Articles

Third reading of Bill 160 - May 19, 2011

Young Workers Safety Blitz - April 27, 2011

Upcoming Ministry of Labour Safety Blitzes - April 25, 2011

All Regulatory Requirements Respecting Confined Spaces Consolidated -

April 4, 2011

Proposed Amendments to the OHS Act and Workplace Safety and Insurance Act -

March 3, 2011

2011 Partners in Prevention 2011 Health & Safety Conference - March 2, 2011

Interim Prevention Council Announced - February 16, 2011

Save $280 when registering at the Health and Safety Forum - February 14, 2011

Loading Dock Safety Month Continues - February 3, 2011

PSHSA is proud to present "Confined Space Entry and Rescue Procedures" DVD  - January 24, 2011

Expert Advisory Panel on Health & Safety Announces Results of Review -

December 17, 2010

Safety Group Rebate Over Half a Million Dollars! - December 16, 2010

NAOSH Week May 1 - 7, 2011 - November 15, 2010

5,000 Firm Workplace Prevention Study Now Underway - November 11, 2010

MoL Enforcement Blitz Targets Conveyor Hazards - November 5, 2010

Recognize the Signs of Domestic Violence - October 27, 2010

WSIB Announces Changes to Labour Market Re-entry - July 8, 2010

MoL Compliance Guideline for Workplace Violence - April 5, 2010

Head Injuries in Sports - February 15, 2010

May 1st is the start of the Ministry of Labour's four month Young Worker Blitz. Attached for free download are tip sheets and a poster which will be distributed to schools and to all MPPs in the days ahead.

Poster

Tip Sheet for Employers

Tip Sheet for Supervisors

Tip Sheet for Parents

Tip Sheet for Young Workers

Workplace injuries and fatalities can usually be traced to a few root causes that may vary by sector. The Ministry of Labour’s proactive inspection blitzes on sector-specific hazards are designed to raise awareness and increase compliance with health and safety legislation.

These blitzes are announced in advance and results are reported after they are completed. The ministry tracks each sector to determine if the blitzes result in a long-lasting increase in compliance and decrease in injuries. For a complete blitz schedule click here or visit the Ministry of Labour’s website.

All Regulatory Requirements Respecting Confined Spaces Consolidated

Please note the Ministry of Labour’s proposal to consolidate all of the regulatory requirements respecting confined spaces into one regulation, namely O. Reg. 632/05, under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) has been approved. As a result,

• the application section of O. Reg. 632/05 is amended to make this regulation apply to construction projects, health care and residential facilities, industrial establishments, and mines and mining plants;
• the provisions that apply with respect to confined spaces in the four sector-specific regulations are revoked; and,
• important differences between the current confined spaces provisions that apply on construction projects and those that apply for other workplaces have been maintained.

Overall, the intent of these proposed changes is not to decrease worker protections or to significantly affect employer obligations regarding confined spaces.  The proposed amendments will come into force July 1, 2011. 

The amending regulations are now available in the Source Law section of the e-Laws website. It is expected that the amendments will be consolidated into the e-Laws version of O.Reg. 632/05 by the end of April.

The Ministry of Labour is also in the process of updating its guideline on confined spaces requirements, including developing a table of concordance for stakeholders.  Please continue to check the Ministry of Labour’s website at www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/ and www.e-laws.gov.on.ca for more information.

Proposed Amendments to the OHS Act and Workplace Safety and Insurance Act

The Ontario Government announced today that it is proposing amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. These amendments are in response to several of the recommendations provided by the Expert Panel on Occupational Health and Safety and are intended to improve the province’s safety system and increase protection for workers. If passed , the following recommendations would occur:

• Establish the Ministry of Labour as the lead for accident prevention, transferring it from the WSIB.

• Appoint a new Chief Prevention Officer to coordinate and align the prevention system.

• Create a new prevention council, with representatives from labour, employers, and safety  experts, to advise the Chief Prevention Officer and the Minister.

The proposed amendments would also give the Minister of Labour oversight of the province's Health and Safety Associations. The minister would also oversee the education, training and promotion of workplace health and safety. More...

2011 Partners in Prevention 2011 Health & Safety Conference

 Join us for Partners in Prevention 2011 Health & Safety Conference & Trade Show,  Canada’s largest health and safety event and the flagship of the Partners in Prevention Conference Series, May 17 - 18, 2011 at the International Centre, Mississauga, Ontario. Partners in Prevention 2011 continues to build on the best-in-class standard for professional development set by its long-standing predecessor Health & Safety Canada IAPA Conference & Trade Show – the preeminent health and safety conference in Canada for over 90 years and brings together 4,500+ health and safety professionals for networking, education and knowledge sharing.

Interim Prevention Council Announced

The Ministry of Labour acted on a key recommendation of the Expert Advisory Panel on Occupational Health and Safety yesterday, announcing the members of the interim Prevention Council. Paavo Kivisto, a retired Deputy Minister of the Environment and former Deputy Minister of Labour will lead the  six-member interim Council. More information about the Council and its members can be found here.

