human lives matter.
about using the 3-points-of-contact system to get out of his truck
safely. Instead, he jumps down from the top step and twists his
ankle when he hits the pavement. His ankle is sprained and he Ultimately, health and safety matter because human lives mat-
has to spend a day or two off his feet. The cost to the employer ter. You have an important contribution to make towards keeping
for this type of injury is estimated at $2530. That doesn't even in- your employees safe. Make saving lives and keeping workers
clude any surcharges, fines, penalties or levies that also may be free from injury and illness a part of your business plan. Protect
applied against the company. At a 7% profit margin, you'd have to your investment by protecting your workers.
do $36,143 worth of business to recover your direct costs of this
minor injury, and we haven't even calculated the indirect costs. All
of those costs could have been avoided through simple worker edu-
cation, training and reminder signage.
The Business of People
The secret behind any great company is great people. Studies show
that workers who feel their employer takes a genuine interest in their
safety become committed to their workplace, while the absence of
comfort and safety is often cited as the number one reason employ-
ees become disengaged and leave their job. By lowering employee
turnover and creating a stable workforce where people are not leav-
ing unexpectedly, your employees experience higher workplace
morale. People get to know each other well, they're comfortable
with each other and they work well together. They build stronger re-
lationships that are powerful when schedules are tight or problems
pop up. People are more likely to pitch in to help when they know
each other and believe in mutual support. Operations run more ef-
ficiently, confidence is higher and productivity soars.
Committ to
a safer, healthier
workplace through COR.
Save up to 15% on your
WorkSafeBC premiums.
Ask us how!

5. Save Money, COR is an initiative that recognizes and rewards employers
who develop and apply sustainable occupational health and
safety programs that meet or exceed the applicable legal
UpCOmING LARGE EmpLOYER
COR COURSES
Get COR!
prince George
requirements and health and safety regulations.
Senior Management/Owner July 26
H & S Management July 27 & 28
Following verification by a TSCBC audit, companies will re- Return to Work July 29
ceive up to a 15% rebate on their WorkSafeBC premiums in
each year they qualify. Langley
Senior Management/Owner Sept. 27
H & S Management Sept. 28 & 29
Return to Work Sept. 30
Visit our website for more
information
www.safetydriven.ca/cor
How do I get my COR?
TSCBC currently offers COR to large employers (20+ employees).
• Employers can register for COR by completing an application form and registering for courses.
• After completion of the required courses, large employers hire a TSCBC-trained and approved external auditor to conduct a company audit.
• The audit results are submitted to the TSCBC for quality assurance and approval.
How Workplace Culture Affects Return to Work
By Tal Sperling
The speed with which an injured worker will return to work fol- It is important to ensure a flow of communication between the
lowing a workplace incident depends on how serious the injury worker, medical personnel, insurance provider and employer to
is, the type of job the worker does and the existence of Return ensure that the worker is supported in all aspects of their return
to Work programs that support modified/reduced work for the to work requirements. Co-workers also need to be informed if
affected worker. However, there is a social factor that affects there will be changes in how the work or worker will be modified
how quickly a worker will return to work that is often overlooked during the Return to Work program duration. It is much easier to
and can be the most significant. This social aspect includes convince a worker to return to a work environment that will take
how the worker feels about their job, co-workers, supervisor, care of their needs.
boss, company and their company’s health and safety policies.
Finally, it is vital to make any necessary changes to the compa-
If, prior to their injury, the worker did not feel valued by their em- ny’s health and safety management program to ensure that such
ployer, had difficult relationships with others in the workplace incidents do not recur and share those changes with all workers.
or had other work-related grievances, there is an increased A positive safety culture and good employer-employee relations
likelihood that their return to work will be delayed in part due has a dramatic affect on the mood of an injured worker and how
to stress factors related to returning to the work environment. quickly they will return to work after an injury.
Also, if the worker thinks that their employer or supervisor may
not be sympathetic and may not tolerate reduced productivity
or changes to work processes, the worker may be inclined to
stay away from the job longer. Finally, if the worker thinks that
there is a chance that returning to work will cause them to be-
come injured again they may also delay returning to the work
environment that contributed to their injury.
Examining these scenarios highlights the importance of a posi-
tive workplace culture that emphasizes health and safety along
with good communication. It is important that this emphasis
on safety culture comes before workplace incidents, not just
following them.
