When a fatal injury occurs that is directly related to the harvesting, log trucking, manufacturing or silviculture sectors, the BC Forest Safety Council publishes an alert to make sure the industry is aware of the tragic event. These alerts will not contain details as the incident investigation will still be underway. However, the alert will contain helpful recommendations and safety best practices for the type of work that is discussed in the alert. Where possible, the Council will provide further updates on the circumstances that led to the fatalities, often only after an investigation has been completed. Updates are clearly marked as such and linked to the original posting.
One or more times a year the BCFSC will send out a summary of the Fatality Alerts which have occurred so far in the year. These summaries may include updates to past Fatality Alerts when updated information has been provided to us. An example of of a Special Fatality Alert is the June 30, 2013 Forest Harvesting Fatality Update.
In exceptional circumstances a Special Safety Alert may be emailed out to industry to ensure that industry responds quickly to a safety risk which has recently become an issue or is an issue which Industry needs to be quickly made aware of to address both the safety of workers and non-workers. These Safety Alerts are similar to our other Safety Alerts in that they should be shared throughout an organization and reviewed at safety meetings with the appropriate personnel. An example of a Special Safety Alert is the alert sent of October 23, 2013 regarding Log Truck Incidents.
People who are subscribed to the BC Forest Safety Council's "Safety Alert" mailing list are emailed Fatality Alerts as soon as is practical. Not all fatalities result in an immediate alert. A delay in issuing a fatality alert can arise when there is uncertainty as to if the fatality was health related or related to an activity which was not directly related to harvesting, log trucking or silviculture. Some fatalities such as fatalities of non-workers (associated fatalities) are not always reported but are included if we are made aware of such incidents.
If you are not already receiving Safety Alerts and wish to receive them you must subscribe to the Safety Alert email list.
Companies who register in the BCFSC SAFE Companies program will receive Safety Alerts through whomever they register as their Primary Contact and/or OHS contact.
Registered Fallers may also receive Falling related Safety Alerts if they have an email on file.
Unsubscribing from the Fatality Alerts email list
If you currently receive safety alerts, including fatality alerts, you can stop receiving them by opening any Safety Alert email you have recently received and clicking on the link "Remove me from this mailing list" which is located at the bottom/end of the email.
