Ontario OHS Expert Advisory Panel Report

Well the long awaited report from the Expert Advisory Panel on Health and Safety, led by Tony Dean, released the results of its review of Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety System.

The panel consulted wide variety of stakeholders for their input about how to improve the prevention system. The panel has made significant recommendations for improving both the structure of the system and its work.

The recommendations include:

• The establishment of a new prevention organization, housed in the Ministry of Labour, and an associated council of stakeholders. The health and safety associations would align with this new entity.

• A strong emphasis on training, including mandatory awareness training for workers, supervisors, and health and safety representatives.

• A special focus on high-risk work, vulnerable workers, and small business.

• New efforts to combat the underground economy.

• Tougher penalties for willful violators.

For a copy of the report click here

Ontario MOL Loading Dock Blitz: February 1st to 28th, 2011

The next MOL Biltz will involve a province-wide loading dock inspection blitz. All industry sectors will be affected.

Loading docks and shipping areas have exposure to the four highest hazard priorities for Ontario's prevention system: contact with machinery, motor vehicle incidents, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), and slips, trips and falls."

Inspectors will be looking for

• vehicles unsecured against accidental movement (O. Reg. 851, section 57)
• an absence of signalers, or signalers who are not fulfilling their duties (O. Reg. 851, section 56)
• pedestrian traffic hazards, with the movement of vehicles in and out, and other mobile equipment; this would include clearances, lighting, barriers, warning signs…
• floor and ground surfaces, making sure there is no accumulation of garbage, no tripping hazards, ice, snow, uneven surfaces…
• related hazards, such as falls, lifting devices and forklifts, conveyors, material handling from heights, hazardous chemicals, flammable and explosive substances, personal protective equipment, guarding, lockout...
• items unsecured against tipping or falling (O. Reg. 851, section 46)
• worker training related to hazards they are exposed to.

Are you in Compliance?

For assistance with reviewing and ensuring your dock safety standards and practices are in compliance with the law and keeping your employees safe, contact PHS Solutions at jebidia@phssolutions.ca or call 416-270-7689.

Ontario Ministry of Labour - One Number for Workplace Health & Safety Calls

Ontario has launched a new toll-free number 1-877-202-0008 to report workplace health and safety incidents or unsafe work practices.

On Nov. 1, 2010, the Ministry of Labour launched a Health & Safety Contact Centre, which allows anyone, anywhere in Ontario to call one number to report a workplace health and safety incident, critical injury, fatality or work refusal.

For assistance with your health and safety needs call 416-270-7689 and visit www.phssolutions.ca

Ontario MOL Blitz on Lockout and Guarding of Conveyors

Ontario Ministry of Labour inspectors will focus on lockout and guarding hazards involving conveyor systems from November 1 to December 31 2010 during stepped-up activity at industrial workplaces across Ontario.

Conveyor-related injuries occur less often than other types of injuries in industrial workplaces. However, the injuries that do occur tend to be more severe.

The most common activities in which injuries and deaths occurred involved cleaning a drum or other part of a conveyor, conveyor maintenance, regular activities such as sorting or packing near a conveyor and recovering a jammed item from an unguarded pinch point hazard.

Inspectors will take a “zero tolerance” approach to any contraventions found under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations.

Blitz Focus

Inspectors will focus on sectors in which conveyors are used. These will include:

• Farming operations
• Large bakeries
• Food and beverage manufacturers
• Waste recycling
• Cement plants
• Auto sector
• Printing sector
• Soil screening operations for landscaping
• Saw mills
• Chemical plants
• Pharmaceutical plants
• Automotive plants
• Computer plants
• Electronic plants

In particular, inspectors will target establishments:

• Known to have conveyors
• Known to have hazardous processes and equipment;
• Where complaints have been received; and
• Where there is a poor compliance history

Priorities

Inspectors will focus on the following key priorities:

• Guarding: Inspectors will check for pinch points and other hazardous locations lacking guarding devices on conveyors. Guarding is typically required in locations such as power transmission interfaces, nip points, shear points (where a moving conveyor part meets or passes near a stationary point such as a wall) and spill points (where material could spill from a conveyor).
• Locking and Blocking: When it is necessary to open or remove guards, workers must follow lockout procedures to prevent injury from the conveyor starting. Lockout procedures typically involve bringing the machine to a complete stop and disconnecting all its power sources. Blocking is an extra step that must be carried out to prevent the conveyor belt from moving under its own power due to tension on the belt.
• Musculosketal Disorders (MSDs): Inspectors will check that workers are not exposed on an ongoing basis to things such as repetitive work, forceful exertions such as heavy lifting and carrying, awkward postures and vibrating equipment that can affect the bones, joints, ligaments and other soft tissues. These types of activities can result in MSDs, which are injuries and disorder of the muscles, tendons and nerves.