The MOL is moving quickly to act on the Panel recommendations. PSHSA continues to work closely with our system partners to further the recommendations of the Panel, and we look forward to the opportunities that it holds to advance health and safety for our clients and partners.

Save $280 when registering at the Health and Safety Forum

Dear Members,

The Public Services Health and Safety Association is pleased to be partnering with The Conference Board of Canada on their upcoming Health and Safety Forum: Building an Enterprise-Wide Safety Culture. As part of our partnership, we’re able to offer our valued members a savings of $280 off the full registration fee. Simply use our rebate code PRM2 when you register to save!

The Health and Safety Forum: Building an Enterprise-Wide Safety Culture, on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, will help you leverage your health and safety program into an enterprise-wide initiative. Learn how to build a safety culture that will engage employees, reduce costs, and make you an employer of choice.

This interactive forum features case studies, panels, and discussions of the major challenges faced by health and safety executives. You’ll meet the innovators and hear about the health and safety strategies of General Motors of Canada Ltd., Home Depot of Canada Inc., University Health Network, Jacobs Engineering, PepsiCo Canada, Loblaw Companies Limited, Infrastructure Health and Safety Association, and many more.

You will also find out how an enterprise-wide safety culture can save money by reducing lost time injuries, claim rates, and insurance premiums. The experts will discuss how to:

• Manage lost time rates to affect your safety culture

• Leverage your health and safety knowledge to engage your leadership team

• Communicate an effective safety message to all levels of the organization

• Keep the focus on safety in the face of other business pressures

• Recruit and screen for the most effective safety professionals

Don’t forget to use our rebate code PRM2 when you register to save $280!

Loading Dock Safety Month Continues…

Beginning February 1st and lasting until the end of month, the Ministry of Labour is conducting a Blitz on Loading Dock Safety, to read more on this topic please click here.

To help PSHSA clients prepare for potential inspector visits, we are offering a webinar on February 10^th.  This webinar will be presented by Monica Szabo a PSHSA Regional Director and Eunice John a Provincial Specialist from the Ministry of Labour.  The webinar will wrap up with an interactive session that will give each participant a chance to ask important questions related to loading dock safety.  To register, click here, or click here to view the flyer. 

In addition to this informative webinar we are also pleased to provide a free Loading Dock Safety Fast Fact, to download please click here.

Expert Advisory Panel on Health and Safety Announces Results of Review

On Thursday, the Expert Advisory Panel on Health and Safety, led by Tony Dean, announced the results of its review of Ontario’s occupational health and safety system. Read the announcement by clicking below:
 

Over the course of its work, the panel asked a wide variety of stakeholders for their views about how to improve the prevention system. The panel has now made substantial recommendations for improving both the structure of the system and its work. The report can be found by following these links to the Ministry of Labour’s web site:

Congratulations to our 2009 Safety Group members! As a result of their efforts in 2009. they are sharing a WSIB rebate of $630,165.55! Even more importantly, their excellent work brought many enhancements to their health and safety programs, and a healthier and safer workplace! It’s not too late to take advantage of the many benefits of Safety Group. Sign up before December 31st for the 2011 Safety Group – chapter meetings will be held across the province, in Toronto, London, Hamilton, Eastern Ontario, and possibly Northern Ontario. More info here

In 2011, North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week will be celebrated from May 1-7. This is an excellent opportunity to focus, reinforce, and strengthen commitment to occupational safety and health.

The Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) has ideas on how to get involved, posted on the CSSE Website. Download the CSSE NAOSH Week Event Planning Checklist to get started.
 

In 2011 PSHSA will be participating in one of the largest workplace prevention studies ever undertaken in Ontario. The “5,000 Firm Study,” as it’s informally known, is focused on understanding how organizations’ health, safety and disability policies and practices are related to injuries and illness. Approximately 3,000 public service agencies from the municipal, health care and education sectors will be contacted by PSHSA and invited to participate. Read more

Recognize the Signs of Domestic Violence

Make it Our Business is a campaign of the Centre for Research and Education on Violence against Women & Children (CREVAWC) and adds to information in the Neighbours, Friends and Families public education capaign about how to recognize the signs of domestic violence.  The goal is to provide resources to employers to develop strategies to prevent domestic violence in the workplace.  It also includes information for victims to keep themselves Safe and Supported when Domestic Violence follows you into the Workplace.

Visit the "Make it our business" website.

WSIB Announces Changes to Labour Market Re-entry

The WSIB is making significant changes to the Labour Market Re-entry (LMR) program.

Read more here

MOL Compliance Guideline for Workplace Violence

The Ministry of Labour has recently released a compliance guideline for workplace violence and harassment. This guideline explains what every worker, supervisor, employer and constructor needs to know about workplace violence and workplace 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 these requirements.

View the English version here                 View the French version here 

As well, the MOL offers a two page Fact Sheet on the Bill 168 amendments to the OHS Act.

View the English version here                  View the French version here 

PSHSA offers in-person workshops as well as webinars on this topic, to assist clients in implementing steps to satisfy the amendments. To view current offerings, visit our websites or contact your local consultant.