Following an incident, it is important that the worker’s return to
work be managed by someone (supervisor or manager) who is:
• trained in the company’s Return to Work policies
and procedures
• sensitive to a worker’s concerns over returning to
work and works to resolve these issues
• authorized to adjust productivity requirements for
the duration of modified duty needs

6. RTW management: preventing the domino Effect
Keeping in contact is a key factor in helping employees to
return to work after a workplace injury or illness. Contact can
be a sensitive topic as some employees may feel they will be
pressed to come back to work too early. Yet without contact,
those who are absent may feel increasingly out of touch and
undervalued. This can cause a domino effect, often leading
to feelings of isolation, alienation and depression and result-
ing in further time taken off work.
What can be done
Tell your employees that it's your policy to help them re-
turn to work following workplace incidents. Explain to your
employees that returning to work will benefit them with
improved health and wellbeing and with more pay in their
pocket. Use the following timeline as a guide to maintaining
contact with injured workers.
Less than 3 days of injury absence
• When your employee returns to work, welcome them
back and have a chat about their absence. do's and don'ts for keeping in touch with injured workers:
Between 4 and 14 days of injury absence
• Keep in touch with your employee.
dO dON’T
• When your employee returns to work, conduct a return Create a climate of trust by
to work interview. In many cases this will be a simple Wait until someone is on long-
agreeing beforehand your meth-
welcome back but you may need to discuss actions to term sick leave before taking ac-
ods, frequency and reasons for
help your employee's performance at work or underlying tion
keeping in contact with absent
issues if the injury was severe or injuries are recurring. employees
Delay making contact or pass re-
Between 15 and 28 days of injury absence sonsibility to others unless there
Consider training for your man-
are sound reasons for doing so
agers on a sensitive approach
• Keep in touch regularly with your employee and iden- to help them get the most out of
tify the barriers that prevent returning to work (many of Make assumptions about your
contact
these will not need a medical solution). employee’s situation
• You may need to consider expert advice, eg doctors, Keep a note of contacts made
occupational health and rehabilitation providers. Say that colleagues are under
• Welcome your employee back and conduct a return to pressure or that work is piling up
Be flexible, treat each case indi-
work interview. vidually but on a fair and consis-
• If it seems your employee is not likely to return to work Forget that recovery times for the
tent basis
soon, then talk to them about the need to consider a same condition can vary signifi-
return to work plan. cantly from person to person
Welcome your employee back
after their absence
After 28 days of injury absence
Carry out return to work inter-
• Continue to keep in touch regularly with your employee views
about their absence.
• Put together a plan of actions and reasonable adjust- Give your employees the oppor-
ments to help your employee return to work, including tunity to discuss, in private, con-
seeking expert advice if necessary, and agree on these cerns about their health or other
with your employee and others involved. matters that are affecting their
• Welcome your employee back and implement the plan. performance or attendance
• Review your employee's return to work progress until
they resume their full duties. Remember that medication can
have side effects on things like
Sometimes, even with everybody's best efforts, it is not pos- physical stamina, mood, ma-
sible to return your injured employee to full or even partial em- chinery operation and safety
ployment, but it is important not to jump to conclusions before critical tasks
alternative solutions have been explored. You may need to
consider seeking expert advice before making any decisions. Courtesy of www.hse.gov.uk

7. The COR Program and RTW
The TSCBC Injury Management/Return Demonstrating management commit- Functional Abilities Assessment and the Re-
To Work training course provides an analysis ment and creating a positive culture of accom- turn to Work Plan, in the creating a RTW plan
on the financial impact of work place injuries modating injured workers are key ingredients appropriate to the physical limitation of the in-
and loss of work productivities ranging from of a RTW program. The benefits of having jured worker. Communication processes to key
worker compensation cost and additional a successful return to work program for the parties, such as treating medical practitioners,
work load assigned to non-injured employees employer and employees will be discussed. and the worker recovery monitoring process are
Students will have the opportunity to learn discussed.
to negative morale in the work force. Stu-
and discuss a step-by-step approach for how This one day course will also provide an
dents will also explore the challenges of get- to develop and maintain an effective RTW overview of the requirements of the TSCBC IM/
ting injured employees back to work. program by referencing sample RTW poli- RTW audit protocol and tips for companies on
cies and procedures. Students will also learn how to prepare for the IM/ RTW portion of the
how to use various RTW forms, such as the Certificate of Recognition audit.