PHS Health & Safety Management System Software

Proactive Health and Safety Solutions Inc. has just released another update to it's leading edge Health and Safety Management System Software application. The web-based application is designed to assist organizations in managing their health and safety needs in support of their efforts to prevent accidents, incidents, achieve legal compliance and due diligence. Please check out this latest update at www.safetysoftware.ca and give me a call at 416-270-7689 to arrange for a full demo of the software features and very affordable pricing.

Criminal Charges Laid in Toronto Scaffolding Collapse

Well Ontario leads the way again on health and safety related criminal charges.

The owner of a Toronto construction company and two others charged in a deadly scaffolding collapse in Toronto last Christmas Eve have each been released on $10,000 bail.

Four migrant workers who were repairing concrete balconies at an apartment building died when they plummeted 13 storeys to the ground when their swing stage scaffolding broke.

A fifth suffered serious injuries but a sixth man, who had attached himself to a lifeline, was uninjured.

Joel Swartz, 51, of Toronto, owner of Metron Construction Corp., Vadim Kazenelson, 35, of Gormley, Ont., and Benny Saigh, 52, of Toronto, surrendered to police Wednesday morning.

The three men and Metron Construction Corp. each face four counts of criminal negligence causing death and one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

The maximum penalty for criminal negligence causing death is life in prison.

The next court appearance in the case is Nov. 3.

The case is "precedent setting,'' said lead Toronto police Det. Kevin Sedore in an interview.

"I think it's also going to be a wake-up call for supervisors and persons who are directing work and details,'' said Sedore, who called the deaths a preventable tragedy.

A publication ban was imposed on evidence presented at the bail hearing. None of the allegations has been proven in court.

Metron, along with Swing N Scaff of Ottawa, had previously been charged under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Following the construction deaths, inspectors from Ontario's Ministry of Labour conducted an enforcement blitz at hundreds of construction sites.

Ontario also launched a review into how to better protect workers after a string of deaths on construction sites across the province.

Stay tuned for more on this case as it evolves.

Health and Safety Management System Software

Proactive Health and Safety (PHS) Solutions has developed a Health and Safety Management System Software Application to assist your organization to efficiently and effectively manage your Health and Safety needs. This affordable leading edge software has been designed with you in mind. The PHS Solutions Software provides a framework to support the management of the Health and Safety needs of your organization and is based on well recognized management system standards such as CSA OHSMS Z1000-06, and OHSAS 18001-07.

Following a management system approach for health and safety with the support of the software application will also assist your organization in meeting its legislative requirements and in establishing a high level of due diligence expected by health and safety legislation.



To view a demo of the software click here.



For more information on the software click here

Ontario MOL Ergonomics (MSD) Blitz

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) will be the focus of an upcoming enforcement blitz being conducted by Ontario's Ministry of Labour (MoL).

The blitz will run from September 15 to November 15 and will focus on industrial retail, construction (home building), mining (vehicles and stationary work stations) and health care (hospital) sectors.

"MSD" is a term used to cover a variety of musculoskeletal diagnoses. These include repetitive strain injury, cumulative trauma, back strain and tendonitis.

In retail inspectors will be keeping an eye out for manual materials handling, which means "lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying objects and, in particular, [working] at heights on ladders."

The retail blitz will also examine cashier work stations, cart use and unnecessary materials handling due to aisle obstructions particularly relevant in the back section of the large stores that have a huge volume of products being moved through them.

The home building aspect of the blitz will look at equipment maintenance and access to excavation sites, she reports.

The blitz will also examine access to mining vehicles. For mining, inspectors will be examining large vehicle access and whether the equipment has enough clearance for body parts. They will also make sure roadways in surface mines are well maintained, so workers "don't have a whole lot of whole-body vibration jarring them as they move along."

