From May 1 to August 31, 2011, almost 3,000 workplaces in the industrial and health care sectors received visits from inspectors looking for violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act involving young and new workers.

In late spring, the Canadian Standards Association expects to publish a guideline on nanotechnology, which involves developing and using materials the size of 1 to 100 nanometers. One nanometer is a billionth of a meter.

More than 60 conference sessions and 350 exhibit booths make Health & Safety Ontario Partners in Prevention 2012 Conference & Trade Show, May 1-2, Canada’s most informative and solutions-oriented annual health & safety event.

The recent renewal of a 14-year strategic alliance between Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS) and the Ontario Automobile Dealer Association (OADA) highlights opportunities for workplaces from many sectors to receive customized health and safety products and services.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are injuries and disorders of the musculoskeletal system and can affect the muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilage, and/or spinal discs that may be caused or aggravated by various hazards in the workplace.

It’s no fun getting a ticket. Coming under scrutiny is no fun either, either from an inspector or, after the inspector’s gone, your employer. But scrutiny can be a good thing if it helps identify systemic problems that, left unchecked, could lead to injuries and other consequences.

A new CSA ergonomics standard scheduled for release in March will help workplaces reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries by providing information and tools on identifying ergonomic hazards, assessing risks, and implementing a prevention and control program.

Ontario’s Ministry of Labour seeks your input on two new health and safety tools for employers and workers: “Prevention Starts Here” Worker Awareness Workbook and Employer Guide, and “Prevention Starts Here” poster. Deadline for comments: February 17, 2012.

A recent decision of the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal has significantly expanded the scope of entitlement for benefits arising from workplace events that cause traumatic mental stress.

PSHSA Vice President of Prevention Services Patti Boucher presented at Aware Nova Scotia’s webinar “VIOLENCE: It’s NOT part of the job” recently.

The topic of Workplace Violence continues to perk the ears of employers, management staff, employees and union representatives. Many employees in the Public Services sector may be faced with a client or student who has become aggressive or is exhibiting responsive behaviours, or an angry family member or colleague. It’s important for employers not just to understand the definitions, and their obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act but also to consider what approach to Workplace Violence prevention is best suited to their workplace. 

PSHSA is continuously looking for new ways to advance prevention and to assist clients in Disability Prevention initiatives.  In April 2011 PSHSA signed a license agreement with the National Institute for Disability Management and Research (NIDMAR) to use the Consensus Based Disability Management Audit (CBDMA) and the Workplace Disability Management Assessment (WDMA) to conduct assessments/audits of PSHSA clients’ Disability Prevention programs.

Winter is officially upon us! While the winter season can be filled with joy and excitement, it is also a time to reacquaint ourselves with some seasonal health and safety concerns. 

In February, the Ministry of Labour will conduct a month-long inspection blitz on Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) in the workplace. The blitz will concentrate on manual material handling in the health care sectors.

Healthcare workers have long been associated with a higher frequency and severity rate of musculoskeletal disorders/injuries (MSD/MSI). Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) statistics stated that in 2010 the Healthcare sector reported 8,343 lost time injuries. Approximately 47% of all lost time claims reported in 2010 were due to MSD/MSIs.

Halton Region is looking to change those statistics, at least for its long-term care workers.

A new study on women and shiftwork received a great deal of attention at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Vancouver this October.

WSN clients and member firms can send their comments and feedback to the Ministry of Labour (MOL) regarding a draft copy of the province’s new mandatory health and safety awareness program

Ensuring that a safe lift or transfer occurs in the home can be a challenging task for therapists.  It is often difficult to trial equipment quickly and efficiently as the environment may restrict what equipment or procedure can be used, and there may be a variety of caregivers that require training. 

What’s the difference between starting work at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.? Unfortunately the answer isn’t as simple as 12 hours. The human body is designed to wake with the sunrise and rest with the sunset. Reversing the cycle without care and caution can wreak havoc with a worker’s judgement, health and sense of well-being.

When was the last time you had a professional evaluate your driving skills? Chances are it was the day you passed your road test and were handed your driver’s license.

