OHS Canada

WorkSafeBC has announced that the preliminary average base rate for 2027 will remain at $1.55 per $100 of assessable payroll. Subject to final approval by WorkSafeBC’s board of directors in the fall, this will be the 10th consecutive year that the average base rate has remained at this level. Surplus funds returned to employers WorkSafeBC’s rate-setting approach includes mechanisms to return surplus funds to employers when the funding level exceeds its target.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, firefighters work at the scene of a footwear factory fire in Jiangtou village, Chendai township of Jinjiang city, southeastern China’s Fujian province, on Thursday, July 9, 2026. (Zhou Yi/Xinhua News Agency via AP) Authorities were investigating a blaze at a shoe factory in southeastern China’s Fujian province that killed 28 people, raising renewed concern over worker safety.

Credit: Adobe Stock/justocker. It’s July, and out-of-control wildfires are raging across the country, polluting our air and showing how hot it already is. Climate-related hazards like these are impacting workers with more and more frequency. While Canada must lead in the fight against climate change – such as by championing good, sustainable jobs in a lower-carbon economy – we can’t ignore that there are real impacts on workplace health and safety right now.

EcoOnline has introduced a new connected intelligence experience within EcoOne, designed to give organizations a single, real-time view across safety and sustainability performance. Powered by AI insights and assistance, the EcoOne suite transforms operational data into configurable real-time visualizations that surface trends, risks, and performance indicators across the enterprise.

Credit: Adobe Stock/VioletaStoimenova. Most organizations do not lose judgment in one dramatic moment. They lose it quietly. A checklist becomes something to complete instead of something to think through. A procedure becomes something to follow instead of something to understand. A dashboard becomes something to trust instead of something to question. An AI summary becomes something to accept instead of something to verify. At first, nothing looks wrong. The form is complete. The process is followed.

Credit: Getty Images/ Sean Anthony Eddy. Sitting is unavoidable in many modern jobs. Office workers spend much of their day at computers, while those in control rooms, call centres, laboratories, and assembly environments are often seated while performing detailed tasks. Because sitting appears less physically demanding than standing work, it can be easy to overlook as a health concern. Sitting for long stretches of time can affect comfort, health, and overall well-being.

Credit: Getty Images/SIphotography. Workplace crises are not always quiet. Sometimes, distress escalates into behavioural volatility, explicit threats or physical risk. When this happens, organizations often split their response: security handles violence, HR handles mental health and everyone else hopes the handoff works. This separation creates dangerous gaps. Violence risk, domestic or intimate partner violence and threat scenarios do not emerge in isolation.

July 3, 2026 By OHS Canada HEMCO’s canopy hoods are designed to collect and exhaust corrosive vapours, heat, steam, and odours. They are available in 36-, 48-, 72- and 96-inch widths in wall-mount models in welded type 304 stainless steel. Wall canopy hoods include a wall mounting kit. Additionally, custom-sized canopy hoods can be manufactured to the exact size and design requirements.

Credit: Adobe Stock/AndreyPopov. I’d hazard a guess that most readers have experienced the relationship-busting stress associated with team lifting. You’ve moved a mattress, freezer, sofa or [insert item here] up a flight of stairs with a partner and realized that your partner “just doesn’t get me at all.” The most harmonious couple can fall apart when faced with a two-person lifting task.

July 2, 2026 By Nuala Reilly, CRST, NCSO Health & Safety Credit: Getty Images/photobyphotoboy. For decades, safety professionals fought to earn a seat at decision-making tables. We wanted leaders to understand that injuries, illnesses, fatalities, turnover, absenteeism, and psychological harm all carry significant costs to workers and to the business alike. So, we built the business case: quantifying incidents, calculating return on investment, and tracking costs.