SafetySync is pleased to host SureHire's new courses on Reasonable Suspicion for Supervisors & Employees within our Occupational Health & Safety Management System.

These courses are only available through special arrangement. Please contact SureHire at 1-866-944-4473 or visit them at www.surehire.ca

It is well known that Apple and Adobe have been at odds over allowing Flash to run on iOS, which is used on Apple iPads, iPods and iPhones.  Whenever a webpage is accessed that has Flash content, users are presented with a message "We're sorry, this content requires Adobe Flash Player, which is not supported by your device."  This issue is not unique to the SafetySync online safety management system - Adobe claims that 75% of video on the web is in Flash.

In the past, when customers have inquired about tablets and smartphones, we have suggested using tablets that use the Android operating system (such as Galaxy Tab).  Now we can offer an alternative to users that already own, or are determined to choose an iPad for their tablet.

Simply install a web browser on the iPad that streams Flash content from a server.  There are a number of browsers that claim to support Flash, but we have tested and can confirm the following browsers are compatible with SafetySync on an iPad:

• iSwifter Flash Web Browser (free 7 day trial, $5 for full version)
• Puffin Web Browser (free "evaluation" version which will only stream Flash temporarily, $3 for full version)

Although it is a couple of dollars more, we recommend iSwifter because Puffin does not display Flash layers correctly in the quizzes (meaning that the whitespace part of the image of the instructor is overtop some of the words).

You will definitely want to ensure you are on wifi when you take any training.  The flash content has a 1 or 2 second lag (because it is streamed from their servers, rather than using a player on the device).

If you want to try it out, simply search for say "iSwifter" in the App Store, install the trial, and launch this browser whenever you want to do training in SafetySync.  [Note: it will not replace Safari - which can still be used for all other browsing requirements.]

We get this question all the time.  Since confusion is running rampant in the oil and gas industry as a result of Enform dropping IRP 16 in favor of what is now called GSO, I will take a few moments to explain my understanding of the new document.

The IGSO is now a "guideline", meaning that the Enform committee has chosen to leave it up to each employer to decide what hazards exist in their workplace, and which corresponding training is required.  This is nothing new... regulations in all provinces have always required employers to perform hazard assessments and to train workers according to the actual hazards in their workplace.  The IGSO document is now confirming that this is the case.

The IGSO guideline now refers to, and even points to government sources, such as the WorkSafe Saskatchewan Orientation Guide, which is where you will now find the checklists that were once in IRP 16.  There is no list of training topics in the Enform IGSO.  The fact that Enform lists the content of PST and CSTS in Appendix 4 does not mean those topics are the ones to be covered for every company's safety training program.  It is simply a tool to help you perform your gap analysis (i.e. "do we provide training on all the high-risk hazards in our workplace?").

Even the WorkSafe Saskatchewan checklist is open ended, such as "Any other industry-specific hazards not already covered" and "Anything else the worker must know".  In essence, what the regulations and now IGSO are saying is that companies must train on whatever is appropriate, not just the topics on a given list.  Essentially, it is up to safety and senior operations personnel to go through these and other list of training topics and turn on anything that might be a high-risk hazard at your company.  [And anything missing from awareness training should be added as a safe work procedure.]

Do not let Enform's incestuous mentioning of their own PST program fool you into thinking that PST satisfies IGSO or government regulations.  The document itself makes no such claim.  An off the shelf program like PST will likely miss certain hazards and leave your workers untrained for some hazards and your organization exposed to non-compliance.  The IGSO document even says so (although not so directly).  A customize training program, delivered in whatever format you like, is what will best satisfy IGSO.  Of course we believe an online training program, integrated with your OHSMS, will work best - simply because compliance is tracked and records are maintained automatically.

We here at SafetySync have been planning for this change for some time.  Our online Safety Management System is designed specifically to meet the regulatory requirements and the new IGSO guideline.  You can select which hazards apply to your operations, and even assign them only to positions that may be faced with those hazards.  Our system can pre-populate the courses and lessons according to the old IRP 16 / PST list of topics, but hopefully you now understand that they are simply recommendations that should be modified according to your company's unique needs.