Finally, for health care will focus on patient lifting, transferring and repositioning, which are the most common musculoskeletal-type task that causes injuries in that sector. Inspectors will also review cart use among support staff, as well as repetitive work and postures among laboratory workers.

For assistance in setting up your Ergonomics Program and Training call PHS Solutions at 416-270-7689.

Bill 168 Is Now Law - Are You Prepared?

Well the long awaited Bill 168 (now the amendments to Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act) can now be enforced by MOL Inspectors. Rest assured that as inspectors now doing their visits to employers will be asking about your Workplace Violence and Harassment Policy and Program.

In order to avoid getting compliance orders you should have the following:

• A Workplace Violence and Harassment Policy (one document or combined is ok) posted in a conspicuous place at all you work locations
• Developed and implemented a Workplace Violence and Harassment Program that contains all the requirements as noted in the legislation
• Carried out risks assessments for workplace violence at each workplace and implement action plans to address the findings of the assessments
• Shared the results of the work violence risk assessment with your Joint Health and Safety Committee/Safety Representative
• Carried out training for managers on their role and responsibilities related to your program
• Carried out training for employees on their role and responsibilities related to your program

If you need some advice contact me at jebidia@phssolutions.ca

Ontario MOL May Blitzes - Falls From Heights & Young Workers

Ontario Ministry of Labour plans 2 enforcement blitzes in May involving falls from heights, and young workers.

For the falls from heights inspection blitz, inspectors will look for hazards involving platforms, raised floors, mezzanines and ladders, check fall-arrest equipment and guardrails, and watch for dangerous practices (e.g., working on storage racks) and improper use of ladders.

This is the same blitz that occurred in November 2009 where inspectors visited 1,572 workplaces and issued 4,611 orders, including 149 stop-work orders. Falls represent more than 17% of lost-time injury claims, based on Workplace Safety and Insurance Board statistics.

May through August, Ministry of Labour inspectors will also visit workplaces with a high likelihood of hiring young workers, who are at greater risk of injury than other workers.

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board reports that an average of 42 young Ontario workers — aged 15 to 24 — are injured, made ill, or killed on the job every day. That's almost 2 young workers every hour of every day and every night, seven days a week. Between 2001 and 2008, 27 of these young workers were killed. The highest number of allowed lost-time claims occurs among young workers employed in occupations such as sales and service, transport/equipment operators, and labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities.


For assistance with your health and safety program please visit PHS Solutions or call 416-270-7689.

MOL Releases a Guide to Workplace Violence & Harassment

The Ontario Ministry of Labour has released a 50 page guide that explains what workers, supervisors, employers and constructors need to know about the workplace violence and harassment requirements in the Occupational Health and Safety Act. It describes everyone's rights and responsibilities and answers, in plain language, the questions that are most commonly asked about the requirements. Download a copy of from here

Canadian organizations at different stages in development of health and wellness programs

OTTAWA, March 15 /CNW Telbec/ - A large majority of Canadian organizations surveyed by The Conference Board of Canada take the overall health of their employees into consideration in the design of their benefit programs. However, only about one-quarter of respondents feel that their organization has developed a comprehensive wellness strategy, and one-in-ten have not done so at all.
"During tough economic times, organizations face pressure to make cuts to programs viewed as non-essential. Often, workplace health and wellness initiatives are among the first to be cut. However, it is in these turbulent times, where stress is high and employee morale is a concern, that workplace health and wellness initiatives are needed most," said Karla Thorpe, Associate Director, Compensation and Industrial Relations.
"Canadian organizations are at different stages when it comes to workplace health and wellness. Some struggle with implementing health and wellness initiatives, while others have successfully integrated health and wellness into their overall corporate strategy and identity. The leading-edge organizations are also making issues such as mental health and presenteeism priorities in their health and wellness strategy."
This report, Beyond Benefits: Creating a Culture of Health and Wellness in Canadian Organizations, discusses the link between workplace health and wellness programs, employee health and greater organizational health and features case studies of Canadian organizations that have implemented innovative health and wellness practices. These include:
- BC Hydro, British Columbia
- Lighthouse Publishing, Nova Scotia
- Pfizer Canada, Quebec
- TELUS, British Columbia
- The City of Calgary, Alberta
- The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario, Ontario
- UBC Okanagan, British Columbia
The report also includes tips to help employers that are looking to either develop or improve their workplace health and wellness strategies. For example, the report highlights how organizations can move forward by starting small-focusing on the fundamentals before expanding their programs.
This report is part of a series that contains data collected from The Conference Board of Canada's inaugural survey of 255 Canadian organizations' employer-sponsored benefit programs. Additional information on extended health-care plans, dental plans, life and accident plans, and paid time off can be found in the recently released report, Benefits Benchmarking 2009: Balancing Competitiveness and Costs. The third report in this series will focus on the subject of disability plans and casual absences, and will be released in spring 2010.

