Health, Wellness and Safety

safety planning small business

Health and Safety Planning & Small Business

Audra Sayn-Wittgenstein

Safety Planning and Management Solutions for Small Business 

It is the law that all workplaces have a Health & Safety program.  Small businesses often find it difficult to develop a program due to lack of knowledgeable staff and resources including time and money.  These problems are not a good enough reason for small business managers to avoid workplace H&S planning.   The only option is to develop an appropriate workplace safety program.

Where to start?  Committed managers, with or without the help of a Health & Safety Consultant, can develop an effective safety program.  The Workplace Safety & Prevention Service offers the “Roadmap for Small Business” which is an online resource that outlines easy to follow steps for developing a compliant workplace Health & Safety Program in Ontario. The Ontario Ministry of Labour also has many useful references.

To get started:

  • Learn about and commit resources to the project.
  • Assign employees to develop the program.  
  • Put the minimum requirements in place:
    • Provide required training to employees (H&S awareness, WHMIS, First Aid, etc.)
    • Maintain a Health & Safety bulletin board
    • Identify and train about workplace hazards
    • Keep appropriate records
    • Do workplace inspections
    • Report injuries and incidents appropriately
  • Start monitoring and evaluating program outcomes
  • Plan ongoing program development.

Employers cannot ignore their responsibility to manage workplace Health & Safety.  Due diligence is expected as Ontario actively enforces legislation with work stoppages, fines and prosecution recommendations for companies that violate Occupational Health & Safety laws.

Read more about H&S Program Development  Solutions for Small Businesses:

Roadmap for Small Business, Workplace Safety & Prevention Services. 

 

Keep Young Workers Safe

Audra Sayn-Wittgenstein

Young workers … energetic, eager and at increased risk of workplace injuries

Young workers are a unique group of employees who get injured frequently at work.  This recognized statistic is the reason why the Ontario Ministry of Labour conducts its May to August New and Young Worker Safety Blitz.

WHY are young workers at increased risk of getting hurt at work?

Unlike older individuals who have been previously employed, younger workers often have minimal knowledge of workplace expectations and routines.   Young people want to successfully complete assigned tasks but may be hesitant to ask for instruction. This combination of lack of experience and unwillingness to ask questions is dangerous.

HOW can employers keep young workers safe?

In depth orientation & training and competent supervision is the best way to keep young workers safe at a new job. It takes time and resources to properly train new employees. Repetition and extra supervision may be necessary until an inexperienced worker demonstrates good understanding of the safety requirements of a job. Employers should use training strategies that accommodate a young adult’s learning style and limited employment experience.

Tips to keep new and young workers safe at work include:

  • Provide an orientation with detailed information about the workplace routines, hazards and job requirements.
  • Be sure all workplace safety measures required by law are in place and the young worker is fully trained.  (Material handling, ergonomics, machine guarding, lifting, PPE, working from heights, workplace violence and harassment, etc.)
  • Properly supervise the young worker. Establishing a mentoring or buddy system with an experienced employee can be helpful.
  • Remind the worker to work safely and report anything unsafe.
  • Encourage the worker to ask questions.
  • Comply with minimum workplace age requirements (14 for industrial settings, 15 for factories, 16 for logging operations)
  • Ensure the Workplace Health & Safety Committee considers new worker issues.

This is the time of year that many young people start new jobs. Employers need to protect younger workers, as they would their own adult children, by providing adequate information and support. The result will be a well-trained, productive employee and a safer workplace for all.

Resources

New and young workers in your workplace, Ontario Ministry of Labour

Protect New and Young Workers, podcast by CCOHS with Steve Horvath

Prolonged Sitting is a Workplace Hazard

Audra Sayn-Wittgenstein

Sitting is a health risk similar to smoking.   

It wasn`t that long ago that employees smoked while working but today smoking is prohibited in the most Ontario workplaces.   Employers must now acknowledge the potential health problems related to sedentary jobs.  

There is extensive medical evidence showing that being inactive for extended periods of time by sitting  at a desk, on the couch, or in a car is hazardous to your health.  A good daily workout is not enough to correct the problem.  Employees, who sit extensively at work, need to stand up and stretch for a few minutes at least every half hour. The incidence of musculoskeletal disorders, heart disease, cancer and diabetes increase significantly for sedentary people.

To prevent injuries and disease, employers must recognize this job hazard and implement strategies to reduce prolonged seated time by workers.  Employees often stay seated continuously at their desks for hours.  They need to feel comfortable standing up, stretching and even working in a standing position.  The attitude that “Sitting quietly at one’s desk is the proper way to work” must change.

Examining work processes and workplace attitudes can help employers identify how to get employees to stand up and move more often during the work day.   To get employees out of their chairs, they may need:

  • more information about the health benefits of stretching and changing positions frequently
  • training about how to incorporate more movement into their work day
  • acceptance by supervisors and colleagues during frequent standing sessions 
  • modelling by supervisors and colleagues who also stand and stretch often
  • adaptive equipment or workspace re-design (standing desks or tables, telephone headsets,  etc.)
  • reminders to take scheduled breaks.

Senior Managers need to acknowledge that prolonged sitting is a workplace hazard.  Commitment to helping workers become more active during the work day can prevent employee health problems and optimize productivity.

There are many resources available to get employees more active at work.  

Working in a Sitting Position

Sitting and standing at Work

 

WSIB Rate Reform

Carol Irwin

Weigh in on Proposed Changes

The WSIB has introduced dramatic reforms that could change just about everything regarding how the Board classifies employers, assigns annual premiums and measures employer’s performance  from year to year. 

The WSIB Proposal includes the following key changes:

  • Introduction of the North American Industry Classification System. This will reduce the number of rate groups from 155 to 22. Each employer would be assigned a single class based on their predominate business activity.
  • Premiums in each of the 22 classes would be risk adjusted based on an employer’s last 6 years of claims experience and insurable earnings. Each employer would be placed into a risk band. This new system would replace the current experience programs NEER, MAP and CAD-7.

The first phase of the consultation process is on now until June 30, 2015. Read more about the reforms at Rate Framework Reform.

Sexual Harassment Prevention Legislation

Action Plan to Halt Sexual Violence and Harassment in the Workplace

Audra Sayn-Wittgenstein

Ontario government announces the “It’s Never Okay” plan. This plan includes an awareness campaign, new legislation, amendments to existing laws, education plans and other initiatives.

Employers should be aware of plans to change workplace safety legislation aimed at tackling workplace harassment. If passed, the Occupational Health and Safety Act would be amended to include a definition of sexual harassment and would require employers to investigate and address such incidents.

Employer Requirements WHMIS 2015

Audra Sayn-Wittgenstein 2 Comments

For current information about employer requirements regarding the upcoming changes to the Canadian WHMIS standards, go to www.whmis.org.

WHMIS regulation changes will include adding elements from the international GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification & Labelling of Chemicals) and related employer duties. WHMIS.org offers current resources, by province / jurisdiction, about amendments and employer requirements for this multi-year rollout of the new WHMIS programs in Canada. In Ontario, amendments to WHMIS regulation are expected to come into force by June 1, 2015 with a transition period to 2017 for full implementation.