Enform has officially "withdrawn" their Industry Recommended Practice on Basic Safety Awareness Training (known as IRP 16 in the energy industry), and replaced it with a guidebook on Industry General Safety Orientation, using either the acronym IGSO or GSO.


In this new guideline, as in recommended practices in the past, they have, of course, endorsed their own training, as well as those by the Alberta Construction Safety Association, as well as the Pipeline Construction Safety Association. Enform has even gone so far as to suggest that employers may submit their orientation programs to Enform for evaluation, in order to display a "unique identifier" to imprint on their wallet certificates and worker orientation records.  Fortunately they do admit, in writing, that "It is up to the owner or prime contractor to accept any of the general safety orientations provided by employers and their contractors."  This pretty much slams the door on the industry associations' oligopoly on basic safety awareness training, which is ridiculous anyway, given the fact that safety orientations are mandated in all provinces by regulation.

So, with that in mind, you may notice that the term "IRP 16" will be gradually replaced by "IGSO" in some pages in the Training component within the SafetySync software. You may also see that some topics have either been added or removed from the "recommended" column under IGSO, in order to satisfy the new guideline.  In light of these changes, training administrators may want to review their selected courses and lessons to ensure they meet the IGSO standard (and of course, most importantly, the hazards that exist in their workplace).

Two important changes to note:

1. Companies are no longer required to complete the IRP 16 gap analysis checklist and declaration, and correspondingly Enform will no longer maintain a database of companies that have registered the declaration.
2. The orientation cards that will now print from within the SafetySync portal will have slightly different wording (to reflect the new "IGSO" Industry General Safety Orientation)

The guidebook is a bit vague on what and how to submit the program to Enform for evaluation.  For the time being, until these issues are clarified, we will prepare and make available in the SafetySync administrator portal, a report listing the GSO content and corresponding program page # "where covered".  It also seems that Enform may require an example of an "Employee Record of Orientation", which we will also make available in the administrator portal.  [This report requires a "Date Hired" field, which will be added to the Employee Details page.]

As always, the IGSO training will be available free with the SafetySync Basic plan.  If you have any questions about setting up your orientation program, please contact our sales department.

Some time ago, we added the ability to track which users in the system were "employees" and which were "subcontractors" (along with the subcontractor company name).  Until recently though, the company address that printed on the tickets was always the prime contractor's address (the company that held the SafetySync account).  At the request of a few clients that primarily hire subcontractors, we've added new textbox fields to the Employee Details screen.  When the user type "Contractor" is chosen, a section expands to show additional textboxes for the subcontractor's company name, address, city, province and postal code.


Now when a subcontractor's wallet card prints out (available upon completion of the required training course), the certificate now shows the subcontractor's company name and address.  Since regulated training tickets (such as TDG and WHMIS) require the name and address of the "employer" to be displayed, this new functionality satisfies this requirement.

Keep in mind that since the "employer" is, in fact, not the prime contractor in this situation, the authorized training manager's signature (if loaded into the system), will not display for subcontractors.  Subcontractors will need to sign their own tickets, since they are technically their own employer.  The prime contractor (account holder's) logo will still display to the right of the subcontractor company and address.

We'll be the first to admit that some of the content in the Online Training module can be a little dry.  After a number of hours of listening to a narrator explain the merits of fit testing respirators and recording hazard assessments, employees can tend to tune-out the messages.  We're always adding various different "versions" of all our lessons, so as an administrator, we highly recommend you preview all the available video links for each topic, and choose the ones that are appropriate for the hazards at your workplace, but also entertaining enough that your employees will enjoy taking the training.

The Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia created arguably the most entertaining safety awareness videos we have ever seen.  They're short, and primarily geared at young workers, but the combination of creative drawing of a stickman, with a brilliant voice talent, makes them instant classics.

If you receive feedback from your employees that some of the SafetySync training can be dull or mundane, sprinkle in a few of these versions.  Here are the courses and lessons in which the Rod Stickman versions are available:

• Common Worksite Injuries
  • Heavy Lifting and Back Injuries
• Fall Prevention
  • Introduction to Slips, Trips and Falls
  • Elevated Falls - Working at Heights
• Occupational Health and Safety
  • Rights and Responsibilities
  • Right to Refuse Unsafe Work
• Return to Work
  • The Return to Work Program

We are certain that if you choose the "WorkSafeForLife" versions of these lessons in the OHSMS, you'll see your course feedback scores in SafetySync for these safety topics increase dramatically. And you'll hear some hearty laughs too.