Unpredictable winter weather conditions and fewer hours of light can place extra demands on your vehicle and your driving skills. Heed the following hazards and precautions.

In February, the Ministry of Labour will conduct a month-long inspection blitz on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This MSD blitz, the ministry’s third, will concentrate on manual material handling, especially in the industrial, construction, mining, and health care sectors.

Unpredictable winter weather conditions and fewer hours of light can place extra demands on your vehicle and your driving skills. Heed the following hazards and precautions.

Advance notice: CSA to launch hazard identification standard In early spring, CSA is expected to launch a new standard that will help users apply a systematic approach to identifying hazards, assessing the risk they pose, and eliminating or controlling them.

Employers may be tempted to postpone training when budgets are tight, but with today’s unlimited training options, try maximizing your return on investment instead. The ultimate return on that training investment is a safety-savvy workforce that applies what it learns, shares its knowledge and skills with others, and creates a safe, productive and profitable workplace. Here’s how to make every penny count.

Ontario agriculture, manufacturing and service operations looking for a proven, expert-led and peer-supported forum for boosting health and safety performance will have at least 40 opportunities in 2012. Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) is now accepting applications for an anticipated 40 2012 Safety Group chapters located throughout the province.

A bill working its way through California’s legislative process has brought public attention to a repetitive strain issue facing a key demographic in the hospitality industry: hotel and motel housekeepers. Although the issue may seem narrowly defined, the solution applies to all industry sectors.

Scanning and bagging groceries is such a commonplace activity that shoppers barely notice the process. But grocery retailers monitor it closely for its impact on customer service, employee well-being, and productivity. Recently, a new concern has arisen: potential health and safety implications of reusable bags.

Identifying critical factors behind breakthrough change in health and safety performance is the goal of an Institute for Work and Health (IWH) study now nearing completion. “If we can identify success factors that other firms may be able to adopt,” explains IWH associate scientist Dr. Lynda Robson, “it could lead to more effective prevention of work injuries and illnesses.”

The MOL Racking & Storage blitz will take place from November 1, 2011.  This article provides details to help you get prepared.

Six Partners in Prevention conferences and trade shows taking place this fall across Ontario bring health and safety insights, expertise and opportunities to you. Locations include Burlington, Kitchener, Ottawa, Rama, Thunder Bay and Windsor.

October is Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month, but don’t limit your healthy workplace initiatives to once a year. Leverage the occasion into an ongoing opportunity to improve employee health and wellness, strengthen your health and safety culture, and boost performance.

High quality e-courses provide a convenient, low-cost option for employee awareness training – any time, anywhere there’s a computer. Given Workplace Safety & Prevention Services’ 50+ course list, your options are extensive.

In October, the Ministry of Labour (MOL) will be conducting a month-long inspection blitz on personal protective equipment (PPE), which includes anything workers wear to protect themselves from dangers in the workplace. For example: respirators, gloves, earplugs, hard hats, safety goggles, and safety shoes or boots. Find out what inspectors will be looking for, and how to mount a PPE program.

Any workplace with pallet racking is a potential target for inspectors during a month-long blitz starting November 1. “If you have lift trucks and pallet racks,” says Don Brown, a provincial specialist with the Ministry of Labour’s Industrial Health and Safety Program, “we’ll be interested in having inspectors visit your workplace.”

Twenty Canadians are diagnosed with diabetes every hour. More than 1.5 Canadians have heart disease, and 75,000 Canadians will die from cancer. You and your co-workers can help reduce these statistics, and raise your own understanding of your personal health, by completing a confidential 30-minute survey. The results will improve Ontarians’ personal lifestyle choices, promote healthy workplace behaviour, influence future clinical care, and shape government health policy.

Lawn cutters, landscapers, arborists and others responsible for maintaining public and private grounds are three times more likely to be killed on the job than other workers, reports the US Centers for Disease Control.

