occupational health and safety

Official Day of Mourning to commemorate work related injuries and deaths

April 26, 2019 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, 0

On April 28, around 80 countries worldwide will mark an official Day of Mourning to commemorate those workers who have suffered work related injuries, illnesses and deaths.

April 28 Day of Mourning, Day of Mourning, NAOSH, NAOSH 2019, occupational health and safety

Potential reprisal complaint on the horizon? Act fast!

January 25, 2019 Employer Advisor, McCarthy Tétrault LLP Employee Relations, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Human Rights, Notice, Damages and Settlements, Payroll

Where an employee may argue that they were terminated due to raising health and safety or workplace violence/harassment concerns, they have an avenue for redress open to them under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

benefits, employment law, executive compensation, Immigration Law, occupational health and safety, pensions, termination

Three popular articles this week on HRinfodesk

August 23, 2018 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Recruiting and Hiring

The three popular articles this week on HRinfodesk deal with a case in which the BC Supreme Court found that an employee’s secret pay raise and bonus warranted his summary dismissal, a study that found the economic benefits of hiring and accommodating workers with mental illnesses outweigh the costs, and the Ontario Cannabis Act.

accommodating mental illness, BC Supreme Court, Bohmer v Burns Lake Native Logging, employment law, inclusive workplace culture, just cause dismissal, mental health in the workplace, Mental illness, occupational health and safety, Ontario Cannabis Store, recreational cannabis, recreational marijuana, termination for cause

Recent amendments to Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Code bring big changes to Alberta workplaces

July 3, 2018 Employer Advisor, McCarthy Tétrault LLP Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Training and Development

This blog provides a summary of some of the key changes to the Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Code relating to joint work site health and safety committees, health and safety representatives, harassment and violence.

Alberta Human Rights Act, Alberta OHS, harassment, hazard assessment, Health and safety inspection, Health and safety policies, health and safety representative, HSR, investigating incidents, joint work site health and safety committee, JWSHSC, occupational health and safety, occupational health and safety act, Occupational Health and Safety Code, Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, OHSA, reporting incidents, violence, violence and harassment, violence and harassment prevention plan, violence and harassment prevention training, violence hazard assessment, violence prevention plan, violence prevention procedure, Workplace inspection

Official Day of Mourning to commemorate work related injuries and deaths

April 27, 2018 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Employee Relations, Health and Safety, Human Resources

The Canadian flag on Parliament Hill will fly at half-mast on April 28. Workers will light candles, don ribbons or black armbands and observe a moment of silence at 11:00 a.m.

Canadian Labour Congress, Day of Mourning, day of remembrance, employment law, health and safety in the workplace, International Confederation of Free Trade, NAOSH, NAOSH 2018, North American Occupational Safety and Health, occupational health and safety, work related injuries and deaths

Three popular articles this week on HRinfodesk

April 26, 2018 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, Human Resources

The three popular articles this week on HRinfodesk deal with constructive dismissal, workplace inspection blitzes and employment references.

constructive dismissal, defamation, employment and labour standards, employment law, employment references, ESA blitzes, health and safety, occupational health and safety, termination, work from home

Update regarding the Metron Construction case: Kazenelson’s appeal dismissed, 3.5-year sentence upheld

February 7, 2018 Christina Catenacci Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Notice, Damages and Settlements, Payroll, Training and Development

Over the past couple of years, I have written about the story regarding the project manager involved at the work site where Metron Construction Incorporated (Metron) was repairing 18-story apartment buildings using a swing stage. The charges arose from an incident where five workers employed by Metron fell more than 100 feet to the ground when the swing stage on which they were working suddenly collapsed. Some developments in this matter have occurred.

criminal code, employment law, Metron Construction, occupational health and safety, OHS criminal negligence causing death, worker safety

WHMIS 2015 inspections starting October 1, 2017 – Are you ready?

