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Occupational Health and Safety

May 22, 2013

Random drug testing about site safety, says expert

Random drug testing is nothing new in Canada, and it continues to be used as an effective safety measure for high-risk jobs, according to CanAmm Occupational Health.

May 1, 2013

Manitoba unveils new strategic plan to improve workplace safety

Manitoba has a new five-year strategic plan to prevent workplace injury and illness that includes doubling the funding for prevention services.

April 25, 2013

Ontario toxic exposure rule upgrades anticipated

The Ontario Ministry of Labour is considering upgrading the rules and guidelines for exposure to toxic substances on construction and demolition sites.

April 25, 2013

Workplace safety a year long priority

Though the National Day of Mourning is held on April 28, the Infrastructure Health & Safety Association (IHSA) hopes that workers will keep the message of safety and prevention with them all year long.

April 19, 2013

Partners in Prevention 2013 conference explores safety

Facing significant economic pressures and a transforming workforce, successful chief executive officers (CEOs) have recognized the correlation between health and safety leadership and business outcomes.

April 19, 2013

Infrastructure Ontario drafting CoR-use guidelines

In consultation with the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA) and the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA), Infrastructure Ontario (IO) is drafting guidelines for implementation of the Certificate of Recognition (CoR) program in conjunction with alternatively financed and procured projects.

April 10, 2013

IHSA set to roll out helpful web tools for its members

The Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) has teamed up with web-based company, eCompliance Management Solutions Inc. (eCompliance), to create web-based tools that will help reduce some administrative inconveniences of keeping up with changing provincial legislation.

April 3, 2013

Hands-on fall prevention training with IHSA

Every year dozens of workers die and many others are seriously injured in Ontario from falls — often from the tops of roofs under construction.

April 2, 2013

Ontario’s health and safety strategy open for stakeholder discussion

Ontario is developing its first province-wide occupational health and safety strategy and its consultation paper is looking to generate discussion and collect feedback and ideas for developing the strategy.

April 2, 2013

HHCA partners with city to help employees butt out

The Hamilton-Halton Construction Association (HHCA) is partnering with the city of Hamilton’s Public Health Services to deliver an innovative, provincially funded program aimed in part at helping employees quit smoking.

January 19, 2006

Reporting unsafe work conditions

Ontario workers who report unsafe working conditions to the authorities have the benefit of protection from any reprisals from employers.

January 19, 2006

WHMIS training essential in construction safety

The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) has been in place since 1988, classifying hazardous products in the workplace and training workers to recognize and interpret safety data.

January 19, 2006

Safety inspectors having a positive impact

The province is making good on its promise to hire additional Ministry of Labour health and safety inspectors to cut down on workplace injuries and deaths.

January 19, 2006

Prepare your company for increased MOL

Now more than ever, Ontario construction companies need to take a hard look at how health and safety is being managed in the workplace, and take proactive steps to mitigate the potential consequences of Ontario’s enforcement onslaught.

January 19, 2006

Safety training stepped up in oil sands, chemical valley

New construction projects in both the Sarnia area and in Fort McMurray, Alberta have one thing in common — safety training is a priority for the thousands of construction workers entering area workforces.

January 19, 2006

New safety audit certificate opens doors

Abiding by new national safety audit standards for all construction sectors will make it easier for small and medium sized contractors to get work outside Ontario.

January 19, 2006

Ontario clamps down on

Construction companies caught violating provincial health and safety regulations in Ontario can expect more than a rap on the knuckles this year as the government toughens its stand on rule breakers.

January 19, 2006

Keep your shirt on? It’s not law in Canada - yet

Last year, the European Parliament (EP) was at loggerheads over controversial legislation intended to protect outdoor workers — including construction workers — from exposure to sunlight.

January 19, 2006

Interior systems contractors boast low accident rates

One group of contractors that doesn’t fear the Ministry of Labour’s move to clamp down on contractors breaking health and safety regulations is the Interior Systems Contractors Association of Ontario (ISCA).

January 19, 2006

On the fringe of nanotech safety

As applications of nanotechnology change the composition and properties of materials construction workers handle every day, questions about worker safety continue to arise.

January 19, 2006

Butting out on the job site

Workplace smoking legislation has largely bypassed the construction industry on the assumption that any smoking takes place in the open air.

January 19, 2006

Not all safety guidelines are created equal

The Illinois-based American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has released workplace safety tips aimed at helping reduce injuries and illnesses for women in the construction industry.

January 19, 2006

Construction fashions for women

Entrepreneur Elizabeth Johnston, proprietor of Toronto’s Working Woman Workwear, has come up with a better mousetrap: coveralls and other protective clothing specifically designed for the female form.

January 19, 2006

Musculoskeletal Disorder

The Ontario Ministry of Labour is rolling out a new program to help reduce work-related musculoskeletal injuries. Its Pains and Strains campaign will use a combination of education and enforcement to reduce these injuries.

January 19, 2006

Electronic safety training gains momentum

Bob Christie, a partner in Edmonton-based Christie Communications Ltd., says safety training has come a long way from the 1970s when a colleague was asked by a manager at a coal mine: “Are we running a coal mine here or a f***ing college?”