In light of the controversial shooting of a black bear and her three cubs by a wildlife officer in Northern Alberta recently, and other similar instances, large oil companies have become concerned about the increasing interaction between humans and bears in the regions in which they operate.  Some of these companies, such as Encana, now requiring their employees and subcontractors to complete bear awareness training prior to coming to work in the area.

SafetySync has always had a good selection of bear and wildlife awareness training lesson choices to satisfy this requirement, but in light of the increased demand, we've added a couple new choices. One developed by the BC Ministry of Forests, another by the California Department of Fish and Game, as well as one by a group called "Be Bear Aware".  Employers can now choose between video links ranging from 8 minutes to 27 minutes for the bear awareness lesson.

We've also added a new lesson link (and associated quiz) in the Wildlife Awareness course called Bear Pepper Spray.  This 9 minute video, prepared by the US Parks Service, explains how to select, handle and fire a bear pepper spray canister in the event of a threatening bear encounter.  [It is highly informative; none of the staff here at SafetySync were aware that canisters should be test-fired, and that they contained enough pepper spray to be fired more than once.]  If your company policy requires employees working in the back country to take bear pepper spray with them, we highly recommend you turn on this lesson so they know how to use it.

There are a number of great videos on the dangers of texting while driving available through the SafetySync online safety management system.  Some are informative (Utah State Police), while some are graphic (Gwent Police), but there is a new one that we link to on the AT&T YouTube channel that interviews the friends and family of people that either sent or received text messages from a person immediately before they were killed in their vehicle as a result of having been distracted by looking at or typing the text.

Most of the texts are only only one, two, or three words, illustrating that in only a short moment, distracting a driver can be fatal.

These videos are becoming more and more common, and the reason is that people simply do not recognize the danger of texting while driving.  Turn one of these lessons versions on for your employees and make sure they understand!  It could save their life.

Shell Canada has been asking its sub-contractors to have their workers fill in behaviour observation cards and compile monthly reports.  We're in the process of finishing off our Behavior Observation module that allows workers to fill in the forms on a laptop, IPad, or Blackberry.  Alternatively, customers can still use the paper cards and have a safety administrator key the results into the system.  The system then produces the summary report and graph that can be printed or a pdf emailed to the appropriate representative at Shell.

The system is just about ready, but we've already rolled out our first lesson in the Behavior-Based Safety course (called Introduction to Behavior Observations).  The lesson is meant for workers that will either be observed, or that will be doing observations (most BBS programs allow optional participation to all workers).  Topics covered include:

Origins and theory of BBS
Critical behaviors
"At Risk" vs. "Safe" states
Conducting BBO observations
Other best practices

Like all training in SafetySync, this course is available free in our Basic plan.  Sign up for our online safety management system today and assign the course to your employees.  It will go a long toward ensuring that your Behavior Based Safety program is well received and successful.

Although most of our clients prefer to print wallet cards for their employees training certificates (presumably so they can take the cards with them on the road), occasionally a client will want to print a training certificate, frame it, and hang it on the wall.  Until recently, certificates for WHMIS, TDG, HACCP, OH&S and all the other courses had a patterned border around the outside that was in a dull yellow.  This color would occasionally clash with the logo and generally fail to impress anyone as being a certificate specifically printed for the company.
As with all the other components of your safety program, you want to take ownership of the training and would like it to reflect your company brand.  So with that in mind, we've modified the wall certificates that print once an employee has satisfied the course requirements.  The pattern is now in gray (hopefully compatible with all company colors), which surrounds a set of thick and thin boxes that display in the color of the company's safety portal (which you as an administrator choose that compliments your logo).

The functionality for customizing the logo and color scheme is not available in the basic (free) version of our software. Upgrade to the Premium plan at the modest cost of only $6.80 per employee per month and show off your colors!