“There’s a lot you can do to prevent injuries, but you don’t have to do it alone,” says Sandro Perruzza, chief of client services with Workplace Safety and Prevention Services.” Appearing below are suggested steps to help create a health and safety program in your workplace…

Most people know about poison ivy, but there is a new, much more poisonous plant invading Ontario’s outdoors and putting workers at risk. It’s called giant hogweed. Use this article as a safety talk to inform your workers about the hazards.

The biggest risk Ontarians face each day as they go to work is a collision on the road. Motor vehicle incidents continue to be the greatest single cause of, and account for more than 30% of, all Ontario worker fatalities. This number increases to 45% when we include powered industrial vehicles or mobile industrial equipment in the workplace.

It’s been a great summer and many parents are happy to see their children returning to those hallowed halls of education. However students and drivers alike may still have their minds on the summer fun instead of on the road and the various school zones they encounter.

As part of Safe at Work Ontario, the Ministry of Labour (MOL) develops annual sector-specific enforcement plans that focus on hazards specific to workplaces in different sectors of the economy. The plans outline what inspectors will be looking for in each sector during an inspection.

The plans were released on June 30th and are available on the MOL website. Here is a snapshot of what’s inside:

In 2007, Jeremy Shorthouse joined Vincor Canada is its first national environmental health and safety manager. The business has 2,000 employees across the country. Since then, Vincor Canada has achieved the following: 20% fewer incidents, 60% fewer lost-time claims, 80% decrease in severity rates. Find out how.

The MSD Prevention Guideline for Ontario is now five years old. Ontario needs to evaluate its success and work out what to do next. On June 27, 2011, 100 people came together in Toronto to learn, discuss, and plan how to take Ontario's musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) strategy one step further. The focus of the discussion forum was on ways to reduce MSDs caused by manual materials handling.

Many recent immigrants end up in jobs for which they are over-qualified, putting them at risk of poorer mental health within a short period of time, according to a recent study from the Institute for Work & Health. The study explored just how common over-qualification is among new immigrants to Canada, and how it affects their general and mental health.

In February 2011, 1,089 workplaces received 1,285 blitz-related visits by Ministry of Labour inspectors. The inspectors issued 3,233 orders, including 84 stop work orders. Inspectors found that workers are exposed to similar hazards in workplaces across all industrial sectors, regardless of the size of the workplace or nature of business.

This Ministry of Transportation site offers general information and clarification on laws applying to farm equipment and select provisions applying to farm trucks.

A tragic fatality recently in the forestry sector points out the need for more attention to road safety as a workplace hazard.

It’s in the forecast: this summer will be a hot one! That’s good news for vacationers, a warning bell for those who will be working through the heat. What better time to develop a workplace heat stress prevention plan? We’ve gathered together some helpful info and tips to get you started.

The first month in a new job can be a risky one, as these workers are five to seven times more likely to be injured than experienced workers. A common misconception about the higher rate of injuries among new workers is that age is a factor. However, it has nothing to do with age. As university, high school and migrant workers flood into Ontario workplaces, take advantage of this timely opportunity to keep them safe.

Over the next year, the province will be implementing changes to Ontario’s occupational health and safety system based on recommendations from the Expert Advisory Panel on Occupational Health and Safety. The panel made 46 recommendations, which the minister of labour accepted. To implement the recommendations, certain laws had to be amended. The government moved quickly to draft Bill 160, which was introduced to provincial parliament in March. The bill received Royal Assent on June 1.

Speaking before hundreds of delegates attending the May 17 opening ceremonies of Partners in Prevention 2011, Ontario Labour Minister Charles Sousa expressed a sentiment central to Partners in Prevention: “Workplace health and safety is my top priority. The very first thing I did on this job,” said Sousa, “was to read Tony Dean’s report on health and safety.” Following the opening ceremonies, four corporate leaders shared their experiences and observations in the session, “View from the Top.”

A skier suffers a broken arm while skiing. A student is knocked unconscious during a physical education class. A patient dies in hospital. Aside from being unfortunate events, incidents such as these are generally not seen as attracting an obligation to report the matter to health and safety authorities. This is no longer the case as a result of a recent OHS decision. Circumstances leading to the decision, its potential ramifications, and practical steps that organizations may take to manage their obligations in such cases are discussed below.

