Risk & Business Magazine Benson Kearley IFG Spring / Summer 2017 | Page 29

BEVERAGE PROTECT
I
n 2009, an employee of a US-
based brewery died in a crawl
space that was oversaturated with
oxygen. According to Reuters
analysis of federal Occupational
Safety & Health Administration
data, there were at least four other
employee-related deaths at breweries
in the United States between 2009 and
2012. Fortunately in Canada, we have
yet to see incidents of this magnitude.
But all breweries need to be proactive
in their approach to safety compliance.
As beer manufacturing continues to
burgeon across Canada and the United
States, government regulators have
heightened their focus on brewers’
safety compliance in both countries.
Beverage Protect is a national
insurance program offering specialized
insurance coverage for Canada’s
alcohol-based beverage manufacturing
industry. We recognize the importance
of staying aligned with industry trends
and regulatory implications in terms
of overall risk, and we endeavour to
educate our clients, and prospective
ones, about the important issues they
face.
Bill Godkin of CE Safety, one of
Beverage Protect’s exclusive partners,
has experience and connections within
the health and safety industry. He
makes the following comments about
safe brewery operations:
The growth of th e beverage industry
has turned the attention of government
regulators to the operations within the
beverage industry. Specifically in early
May [of 2017], the Ministry of Labour
in Ontario will begin a four-month,
new and young worker safety blitz of
businesses in the Recreational Facility
group of industries. These include golf
courses, campgrounds, restaurants,
craft brewer[ies], and wineries because
of the hiring of seasonal workers
and a yearly turnover of staff. What
the Ministry of Labour inspectors
will be looking for is PROOF of staff
training of mandatory topics such as
WHMIS 2015, Workplace Violence and
Harassment, Worker and Supervisor
Safety Awareness, and Access for
Disabled Persons. If you cannot prove
you have achieved compliance, then you
are not in compliance.
They will also be looking for safety
hazards such as compressed gas
cylinders being unsecured; equipment,
tools, and storage areas in poor
condition; machinery properly guarded;
[and] cluttered aisles and stairwells,
just to name a few. Fines and penalties
for noncompliance alone can reach
[into the] tens of thousands of dollars,
and if a worker is critically or fatally
injured, the fines are even more severe.
Late last year, the Ministry of Labour
started charging employers under
Federal Codes, and if convicted, an
employer could face a sentence in
Federal Prison!
As an employer, you need to be
proactive to ensure your business is
in compliance with all of the current
regulations that govern your workplace.
Not being aware of regulations is not
a defence. There are safety regulations
like Ontario’s in all the other parts of
Canada and in the United States, where
OSHA sends out [its] own inspectors
to ensure [that] training in the Global
Harmonized System (WHMIS 2015)
has been done along with other safety
training and measures.
Importantly, as Bill mentions above,
not being aware of compliance
regulations is not a defence, and
the resulting fines and penalties are
not covered by an insurance policy.
Protecting your employees and your
customers will ultimately help your
business continue to thrive and grow.
Beverage Protect aligns our clients
with companies like CE Safety to
ensure they understand the risks they
face, implement necessary programs,
and do what is needed to protect their
business.
Beverage Protect was created to
support the unique insurance needs,
health and safety compliance, and
overall risk management of the alcohol-
based beverage industry in Ontario and
across the country.
By teaming up with the right insurance
companies, we are able to offer craft
breweries, wineries, and distilleries a
customized insurance program that
offers the best coverage available with the
best rates in Canada.
For more information, please feel free to
contact me or visit beverageprotect.ca. +
BY: JOSHUA KEARLEY
PROGRAM SPECIALIST, BEVERAGE PROTECT
POWERED BY BENSON KEARLEY IFG
Contact him today at [e-mail]
“WE RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE
OF STAYING ALIGNED WITH
INDUSTRY TRENDS AND
REGULATORY IMPLICATIONS IN
TERMS OF OVERALL RISK...”
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