This page on our website has details about everyone’s role in safety; employers, supervisors and employees. You should also use the OHS Guide that has lots of information on safety topics that may apply to your operations.
We know you want to keep your teams safe. If you want help understanding what constitutes competent and sufficient supervision, or if you’re not sure how these obligations fit within your workplace, learn more on the supervisor page of our website or give us a call 1 800 999-9775.
For many temporary foreign workers, English is their second language. WorkSafeNB has created a pamphlet in seven languages to help them understand their right to workplace health and safety. Ensuring you speak clearly and use plain language is key. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Safety and Health has a course around plain language for safety in the workplace.
These pamphlets communicate the basics of health and safety. Please share with your employees:
Occupational Health and Safety and how it applies to you and your workplace
Depending on the situation, WorkSafeNB may visit your workplace and issue compliance orders for violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Complaints received by the Employment Standards Branch may be referred to Service Canada who may visit your workplace to investigate the complaint. Ultimately, if complaints of non-compliance with the temporary foreign worker program are confirmed, your eligibility to participate in the program may be prohibited.
When silica-containing products are manipulated in some way to generate dust, fine crystalline particles are released into the air. Respirable indicates that the silica particles are small enough (less than 10 µm) to reach deep into the alveolar region in the lungs.
When silica particles are inhaled, they can deposit into the alveolar region of the lungs, where scar tissue forms around them leading to significant damage to lung tissue. The resulting, often fatal, disease is called silicosis.
Chronic silicosis is most common and progresses slowly after years of exposure. Silicosis can also occur acutely after exposure to high concentrations. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, cough, fever, weakness, and eventually lead to respiratory failure.
Silicosis is progressive and irreversible. Even if the exposure ceases, the disease continues to progress.
More information on silicosis at CCOHS: Silicosis
Exposure to respirable crystalline silica puts workers at risk for developing other serious diseases including:
Workers who manipulate silica containing materials, such as sand, rock, gravel, concrete, brick, stone, mortar, granite, glass, or ceramics. Dust generating activities such as moving, grinding, cutting, sandblasting, drilling, crushing, mining, or demolition create a risk to the worker. Working with engineered stone products can be particularly hazardous due to the high silica content of the material.
Development of silicosis can be influenced by:
Source: CCOHS: Silicosis
Exposure to respirable silica can be prevented with multiple levels of control. Ideally, processes that create respirable silica would be excluded or replaced if possible. Physical barriers can be very effective as well as wetting of materials, local exhaust ventilation, dust-collecting systems, and finally personal protective equipment (PPE) such as respirators.
The Silica Control Tool can assist employers in establishing appropriate controls.
The occupational exposure limit has been established for respirable silica at 0.025 mg/m3. But what does that mean and how can you judge if the dust generated during a given work task will exceed the limit without elaborate and lengthy testing? The Silica Control Tool can help.
