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Posts Tagged ‘health and safety’

Workplace violence and privacy: what’s the connection?

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

So here’s a question to ask yourself—what are your legal obligations under Ontario law when you see an online photo of your worker committing violent acts?

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Tags: 12th Annual Ontario Employment Law Conference, Bill 168, employment law, facebook, harassment, health and safety, Kelly McDermott, occupational health and safety act, OH&S, OHSA, ontario, policies and procedures, Rioting, social media, Stanley Cup playoffs, Stringer Brisbin Humphrey, termination, twitter, workplace harassment, workplace violence, wrongful dismissal
Posted in Conferences, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Privacy and Security | Make a Comment »

Conflicting views on engagement?

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

There are a lot of factors to employee engagement. Some employees need recognition, in the form of pay, benefits, seniority or favour. Others need to feel that they are part of the company and have a stake in its success. Still others need to feel a connection to their work; it must be creative and challenging. Most workers probably need some balance of all these factors. I know I wouldn’t last long in a dull and repetitive environment. But I also would feel unappreciated if I weren’t remunerated appropriately.

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Tags: anger, challenging work, depression, employee benefits, employee engagement, employee recognition, employee retention, health and safety, insufficient pay, job meaning, overwork, productivity, promotions, remuneration, salary, stress, workplace violence
Posted in Health and Safety, Human Resources, Recruiting and Hiring | Make a Comment »

Disturbing death of an underage worker – hearing begins October 2010

Friday, September 10th, 2010

A recent article described the tragic death of a boy who was 15 years old and working as a paver for a company near Winnipeg. The company truck was dumping asphalt into a massive pile to use for various projects. The underage worker was helping unload the truck when he was hit by the entire load and buried alive under burning asphalt.

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Tags: construction sites, criminal code, criminal investigation, employing underage workers, employing youth worker, employment law, employment standards code, failing to safeguard workplace health and safety, health and safety, Interlock Paving, manitoba, occupational health and safety, summer employment, underage workers, Winnipeg, Workplace Health and Safety Act
Posted in Employment Standards, Health and Safety, Human Resources | 1 Comment »

Fifth worker involved in scaffolding incident sues for damages

Friday, August 27th, 2010

Last week, I wrote about the incident in which five migrant workers fell 13 storeys when a platform collapsed on Christmas Eve, 2009. Four died instantly, but one survived. This fifth worker, who suffered grave injuries, has now launched a civil suit for damages.

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Tags: accident, Bill C-45, civil suit, criminal code, damages, employment, employment law, health and safety, migrant workers, Ministry of Labour, occupational health and safety act, ontario, platform, scaffold, scaffolding incident
Posted in Health and Safety, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Multi-tasking: where do you draw the line?

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Multi-tasking is so serious that workers are taking their work into the washroom, with disturbing results. According to a recent survey, one-third of Brits admit they’ve made a “stall-call”—that is, a call from the toilet, not just the restroom—whether for business or pleasure. And one in twenty said they’ve taken their laptop with them when nature called. The survey also found a significant—and disgusting—number of people eat, drink and brush their teeth while answering nature’s call.

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Tags: cellphone use, health and safety, hygiene, illness, illness at work, multi-tasking, productivity, risky behaviour, sickness, stall-call, vicarious liability, work environment, working, working conditions
Posted in Health and Safety, Human Resources, Internal Controls, Training and Development | Make a Comment »

Scaffolding accident involving migrant workers: charges with fines of up to $17,000,000

Friday, August 20th, 2010

The Ministry of Labour just laid charges carrying fines of up to $17,000,000 against two companies that ran and supplied a platform that collapsed last year. There were also charges against executives and supervisors that could carry fines and time in jail.

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Tags: accident, criminal code, employment law, fines, Foreign workers, health and safety, hearings, investigation, jail, migrant worker, occupational health and safety act, OHS penalties, ontario, Ontario Ministry of Labour, platform, scaffold, Scaffolding accident, Slips and falls, workplace hazards, workplace health and safety
Posted in Health and Safety, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Can I wear my flip-flops to the worksite?

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Self-employment runs in my family. My sister’s 17-year-old is spending her summer days working in the family cabinet-making business. She reluctantly changed into more suitable footwear before heading out the door this morning.