Sign up today! Contact Andrew Chan
andrew@safetydriven.ca
Preventing Falls from Vehicles - Advice for Workers
More than 69% of all workplace falls happen on level ground when work-
ers slip or trip and lose their footing. This may be caused by uneven sur- WHAT YOUR EmpLOYER SHOULd dO
faces, objects in the way, poor lighting or substances such as oil, water or
ice. Falls from vehicles can happen from a number of areas, including the • Plan loading and unloading to avoid the need to work at heights
cab, between the tractor and the trailer, or at the rear of the trailer. One on the vehicle.
of the most common ways truck drivers are injured is in jumping from the • Ask for good, well designed access when purchasing vehicles.
truck while exiting. • Retro-fit equipment if necessary.
• Provide protective equipment such as slip-resistant safety foot-
Jumping from a height of four feet – typical cab height – will result in hit- wear.
ting the ground with a force of between 7 and 12 times your body weight. • Keep equipment in good order.
For example, a 200 lb. person would hit the ground with a force of 1,400 • Respond to ideas for preventing falls from vehicles.
to 2,400 lbs. This can cause strain on the knees and back with many long- • Make sure supervisors check how people are getting on and
term effects. These injuries can be easily prevented. off vehicles.
ALWAYS WORK SAFELY GETTING ON ANd OFF THE VEHICLE
• Wear well-fitting, slip-resistant safety footwear when working on ve- • DON’T jump down – this is bad for your knees, ankles and
hicles. spine and you are more likely to fall.
• Keep the soles of your footwear clean to reduce the risk of slipping. • Always use steps and handholds provided.
• Follow safe systems of work for loading and unloading vehicles. • Take a few seconds to climb down from the cab, load area or
• Make sure you have been trained in and follow the company’s safe catwalk facing the vehicle and use the handhold.
ways of working if you have to use equipment such as forklifts or • Report missing or damaged equipment.
cranes. • Before stepping off the vehicle, check for uneven surfaces
• Use safe ways of getting on or off the vehicle when carrying out such as potholes or debris which may cause you to slip.
maintenance above ground level, for example by using overhead
cranes or scaffolds.
• Look at what other companies do – if you see a good idea suggest
it to your safety adviser or supervisor.
KEEpING YOUR VEHICLE SAFE
• Carry out pre-use checks on your vehicle. For example, check that
any steps or handholds are in good condition.
• Report broken boards and any other objects that could cause a fall.
• Keep the load area tidy – pick up loose ropes, packaging etc.
• Check that the straps are safely stored so people don’t trip on them.
• Clean up spills and dirt such as diesel or mud on the catwalk or load
area to stop people slipping in them.
• On refrigerated vehicles, check the floor conditions for ice or water
and follow any systems in place for reducing the amount of water
produced.
Courtesy of www.hse.gov.uk

8. Recent work-related incidents reported to WorkSafeBC
Information that may help you to prevent similar accidents in your workplace.
Injury Type : Temporary loss of Injury Type : Fractured foot Injury Type : Close call
consciousness, multiple facial Core Activity : Cold storage Core Activity : Feed trucking/
fractures plant delivery
Core Activity : Garbage dis- Location : Lower Mainland Location : Lower Mainland
posal ID Number : 2010113830220 ID Number : 2010161480379
Location : Vancouver Island Date of Incident : 2010-Sep Date of Incident : 2010-Sep
ID Number : 2010159110366
Date of Incident : 2010-Oct A young worker was training After making a delivery, a feed
on a stand-up forklift. When delivery truck drove off the
The driver of a roll-off compac- it veered towards racking, property. The truck’s sting-
tor container truck was opening he jumped off the forklift and er delivery arm contacted a
the rear door of a new design caught his foot between the neutral wire and a residential
of container to dump a load of forklift and the racking. power line hanging across the
garbage. The pressure of the road. The utility pole was pulled
load against the door loaded down and the power lines land-
the release handle, and when ed across the truck. The driver
the driver released the safety was not injured.
latch on the handle, it sprang
out, striking him in the face.
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Visit our e-Library for STAFF / CONTRIBUTORS
more information on this
Ne issue’s topic:
Rob Weston, Executive
Director
to x
pi t m
www.safetydriven.ca/ rob@safetydriven.ca
c. on elibrary
Leasa Hachey, Communications
.. th Trucking Safety Council of BC & Content
’s 210 - 20111 93A Avenue leasa@safetydriven.ca
OH sa Langley, BC V1M 4A9
S fe Andrew Chan, COR Program
Tr ty Tel: 604-888-2242 Manager
andrew@safetydriven.ca
a in
Toll Free: 1-877-414-8001
Fax: 604-888-2243
in Tal Sperling, Program Manager
g info@safetydriven.ca tal@safetydriven.ca