Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
Ontario Ministry of Labour health and safety inspectors discuss employers’ responsibilities around workplace violence and harassment…
Read the rest of this post »
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
To our great surprise, First Reference recently got a visit from an Ontario Ministry of Labour Occupational Health and Safety Inspector. I knew we had nothing to worry about; however, it is still unnerving when an inspector comes knocking at the door…
Read the rest of this post »
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
This case contains an interesting detail of particular interest to managers who feel harassed by health and safety anti-harassment policies…
Read the rest of this post »
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010
Ontario workplace inspection blitzes under the Safe at Work initiative are announced in advance and results are reported after they are completed. The government’s schedule for upcoming blitzes include:
Read the rest of this post »
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010
The Ontario government’s occupational health and safety inspectors will target industrial workplaces this month to protect workers from hazards that can cause slips, trips and falls. This is the third Safe Ontario inspection blitz focused on fall hazards in industrial workplaces.
Read the rest of this post »
Monday, April 19th, 2010
The Ministry of Labour has announced that the safety of young and new workers will be the focus of a four-month enforcement health and safety blitz across Ontario beginning in May 2010. According to the government, young and new workers in Ontario are four times more likely to be injured during the first month of employment than at any other time.
Read the rest of this post »
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires all employees to:
Read the rest of this post »
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
Ergonomics is the science of creating a proper fit between a worker and the work environment. Employers are required by law to employ ergonomic principles in the workplace in order to prevent workplace muscular skeletal disorders and also to prevent existing conditions from worsening.
Read the rest of this post »
Monday, March 15th, 2010
Occupational health and safety legislation across Canada requires employers to identify any existing or foreseeable hazards that might arise in the workplace, and to conduct an assessment of these various workplace hazards that employees might be exposed to, or that may arise from the nature of the workplace, and the type and conditions of the work…
Read the rest of this post »
Friday, January 29th, 2010
I have been busy at the HRPA Annual Conference and Tradeshow this week where I had the pleasure of presenting, “Protecting Your Organization from the Workplace Bully.” I can report that, based on the buzz among HR Professionals and decision makers I have talked to, employers are really aware of their obligations and challenges under the amended Occupational Health & Safety Act. Employers, for the most part, also have a renewed interest in reaching up and pulling down from the shelf, those plans for training in the areas of harassment prevention!
Read the rest of this post »
Friday, January 29th, 2010
One other session I attended at the 2010 Ontario HRPA conference was Andrew Lawson’s on Protecting your organization from the workplace bully. He made a couple of good points on the topic of workplace harassment that I would like to share with you.
Read the rest of this post »
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
In 1988 a man applied for Worker’s Compensation due to the stress of being teased, at work, about his appearance. His claim was denied. Almost 20 years later another man made a similar claim, a claim that was allowed; Worker’s comp paid up. Change was on the horizon.
Read the rest of this post »
Monday, January 11th, 2010
The Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act violence and harassment prevention provisions (Bill 168) require an employer to take all reasonable precautions in the circumstances for the protection of all employees if a domestic violence situation is likely to expose a worker to physical injury in the workplace and the employer becomes aware or ought reasonably to be aware of the situation.
But what does that imply? The law states the requirement but provides little guidance on what employers need to do to prevent domestic violence from spilling into the workplace. In addition, many employers are not comfortable addressing a situation of such a personal nature. It is not an easy task to complete and might never be.
Read the rest of this post »
Monday, November 16th, 2009
I am honoured to have this opportunity to share with you my insights and ideas in the important and ever-changing area of workplace human rights and occupational health & safety. Looking forward to a lively and interactive online exchange!
Read the rest of this post »
Friday, November 6th, 2009
It’s a pleasure to welcome Andrew Lawson as a guest blogger. He will be blogging about human resources, employment and labour law issues, specifically in the areas of human rights and health and safety .
Read the rest of this post »
Copyright © 2012 - First Reference | Entries (RSS) | Comments (RSS) | Twitter | Facebook
WordPress theme designed by 
web design
