Excerpt from the OH&S Canada magazine (March 2017)
The British Columbia government is adding three types of Cancer to those considered occupational diseases suffered by firefighters.
According to a statement issued on March 06, 2017, by the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, breast cancer, prostate cancer and multiple myeloma will be added to the Firefighters Occupational Disease regulation under the Worker’s Compensation Act. That means firefighters who develop those diseases after a certain period of time on the job will be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits without having to prove that the cancer is work-related.
The province says it first recognized certain cancers as occupational diseases for firefighters in 2005. Since then, the list of cancers has grown to 10 and includes brain, bladder and testicular cancer, as well as leukemia. Heart disease and heart injury were also restored as illnesses presumed to be conditions developed by firefighters in 2014.
“Firefighters are exposed to toxic environments that greatly contribute yo increased cancer risks, more than double that of the general population,” says Gord Ditchburn, president of the B.C. Professional Firefighters Association.
Members across the province are expected to benefit from the additional coverage, as will their families, who Ditchburn says are often the ones who must navigate the coverage process.
My opinion
I do now that this article came only a few years after the province of Ontario added there’s.
Our firefighters, and police officers, put their lives on the line every day. Protecting them, long term, should never have been a choice but a privilege.
We should always protect those that spend the day protecting us!
HRS Group Inc. has a great team that can help you with all your health and safety needs. Contact Deborah toll free at 1-877-907-7744 or locally at 705-749-1259.
Ensure your workplace is a safe place.
Remember – In Canada, “ALL Accidents are Preventable”
‘Work’ and ‘Play’ safe.
Daniel L. Beal
CHSEP – Advanced Level
CEO & Senior Trainer
HRS Group Inc.