Just as summer is when young workers are in full force, it is also the time when the Ministry of Labour, as it has done for the last three years, begins its annual New/Young Worker Blitz. Workplace injuries and fatalities can usually be traced to a few root causes that may vary by sector.

One stop shopping for information and resources is the aim for the new Health and Safety Ontario web site, launched recently. The site incorporates web sites for all four of the province’s health and safety associations, including Workplace Safety North.

Workplace Safety North passed another milestone in April, holding its first annual general meeting in conjunction with the Mining Health and Safety Conference in Sudbury April 20

This month, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour launched a 4-month blitz targeting industrial, retail and health care workplaces. This is the fourth blitz in as many years. Last year, the ministry inspected 3,097 workplaces and issued 3,555 orders, including 255 stop-work orders.

This month, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour launched a 4-month blitz targeting industrial, retail and health care workplaces. This is the fourth blitz in as many years. Last year, the ministry inspected 3,097 workplaces and issued 3,555 orders, including 255 stop-work orders.

Guarding was the number one concern of compliance orders issued under a recent conveyor inspection blitz, reports Ontario’s Ministry of Labour. Conducted from November 1 to December 31, 2010, the blitz resulted in 3,092 orders issued against 833 workplaces. Of these orders, one third (944) involved machine guarding. The second and third most common orders involved maintaining equipment in good condition, and taking every precaution reasonable in the circumstance to protect workers.

One of the largest workplace prevention studies ever undertaken in Ontario is underway. Four health and safety associations, including Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS), are joining forces with the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), a research organization, to recruit 5,000 organizations to participate.

Legislative amendments introduced by Labour Minister Charles Sousa earlier this month bring Ontario one step closer to what he describes as “the first major review and the largest overhaul of Ontario’s occupational health and safety system in 30 years”.

If you work around large machinery, you might be amazed to learn how difficult it is for the operator to see what’s around him or her. The size of the machine, and features such as the bucket, light brackets, engine cover, booms and hoses, cab posts, and wheel covers or fenders, can restrict the operator’s vision around the machine.

Ninety-eight percent of employers in Ontario operate businesses with fewer than 100 employees. These small and micro-businesses often have limited internal resources to build an effective internal responsibility system for health and safety. They are also generally more vulnerable than larger businesses to the physical, administrative and financial costs of a workplace injury or illness.

Welcome to the first issue of Health & Safety Ontario Network News, a monthly newsletter capturing timely news, events and resources that can help you boost productivity and profitability by striving zero work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

In upcoming issues, watch for advance notice of Ministry of Labour inspection blitzes, regulatory amendments, new courses, training tools, alerts, seasonal hazard updates, and more.

If you’re an owner or senior manager of a small business registered with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) for 12 months or less, you can earn your business a 10% premium rebate by successfully completing the WSIB’s two-part Safe Communities Incentive Program (SCIP). Been in business for longer than 12 months? Earn a 5% rebate by participating in the program’s second part.

Motor vehicle collisions account for more than 45% of all Ontario worker fatalities when vehicles used to lift and move material are included. How to reduce the carnage? “If you want to have a positive effect on group behaviour,” says Dr. Jeff Linkenbach, director of the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT, “we’re going to need positive approaches.”

Legislative amendments introduced by Labour Minister Charles Sousa earlier this month bring Ontario one step closer to what he describes as “the first major review and the largest overhaul of Ontario’s occupational health and safety system in 30 years.” The changes offer workplaces several benefits, including better access to health and safety resources.

Find actionable information, resources, solutions, subject experts, and service providers for virtually any health and safety issue you’re facing at Health & Safety Ontario’s Partners in Prevention 2011 Health & Safety Conference & Trade Show, taking place May 17-18 in Mississauga. The conference component offers 60+ interactive sessions, workshops and professional development courses. The trade show, 400+ exhibitors, an onsite bookstore, and feature areas.

Painful thumbs, a result of over-texting, playing video games and working the Wii, are turning up in physiotherapists’ offices and are also beginning to show up on disability claims, say experts.