Canada Adopts ISO 31000 Risk Management Standard

It will help organizations incorporate internationally recognized best practices for identifying and managing risks across financial, strategic, and operational areas," said Doug Morton, director of Life Sciences & Business Management for CSA Standards.

Canada has adopted the ISO 31000 Risk Management standard, CSA Standards announced Feb. 4, 2010. CAN/CSA ISO 31000 Risk Management. The Principles and Guidelines provide a framework and process for managing risk in any country or industry sector. It may be used by any public, private, or community organization, association, or individual. Following approval by the Standards Council of Canada, it is now a National Standard of Canada.

The Canadian adoption of the ISO 31000 Risk Management standard will enable Canadian organizations to compare their practices with an internationally recognized benchmark and providing them with a proecess for effective risk management."

The standard will help organizations evaluate risks, vulnerabilities, and opportunities as they implement and continuously improve a risk management framework within their organizations management systems. ISO 31000 can be integrated with ISO 14001 Environmental Management; Z1000 Occupational Health and Safety Management; OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System Requirements; and Z1002 Occupational Health and Safety – Hazards and Risks – Identification, assessment, elimination and control, which is currently under development.

Health and Safety Criminal Charges Laid In Ontario

Heenan and Blaikie Article of Interest to all Health and Safety Professionals

By Cheryl A. Edwards, Shane D. Todd and Jeremy Warning

In what should serve as a stark reminder for both employers and individuals, police in Ontario recently charged a corporate employer and two individuals with criminal negligence causing death after a fatal workplace accident at a construction project. These events demonstrate that, while criminal prosecutions for workplace accidents remain rare, the police will not hesitate to pursue criminal charges as they deem appropriate. This Management Update examines this most recent case of potential corporate criminal liability for a workplace accident, reviews the global trend towards the criminalization of workplace safety enforcement, and suggests several strategic measures to assist employers in avoiding or mitigating the consequences of criminal charges. See My Website News & Updates for Full Article

Ontario Workplace Violence and Harrassment Law

BILL 168 IS NOW LAW

Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) now requires employers to take actions related to Workplace Violence and Harassment. PHS Solutions can help you prepare.

On December 9, 2009, Bill 168, amended the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) to require worker protection from violence and harassment, and established new specific worker rights relating to violence. The amendments will be enforced by the Ministry of Labour Inspectors starting on June 15, 2010.

These amendments will strengthen protection for workers from workplace violence and address harassment at work, and will apply to all workplaces to which the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act currently applies.

The new protections will require employers to:

• Develop and communicate workplace violence and harassment prevention policies and programs to workers


• Assess the risks of workplace violence, and take reasonable precautions to protect workers from possible domestic violence in the workplace.

Allow workers to remove themselves from harmful situations if they have reason to believe that they are at risk of imminent danger due to workplace violence

Employers will need to understand:

• the requirements under Bill 168


• what constitutes workplace violence and workplace harassment


• your obligations are under the new law


• what is a “risk assessment” and how is it performed


• the requirements to establish a policy and program that every employer must have in place


• the steps to take now in order to be prepared before June 15, 2010


• the risk for a non-compliance to the new legal requirements
  
  
  Workplace Violence Defined
  
  (a) the exercise of physical force by a person against a worker, in a workplace, that causes or could cause physical injury to the worker, this includes but is not limited to physical acts such as punching, hitting, kicking, pushing, damaging property or throwing objects.
  
  (b) an attempt to exercise physical force against a worker, in a workplace, that could cause physical injury to the worker,
  
  (c) a statement or behaviour that it is reasonable for a worker to interpret as a threat to exercise physical force against the worker, in a workplace, that could cause physical injury to the worker. This may include behaviour such as bringing a weapon of any kind to a workplace or possessing a weapon of any kind while carrying out company business, or threatening to bring a weapon to a workplace.
  
