Ontario workplaces with 20 or more employees are required to have a Joint Health & Safety Committee.

The committee must have at least 2 members: 1 worker member and 1 employer representative. Their primary role is to identify workplace health and safety problems and bring them to the attention of the employer. Special training is required for some members of the committee.

Workplaces with more than 5 but fewer than 20 employees are not usually required to have such a committee. Instead, workers must elect a person to be a health and safety representative.

The Ministry of Labour has published A Guide for Joint Health & Safety Committees and Representatives in the Workplace.

Many working Canadians have responsibilities for childcare, eldercare or both. As an employer, you may receive requests for family status accommodations.

• Treat all employee requests confidentially.
• Review each request on a case by case basis.
• Make sure you understand your legal obligations.

Remember, you are not required to accept your employee’s suggested solution. You can propose an accommodation solution that meets both your employee’s needs and your business needs.

Employers must report workplace injuries to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) if:

• the worker received outside health care treatment,
• missed work, or
• lost wages.

The WSIB Form 7 must be completed within 3 calendar days of learning about the injury.

Workplace injuries that only require first aid, provided at the worksite, do not need to be reported to the WSIB. The employer must keep the first aid treatment records. Some examples of first aid include treating minor cuts, scrapes, scratches, or burns.

More information is available on the WSIB website.

New JHSC Certified Training Stardards for 2015

Most workplaces in Ontario with 20 or more workers are required to have a Joint Health & Safety Committee (JHSC) comprised of both workers and management. The Ministry of Labour is expected to issue new standards in early 2015 for JHSC Certification Training.

Highlights:

• Part 1 of training will be generic; Part 2 will be industry specific
• Training time will increase from 3 days to 5 days
• Re-certification every 3 years

Health & Safety Awareness Training

New Mandatory Health & Safety Awareness Training for all workers and supervisors comes into effect July 1, 2014.

WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) is a Canada-wide classification system designed to provide workplace standards for the control, handling, storage, and disposal of regulated products.

WHMIS is law under the Canada Labour Code and is applied in Ontario as a regulation under the Occupational Health & Safety Act (OHSA).

GHS is Globally Harmonized System, which is an international initiative to standardize chemical hazard classification, labeling, and communication globally. WHMIS is not expected to be replaced with GHS but rather will incorporate its elements. When implemented in Canada, there will be new standardized classification rules, label requirements and safety data sheet (SDS) formats.

Health Canada’s goal is to have the updated WHMIS laws in force by June 2015. 

In Ontario, employers will be expected to bring their WHMIS programs into alignment with GHS by June 2016. Exact timelines to be determined, watch this space for an update.