Province Supporting Innovative Projects to Reduce Workplace Injuries and Illnesses Ontario is helping to enhance the wellbeing of workers across the province by supporting projects that will help employees stay healthy and safe at work. The province will provide support to organizations creating innovative solutions to health and safety issues in today's changing workplace through its annual Occupational Health, Safety and Prevention Innovation Program (OHSPIP). This year, the supports will focus…
Ontario is reminding employers in the province's mining industry that, as of January 1, 2017, new requirements are in place to improve the health and safety of workers in mines. These requirements include: Assessing and managing the risks of hazards and potential hazards that may arise in the mining industry, and developing and maintaining written measures to control the risks of those hazards in the workplace Developing and maintaining a written water management program that includes measures and…
It is common knowledge that to prevent workplace injuries and fatalities, proper safety gear must be provided by the employer to all employees exposed to risks. As part of these requirements, employers are required to provide safety goggles or eye-wear to those workers who may be working on projects or in conditions where they face a higher risk of eye injuries. Now, when the employee wears prescription glasses, the standard issue safety glasses are of no use to him because he cannot see clearly…
It is bad when a worker gets injured, even if it is ever so slightly. That alone might mean a few minutes of downtime, which can turn out to be crucial when you are on a tight schedule. A more significant injury means the loss of more time and a major injury might mean you lose days and weeks altogether if you cannot replace your employee at such a short notice. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), an employer is mandated to provide a safe working environment for your workers. If…
There are a number of on-the-job injuries that office workers are at significant risk of facing in the workplace. Health and Safety Training is essential to every office worker, though, in comparison to their counterparts in manufacturing or mining,this training is often neglected by both the employers and the workers themselves. Preventing Musculoskeletal Injuries Repetitive Motion Injuries (RMIs) are ones that affect people whose work requires them to be seated for the most of the day, typing…
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Workplace Safety Posted by SafetyON |
December 13, 2016
Frostbite, hypothermia, and the other detrimental effects of spending too much time exposed to the cold can cause serious and even permanent harm. The arrival of winter marks a significant change in the level of precautions that are needed for those who work out doors to continue to perform their duties effectively and safely. A robust safety policy and training program goes well beyond the knowledge of first aid. It is in fact far more oriented towards the complete prevention of workplace injuries…
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Workplace Safety Posted by SafetyON |
November 28, 2016
Indoor air quality at the workplace is an important worker safety concern that employers need to pay attention to in a timely manner. Poor air quality can make you, the employer, vulnerable to litigation from your workers because this does form part of your employer safety responsibilities. The Occupational Health and Safety Act -section 25(2)(h) clearly elucidates that the employer has to take every reasonable precaution to protect workers within the workplace. According to the Canadian Union of…
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Workplace Safety Posted by SafetyON |
November 22, 2016
Following the creation of the National Asbestos Inventory by Public Services and Procurement Canada, the spotlight has firmly turned on to this known carcinogen. This public registry lists all federal buildings and indicates if they contain asbestos. It is now mandatory to report asbestos use in public buildings. The idea is that workers have a right to know if they are putting themselves at asbestos exposure risk by working in a specific location. Call for BanIn 2011 alone, Canadians spent nearly…
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Workplace Safety Posted by SafetyON |
November 08, 2016
Workers all across Canada are exposed to numerous hazards on a daily basis that compromises their workplace safety. This is especially true for trades workers in industries such as fossil fuel, construction, general labor, automobile etc. Across the country, trips or slips are the most common type of accidents that occur across all industries. However, they do not account for most incidences of serious injury. Young workers are more susceptible to workplace injuries than their older, more experienced…
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Workplace Safety Posted by SafetyON |
November 04, 2016
Canada's aging workforce compromises a large portion of its total workforce and the general aging of the population will have a wide range of economic and social implications for decades. Aging workers face a higher degree of risk in industries that require a lot of physical labor, have heavy equipment, and have a lot of exposure to harmful chemicals. Aging workers may have a great deal of experience, but worker safety is compromised due to a number of reasons. The government and employers need…
