Effective January 2015, employers must meet additional obligations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

Employers with 50 or more employees are required to train employees on the requirements of AODA and to make any feedback tools (customer comment cards, on-line surveys) available in accessible formats, on request.

Employers with fewer than 50 employees are required to develop accessibility policies. Employer’s introducing new or major changes to self-serve kiosks have additional requirements to comply with under AODA.

The AODA legislation has 5 components:

• Customer Service
• Communication
• Employment
• Transportation, and
• Built Environment.

Implementation schedules vary for public and private sector organizations and by organization size. 

Reminder: Reporting Requirements for 2014

Employers with 50 or more employees must file the AODA compliance report by the end of 2014.

Find out more about AODA from the Ministry of Community and Social Services.

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.

In November, the Ontario Ministry of Labour announced amendments to the Occupational Health & Safety Act, which introduce new mandatory awareness training for workers and supervisors.

This training will become mandatory for all workers and supervisors in Ontario on July 1, 2014.

Free workbooks and e-learning videos are available on the MOL website now. Training takes approximately 1 hour. Workers and Supervisors completing the on-line training receive a certificate of completion, which is valid for their career.

Organizations who can demonstrate that they already provide awareness training as part of their Health & Safety training may be exempt.

The awareness training does not replace the need for specific Health & Safety training on workplace hazards and WHMIS.

 

Regular exercise is essential for a healthy body

I discovered the hard way that exercise and work go hand in hand. Other than getting out for hockey once or twice a week I was completely sedentary, and after years of sitting at my work desk with little exercise I started having lower back issues.

I was in pain almost all the time which led me to a series of Chiropractic and Massage. Thanks to these therapies I was well on my way to healing but still needed to change my lifestyle and work habits going forward.

One of the changes made was better posture while sitting at my desk. Sitting straight up and having lower back support definitely helped. I also started taking frequent mini-breaks, getting up from my chair and walking around for 20 to 30 seconds every hour or standing when talking on the phone. This allows me to stretch my back and at the same time re-align the spine. The most important change I made was getting more exercise. Regular cardiovascular exercise and developing core strength has given me the ability to live pain-free despite continuing to work at a desk.

In my profession as a recruiter, speaking with various engineers all day, it is amazing how many people suffer from similar symptoms. So whether you are an engineer, accountant, lawyer or any other individual who spends many hours at a desk make sure you are taking the proper steps to a healthy lifestyle.

Don’t have time to make it to a gym? Here are some recommendations from the Globe and Mail (Dakshana Bascaramurty) on how to incorporate exercise during work.