Is your workplace free of safety hazards?

If you work in Ontario, you may be aware of the program run by the Ministry of Labour, "Safe At Work Ontario," to identify and inspect workplaces based on specific factors.

These may include the following:

— History of on-the-job fatalities, critical incidents or injuries stemming from acts of violence;

— Rate of injuries and costs associated with them;

— The company’s history of compliance;

— Vulnerable or new workers’ presence on the job;

— Inherent hazards of the industry;

— New companies;

— Business size.

The purpose of the compliance strategy is to:

— Keep employer and Workplace Safety and Insurance Board costs down;

— Build a safety and health culture in the workplace;

— Decrease incidences of work-related illnesses and injuries;

— Establish level playing fields for those companies that are in compliance with program goals;

— Lessen the financial burden on health care systems.

One primary component of the program is to develop yearly sector–specific plans to offer flexibility to target specific hazards. The Ministry of Labour developed strategies for health care, mining, construction and industrial sectors specifying the ways the selection criteria is to be used. Therefore, the ministry will visit many job sites that have never had injuries.

The ministry hopes to achieve complete compliance with the laws for those workplaces that are subject to the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Strategies to increase compliance include the following:

— Education;

— Enforcement;

— Partnership;

— Cooperation.

Government initiatives are one way to strengthen the workplace safety culture. Employers should be willing to do all that it takes to ensure that their workers are safe and protected from on-the-job hazards.

Those who have experienced workplace injuries like slip-and-falls may decide to pursue legal action for their injuries and other damages.

Source: Ontario Ministry of Labour, "About Safe At Work Ontario," accessed Nov. 05, 2015

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