Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 1, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press wednesday november 1, 2006 Manitoba a7 workplace safety rules updated firefighters covered for first time by Martin Cash a n extensive revision of work place regulations provides safety rules for the first time for Manitoba firefighters and could mean Rural departments will have to Send larger Crews to fight fires. A four year consultation process with government labour and employers resulted in 45 new health and safety regulations from the most dangerous work places like construction Sites and chemical tanks to the most benign like health and Comfort in an office setting. One of the key issues dealt with mus Cul skeletal injuries. Also referred to As ergonomic issues they Deal with soft tissue injuries to the Back hands or wrists. Among the Host of changes included in the regulations that will come into Force feb. 1, 2007 Are specific safety procedures for fighting fires. Alex Forrest president of the 900?member United fire fighters of Winnipeg said the regulations Are a great achievement for his members. But he believes it is going to mean fire departments like those in Brandon Thompson and Portage la Prairie will have to Send More people on Calls. But that is already being disputed by the office of the fire commissioner. Chris Jones the provinces Deputy fire commissioner said the regulations do not specify numbers Only that there needs to be a team to provide Back up support. In the next few Days summaries of the regulations will be on the provinces workplace health and safety website at and the full regulations will be there in a week. Neither Bill Gardner chairman of the Manitoba employers Council nor Dar Lene Dziewit president of the 95,000?member Manitoba federation of labour expect the new regulations will require increased workforces to meet the regu lations. There might be some additional administrative demands but that Sall we expect said Gardner who represents the interests of employers. Labour and immigration minister Nancy Allan said this revision ? the first in 30 years ? modernizes the regulations but also reflects practices that Are largely in place. The new health and safety regulations Are mostly geared to the construction manufacturing and health care work places where injuries Are caused from lifting twisting or moving things improperly. These kinds of injuries account for More than 59 per cent of workers compensation Board claims and Cost about $80 million per year Allan said. We need to get that number employers will now be required to do risk assessments if it is determined there is a Hazard and figure out some Way to control it. Drivers pranksters buffaloes oct. 30 a big Snow Job 20 pm biggest dump in Manitoba in Waskada 1,614 motor vehicle collisions reported in province 15 pm amount of Snow that fell on Winnipeg 24.6 pm Winnipeg a record snowfall for the Day in 1971 by Carol Sanders depending on whether you re a skier a Gate night prankster or a Motorist mondays big dump of Snow was a Blessing or a curse. Manitoba Public insurance recorded 1,614 Accident reports throughout the province on Mon Day. A typical monday would see around 1,000 accidents Mph spokesman Brian Smiley said tuesday. During the first major Snow fall of the season there a always a big jump in the number of fender benders and rear Enders involving motorists who fail to get a grip on Winter driving conditions he said. Close to half of the collisions monday occurred in Winnipeg Smiley said. One fatality was reported on the Highway near Wawanesa. Late tuesday the province was still reporting a lot of Snow covered Snow packed icy and Slushy highways conditions. Al Mcrae with Manitoba infrastructure and transportation said plows and Sanders have been Busy where and when needed but motorists still have to be prepared for Winter Dri ving conditions this time of year. You la have Long stretches of Bare Highway then run into mis Erable Road condition she said. On the perimeter Highway around Winnipeg Crews Are out sanding and blowing around 3 . When conditions Are bad. The Snow created havoc on the highways and hell for pranksters on halloween eve dubbed Gate night or devils night. Police in Winnipeg and the Kenora area said it was unusually quiet with just a Cou ple of reports of houses being egged in Keewatin ont. The heavy snowfall kept the Little devils indoors and sent a signal of Hope to the ski Hills especially in the Southern part of the province. Holiday Mountain near Lar i Brief minivan driven into store police Are looking for two men who used a minivan to crash through the Glass doors of a Regent Avenue store and steal a Candy vending machine. Police said the heist happened at about 2 . Tuesday at a business in the 1500 Block of Regent Avenue. The minivan slowed through a set of Glass doors with the two men loading the machine inside. They then drove away. The Van is dark coloured possibly a 2000 ply Mouth voyager. Both suspects Are caucasian. One is described As being 30-35 years old with an average build balding with a Goatee and wearing glasses. The other Man has an average build with Short blonde hair. Call police at 986-2859 or crime stoppers at 786-tips 8477 if you have information. Mfrs general convention close to 700 people Are expected to attend the Manitoba federation of labour general Conven Tion starting thursday