Canadian Occupational Safety (COS) magazine is the premier workplace health and safety publication in Canada. We cover a wide range of topics ranging from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards.
Issue link: https://digital.carswellmedia.com/i/351662
February/March 2014 7 Safety training to be mandatory in Ontario By Liz Bernier H ealth and safety training will soon be non-negotiable in Ontario workplaces, thanks to a new training requirement from the Ministry of Labour that becomes mandatory on July 1, 2014. "This health and safety awareness training is about giving our workplaces the tools and knowledge to make sure our workers are safe in a way that supports our businesses," said Yasir Naqvi, Ontario minister of labour. "It forces a dialogue between the business and the worker as to what kind of hazards may exist at that particular workplace, and it really speaks to a culture of prevention, where businesses and workers are proactively working towards building a safe working environment." Organizations that already provide similar training may be exempt, as long as the training meets the mini- mum requirements of the new regulation. The training is designed to inform supervisors and workers directly about their rights and responsibilities when it comes to creating a culture of safety in the workplace. It includes instruction on rights and duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the role of joint health and safety committees and representatives, and common workplace hazards and occupational illnesses. "It really raises the profi le of health and safety in workplaces," said Naqvi. "It really makes sure that that's the very fi rst conversation an employer and employee are having before starting their work." The training is free and can be completed in about one hour either individually or in groups, using online e-modules or hard copy workbooks. Once complete, the training never expires and is valid for the remainder of an employee's career. The training will be available in eight different languages, so newcomers to Canada can complete the training in their fi rst language. The province is also implementing a new workplace training standard to prevent falls and improve safety for workers who work at heights. The standard will initially be voluntary and will apply to workplaces in the construction sector, as well as to construction activity in other workplaces. The standard is expected to become mandatory by the summer of 2014 and will later be expanded to all sectors. Training programs designed to meet this new standard will improve knowledge about fall hazards and safety practices, including: proper inspection of equipment for damage; procedures for setting up, relocating or removing protective equipment, such as guardrails; demonstrations and hands-on training on fall arrest equipment and other devices to keep workers safe; information on workplace protections and worker's rights. Liz Bernier is a news editor at Canadian HR Reporter, a sister publication of COS. Employees vastly underestimating cardiovascular risks: Report By Sarah Dobson A recent study on workplace wellness has found many employees are lacking understanding and education around their car- diovascular health risks. The report by Medisys Corporate Health found employees underestimated cholesterol by 258 per cent; hypertension risk by 58 per cent; and diabetes risk by 76 per cent. Medisys distributed health risk questionnaires to 893 workers at a large national equipment company to obtain a current understanding of their self reported cardiovascular health. Then, it compared those results with biometric screening for cardiovascular risk. A low percentage of the participants self- reported they had high cholesterol (10.4 per cent), hypertension (13.2 per cent) and diabetes or pre-diabetes (5.6 per cent). The report, Wellness in the Workplace: Cardio- vascular Risk Benchmarking, also found more education is required, both on the employer and employee level. Medisys identifi ed at least one previously undiagnosed cardiovascular risk factor in more than 44 per cent of the employee population. Prevention and testing needs to start at an earlier age. Screening for conditions such as heart disease or colon cancer generally starts in the 40s and 50s, but 59 per cent of those newly diagnosed with high cholesterol, 58 per cent of those newly diagnosed with high blood pressure and 51 per cent of those newly diagnosed with elevated glucose levels were under the age of 45, found the report. "Prevention needs to start from day one. It's not just because you turned 40 that you have to start eating well and start to take care of yourself. We see a large population that's newly diagnosed that were under the age of 45," said Randy McCaig, director of strategy and business development at Medisys in Montreal. Diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovas- cular risk factors have been linked to reduced productivity, increased presenteeism and increased absenteeism, said McCaig. "Our research shows that accurate benchmark- ing and more education is required on both an individual and corporate level because neither one understands their true risks," he said. Sarah Dobson is a senior editor at Canadian HR Reporter, a sister publication of COS. Northern Mine Safety Forum launched By Amanda Silliker S eventeen companies involved in mineral explora- tion and development in Northern Canada have joined together to form the Northern Mine Safety Forum. The group was established in the summer of 2013 and members meet once per month to share best practices and work collectively on common health and safety challenges. "Safety is everybody's responsibility and what these forums do is spread the word around," said Dave Grundy, president and CEO of the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) in Yellowknife. "It really does move the safety messages across the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in a cohesive way, so if one mine is saying it, the other mine is saying it the same way." Participating companies cover a wide range of mining operations, including De Beers, Diavik Dia- mond Mine, Sabina Gold and Silver, and Baffi nland. The group regularly invites subject matter experts to its monthly meetings. For example, the forum recently hosted a guest speaker who discussed heli- copter safety. "It's a part of our business that we all deal with," said Chris Reeves, general manager of Canadian Zinc, who started the forum. "The forum created a one-stop avenue where a company can come and give us information and details and statistics on how to be better aware… and the dialogue we have amongst ourselves and the presenter is fantastic and it's focused to the North." One benefi t of the forum is participants are getting to know each other and are becoming comfortable reaching out if they have any questions. For example, one member was grappling with the issue of whether or not to allow e-cigarettes in the workplace, so he sent an email to various members of the forum. "(He) was just trying to get other projects' perspec- tive on this… and it gave us the opportunity to have a way of approaching these kinds of issues ourselves," said Reeves. Another group member had already done exten- sive research on the issue, which he shared with the group. In the end, they decided the best practice right now was to not allow e-cigarettes in the workplace. "Think about that as an industry where we have the same policy for something and the same expla- nation for it — and we can do that," said Reeves. The ability to share best practices and come up with industry-wide solutions for a variety of prob- lems benefi ts all participants — especially the smaller employers, said Grundy. "If mine A is a small mine and mine B is a big mine, mine B has it all, so mine A doesn't have to reinvent the wheel because it's already there — they just have to ask for it." mandatory in Ontario Ontario workplaces, thanks to a new training requirement