  Harassment Defined
  
  engaging in the course of a vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome. It includes any unwanted conduct that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome. Harassment comprises any objectionable act, communication or display that is perceived to be insulting, frightening, embarrassing, offensive, humiliating, demeaning, or otherwise unwelcome, and that may have the effect of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, interfering with an individual’s performance, negatively affecting an individual’s employment relationship, affecting the inherent personal dignity of the individual or their psychological or physical integrity.
  
  
  Employers Will Need To Prepare Written Violence and Harassment Policies
  
  Where more than five workers are regularly employed at a workplace, Ontario employers are required to prepare and post a workplace violence and harassment policy.
  
  
  Employers Will Need To Prepare a Written Violence and Harassment Program
  
  Employers are required to develop, implement and maintain a program to implement the workplace violence policy and the workplace harassment policy. The program should include measures and procedures for:


• workers to report incidents of workplace violence and harassment
  investigating and dealing with incidents or complaints of workplace violence andharassment


• assessing the risks of workplace violence and implementing control measures


• training and advising of workers respecting workplace violence and harassment
  dealing with work refusals related to workplace violence


• responding to information related to domestic violence


• reporting workplace violence
  
  
  Risk Assessment and Control Measures for Workplace Violence Prevention
  
  Employers are required assess the risks of workplace violence that may arise from the nature of the workplace, the type of work, or the conditions of work. There is no specific requirement to asses for the risks of workplace harassment. The risk assessment for workplace violence must include circumstances that would be common to similar workplaces and circumstances specific to the workplace. Based on the results of the assessment the employer must implement appropriate controls to prevent and manage the risk for violence. The assessment must be repeated as often as necessary to ensure that the policy and program continue to protect workers from workplace violence.
  
  The results of the assessment must be communicate to the joint health and safety committee, health and safety representative, or workers directly (if there is no committee or representative) and provide a copy of the assessment if in writing.
  
  
  Training and Advising Workers
  
  Employers must train workers in the contents of workplace violence and harassment policies and program. The duty of employers and supervisors to provide information and training under sections 25 and 27 of the OHSA require employers and supervisors to provide information, including personal information, related to risks of workplace violence (not harassment) from a person with a history of violent behaviour (for example a patient, customer or another worker) if the worker can be expected to encounter that person during the course of their work, and there is a risk of violence likely to expose the worker to physical injury. Disclosure of personal information is limited to that information reasonably necessary to protect the worker from physical injury.
  
  
  Dealing with Work Refusals Related To Workplace Violence
  
  Workers have the right to refuse work for conditions in the workplace that constitute “workplace violence” if “workplace violence is likely to endanger himself or herself”. There is mention in the OHSA to permit a worker to refuse work where they believe that workplace harassment is likely to endanger the worker. The worker is to remain in a safe place “that is as near as reasonably possible to his or her workstation and available to the employer or supervisor for the purposes of the investigation.” (this change will effect all work refusals)
  
  
  Responding To Information Related To Domestic Violence
  
  This provision relates to domestic violence. The employer is required to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker if the employer becomes aware, or ought reasonably to be aware, that domestic violence that would likely expose a worker to physical injury may occur in the workplace. Ontario is the only jurisdiction in Canada to have this provision. It will remain to be seen to what extent the reasonable precaution expectations will be applied.
  
  
  Reporting Workplace Violence
  
  The employers must prepare a notice under section 52 of the OHSA in the event that a worker is disabled from their regular duties, or requires medical attention, as a result of workplace violence. The employer shall, within four days of the occurrence, give written notice of the occurrence containing the prescribed information and particulars to the Joint Health and Safety Committee, the health and safety representative and the trade union, if any and the Ministry of Labour inspector if requested by an inspector.
  
  

For help with your program checkout PHS Solutions

Ontario MOL Forklift Blitz

Ministry of Labour inspectors will visit industrial workplaces during increased enforcement in February 2010. They will ensure lifting equipment is being:

Inspected and maintained in good condition
Operated by well trained employees; and
Used in a safe work environment.

For help with your program checkout PHS Solutions

Ontario - Workplace Violence and Harassment Legislation

This new legislation will come into affect on June 15, 2010. Is you organization prepared? Check out the PHS Solutions website for more detailed information.

Welcome To My Blog

Welcome to my blog I look forward to sharing valuable information with you that will help keep your workplaces healthy and safe. Any comment you may have are always welcome.