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Tags: employee orientation, flip-flops, health and safety, health and safety orientation, Ministry of Labour, new workers, occupational health and safety, PPE, protective personal equipment, suitable footwear, workplace accidents, Workplace inspection, workplace investigation, workplace safety, young and new workers, young workers
Posted in Health and Safety, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

The health and workplace benefits of team sports

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Team activities, whether organized or informal, offer numerous health benefits—both physical and mental—they can be a perfect fit for enhancing workplace wellness.

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Tags: Benefits, fitness, fringe benefits, health, health and safety, health benefits, leadership, physical health, sport, teamwork, workers compensation, workplace wellness program
Posted in Health and Safety, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

The ‘Ministry’ will investigate complaints of harassment… Really??!!

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

As a human rights advisor and educator I was encouraged to overhear this educational conversation about harassment at Tim Hortons. I was concerned however that part of the message this group was hearing was incorrect and misleading.

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Tags: harassment, harassment prevention, health and safety, health and safety training, investigate complaints of harassment, investigation, ministry inspectors, Ministry of Labour, occupational health and safety, OHSA, Ontario Ministry of Labour, Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act, Tim Horton, training, violence, violence prevention, workplace harassment, workplace harassment prevention guide, workplace investigation
Posted in Health and Safety, Human Resources | 6 Comments »

All this hot, humid and smoggy air outside… but what about indoor air quality?

Friday, July 9th, 2010

The last few days have been quite hot and muggy. Those without air conditioning at home are especially grateful that they can retreat inside their air-conditioned workplaces for at least most of the day; but what is the air quality inside these areas?

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Tags: air, air quality, chemicals, environmental sensitivities, foreign substances, hazardous substances, health and safety, indoor air, indoor air quality, occupational health and safety, smoke
Posted in Health and Safety, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Workplace wellness programs: what are they all about?

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Typically, wellness means “the condition of good physical and mental health”, but what is a “workplace wellness program”? What are the advantages of having this kind of program, and how does an employer start one up?

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Tags: Benefits, benefits package, benefits plan, Corporate fitness plans, disability management, emotional health, employee programs, financial health, fitness, health, health and safety, physical health, wellness, wellness programs, workplace health, Workplace wellness programs, worksite wellness
Posted in Health and Safety, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Happy Canada Day everyone! And look out for all the laws coming into force today

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

First, we at First Reference would like to wish everybody a happy and safe Canada Day! Second, several laws in various jurisdictions are coming into force today. They are…

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Tags: CRA, employment law, employment standards, health and safety, HST, July 1 2010, occupational health and safety, Payroll, Public Holiday, taxes
Posted in Employment Standards, Finance and Accounting, Human Resources, Internal Controls, Payroll, Source Deductions and Reporting, Union Relations | Make a Comment »

Do vacations stress you out? (Part two)

Monday, June 21st, 2010

So it’s practically summer and I can’t help thinking of the days off I’ll be taking here and there, the chunk of vacation time I still have left and the various long weekends remaining. (But I don’t let my daydreams affect my work!) I might not have a lot of vacation days left, but I’m sure going to use them.

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Tags: employment law, employment standards, expedia.ca, health and safety, scheduling vacation, stress, vacation, vacation deprivation, vacation entitlement, vacation guilt, vacation time
Posted in Employment Standards, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Can employers prevent workplace suicide?

Friday, June 11th, 2010

I was recently reading an issue of SafetyNewsAlert, which indicated that there were over 20 attempted suicides over one year in a single Chinese technology factory—one that manufactures products for Apple, including the iPad, among other things. Out of the 20 attempts, 9 suicides were successful within a period of five months. According to the article, questions are being raised about the sustainability of China’s manufacturing model, which relies on long hours from its workers. Typical workweeks include seven days of twelve hours.

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Tags: China, code of conduct, employment law, employment standards, Foxconn, health and safety, hours of work, Human Resources, labor law, Labour Law, manufacturing model, productivity, suicide, union, working conditions, workplace suicide
Posted in Health and Safety, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

The case of ‘hazing’ and ‘horseplay’ in the workplace continued

Friday, June 11th, 2010

In my previous post on hazing and horseplay in the workplace, I referred to a recent incident where photos and videos revealed some very questionable events involving management and employees of the City of Mississauga. Since the acts were potentially criminal, the police became involved and started an investigation. Although some have said that the employees consented to the horseplay and hazing, one may wonder if that was really the case.

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Tags: assault, Bill 168, criminal act, criminal charges, criminal investigation, employment law, harassment, hazing, health and safety, horseplay, Human Resources, Ministry of Labour, occupational health and safety, police investigation, suspension without pay, termination, violence
Posted in Health and Safety, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

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