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Toughen laws to protect late-night workers, says B.C. Federation of Labour
June 13, 2007
Vancouver-It's time to toughen WCB safety regulations to protect late-night workers, says Jim Sinclair, President of the B.C. Federation of Labour.
"Late-night retail workers, whether in gas stations or convenience stores, deserve better protection," Sinclair said. "Consumers can't expect a 24-7 society without 24-7 safety protections for the workers who serve them."
Today is the first of five WCB hearings scheduled around the province to review proposed changes to safety regulations. These changes include proposed improvement to working alone regulations that would ensure that at least two workers are on shift between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am, or in the case of a lone worker, that the worker must be protected by locked doors or security barriers that prevent physical contact.
In a recent Federation survey of forty late-night workers, fifty-five percent supported the new regulations while fifty-three percent of those surveyed revealed that they had experienced some form of workplace violence in the past year.
Sixty percent of those surveyed worked alone late at night. Twenty-nine percent of these workers had not received training on workplace violence and only half of those surveyed had a check-in procedure.
In response to the Federation's Campaign to improve health and safety for late-night retail workers, last year WorkSafeBC conducted an enforcement blitz of gas stations; that according to the agency, "resulted in virtually every inspection documenting violations and issuing orders."
"Employer self-policing hasn't worked, only fair laws and enforcement will make these workplaces safer," Sinclair said.
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For more information contact: Jessie Uppal 604-430-1421 or 604-220-0739.