at the Winnipeg Conven Tion Centre. The Mil represents More than 40 Manitoba unions affiliated with the Canadian labour con Gress. The general convention is a time for unions and its locals to review and debate resolutions dealing with a Broad Range of labour economic and Public policy issues. The resolutions passed at the four Day general convention become offi Riviere Man. Received More than 15 pm of Snow and May be open ing sooner than the traditional first weekend in december a spokesman said yesterday. Stony Mountain ski area is planning a dec. 2 opening while Springhill Winter Park close to Winnipeg will be opening dec. 9, weather permitting. North of the Yellowhead High Way ase Sippi ski area close to the Saskatchewan Border received very Little Snow Mon Day and is planning to open dec. 8. Virtually everybody in South Ern Manitoba got10 to 15 centimetres of Snow said Dale Marci ski with environment Canada in Winnipeg. It petered out As it got further places like Dauphin and the ski area at ases Sippi were barely hit while South of the trans Canada Highway Waskada near Deloraine was buried under 20 pm and Pinawa in the East got a 19-centimetre dump Marci ski said. Winnipeg got anywhere from 10 to 15 pm monday depending on which part of the City was reporting said Marci ski. That was a lot for oct. 30, but not enough to break the record he said. Trick or Treater in 1971 has to traipse through a record 24.6 pm nine and a half inches in those Days ? that fell on oct. 30, Marci ski said. Once there a a big snowfall the chances of Balmy fall Days returning Are next to none even if the Mercury rises said mar Ciski. Temperatures will recover close to freezing later this week and next week some of the fore cast models Are suggesting above Normal temperatures he said. That wont be enough to bring Back the Green grass though he thinks once you be got Snow it cools the air off. It does to warm up quite As much.?. Cial Mil policy. This years gathering is the mfrs 50th. Keynote speakers Are Canadian labour con Gress president Ken Georgetti Winnipeg my Bill Blaikie nip ? Elmwood Transcona Premier Gary doer and Manitoba labour minister Nancy Allan. Rods smash into Homes someone threw steel rods through the front windows of two City Homes and two Portage Avenue businesses last weekend causing about $3,500 damage police said tuesday. The foot Long lengths of Green Concrete reinforcing rods were thrown Early saturday through the window of a House on River Pointe Road a House on Wellington Crescent and two businesses in the 3000 Block of Portage Avenue police said. The rods were pitched with such Force investigators think the culprits May have used some Type of Home made Slingshot or catapult const. Pat Cha Bidon said. Cha Bidon also said there is nothing linking the targets and that it appears they were picked at random. Police ask anyone with information Call Detec Tives at 986-2840 or crime stoppers at 786-8477. Sample issues the 45 different sections in the new regulations address issues such As these. Employers must conduct risk assessments of possible Musca a skeletal injuries in the workplace and implement control measures. Employers must identify and assess the risk of violence and harassment in the workplace inform workers of any risks and have a plan in place to Deal with incidents. Permits must now be taken out to document people working in con fined places like chemical tanks. Permits and particular shoring procedures will be required in excava Tion Sites of More than 1.5 metres deep. Speaker warns of apocalyptic anxiety How can you put people at ease in an Era of apocalyptic anxiety South Africa born Mike Lipkin says its not who you know but what you know and How you use it. The motivational speaker holding sem Inars in Winnipeg on thursday has a Commerce degree with honours in marketing but his real qualifications come from research he said. Lipkin partnered with end ironic to poll 3,000 people and track their social values in 101 different areas including their attitudes towards each other the environment technology family Reli Gion and Canadas place in the world. I draw on this research to find out How we re moving and where we re mov ing to said Lipkin. They re the polling company they get the data. I take that information and help people use it so they can be successful said the 48-year?old who now lives in Toronto. My Mission is to help people under stand what some of the key social trends Are that Are shaping the world we All live in Lipkin said tuesday from Calgary where he was speaking to High end Auto dealers. This is an Era of apocalyptic anxiety in which people have never been More anxious about succeeding in the work place and a changing world that a becom ing More demanding and Complex he said. How do you talk to someone in a car Dealership to take away that anxiety and put them at ease Lipkin said. I help salespeople understand the attitudes and mindset of people coming into dealerships he said. I show them How to talk to them in a Way they re Likely to respond to ? to convey Lipkins morning and afternoon sem Inars Are thursday at the fort Garry hotel. The morning session is dubbed on fire the Art of personal consistency for owners and employees. The after noon a theme is How to inspire others on the Cusp of change for owners and Man agers. Tickets Are $99 each or $175 for both and available at ticketmaster 780-3333 ;