August 31, 2017 Beyond Rewards Inc Health and Safety, Human Resources, Training and Development

From October 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017, federal Hazardous Products Act Officers from several provincial or territorial occupational health and safety branches will be conducting WHMIS 2015 inspections with select employers and suppliers in federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions workplaces to promote promote compliance with WHMIS 2015 requirements.

controlled products, employment law, exposure risks, Hazardous Products, material safety data sheets, Ministry of Labour, occupational health and safety, Standard Safety Data Sheets, WHMIS 1988, WHMIS 2015, WHMIS 2015 inspections

Federal undertakings involved in construction projects are not subject to a provincial occupational health and safety legislation

August 15, 2017 Occasional Contributors Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, Human Resources

Are the provisions of chapter XI of the Act respecting Occupational Health and Safety, pertaining to construction sites and principal contractors, constitutionally applicable to federal undertakings? Such is the question that the Superior Court of Quebec has responded to in Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail c. Commission des lésions professionnelles, 2016 QCCS 2424.

Act respecting health and safety, Canada labour Code, CLP, CNESST, Commission des lesions prefessionelles, cooperative federalism, employment law, health and safety, interjurisdictional immunity, labour relations, occupational health and safety, provincial laws in federal jurisdiction, remedial orders, St Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, Superior Court of Canada

Three popular articles this week on HRinfodesk

July 13, 2017 Cristina Lavecchia Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Notice, Damages and Settlements, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits

The three popular articles this week on HRinfodesk deal with: workplace strategies where there is a risk of impairment from cannabis, how an employer’s suspicion alone was not enough to prove an allegation of sick leave abuse and how one employer dodged a penalty after failing to adhere to re-employment obligations.

cannabis, employment law, marijuana, occupational health and safety, OH&S, Re-employment obligations, risk of impairment, sick leave, sick leave abuse, WSIAT

HR law and payroll 2017, what is in store?

January 3, 2017 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Accessibility Standards, Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Notice, Damages and Settlements, Payroll, Penalties and Fines, Pensions and Benefits, Privacy and Security, Recruiting and Hiring, Source Deductions and Reporting, Training and Development, Union Relations, Wages and Compensation

At the beginning of a new year, it’s good to wonder what is in store in 2017 for HR law and payroll? Let’s discuss and provide practical steps HR and payroll can take to prepare for these trends and changes.

common law, Discretionary bonus, duty of good faith, duty to mitigate, employee’s resignation, employment contract, employment law, employment law jurisprudence, employment law requirements, employment relationship, Employment Standards legislation, Enhanced Canada Pension Plan, HR Law, HR strategies, Legalization of marijuana, occupational health and safety, Payroll planning, termination of the employment, workers compensation

Is it hot enough for you… to have an extreme heat policy?

August 2, 2016 Michele Glassford Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Union Relations

Work in extreme weather conditions, such as heat or direct sunlight, for extended periods of time creates risk to employees. 2016 is shaping up to be the hottest summer on record, creating extreme working conditions for many. Most jurisdictions have specific regulatory provisions regarding thermal conditions or heat exposure, in addition to the general duty in all jurisdictions for employers to take every reasonable precaution in the circumstances for the protection of workers under occupational health and safety provisions.

assessment of potential hazard, employment law, extreme heat policy, extreme weather conditions, extreme working conditions, heat exposure and heat stress, heat exposure in workplace, heat stress exposure limits, heat stressed workers, occupational health and safety, personal protective equipment, protection of workers, regulatory requirements, thermal conditions in workplace, working safely in extreme heat

Three popular articles this week on HRinfodesk

June 30, 2016 Cristina Lavecchia Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Penalties and Fines, Pensions and Benefits, Recruiting and Hiring, Union Relations

The three popular articles this week on HRinfodesk deal with: An article that looks at an agreement in principle that was reached for CPP expansion; a FAQ that addresses the validity of an employment contract that was not signed; and an article that looks at the construction union wage rate index for May 2016.

agreement in principle, canada pension plan, Canada Pension Plan expansion, composite index, Construction Union Wage Rate Index, CPP expansion, employment contract, employment law, employment standards, human rights, occupational health and safety, strengthen the Canada Pension Plan, terms and conditions of employment, valid at common law

New edition of CSA Group’s Z1006 Management of work in confined spaces

June 16, 2016 Christina Catenacci Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Training and Development, Union Relations

Recently, the CSA Group has released a new version of its standard concerning work in confined spaces, entitled Z1006-16 – Management of work in confined spaces. Employers need to be aware that there have been some important changes in this edition that are worth noting. The entire 108 page document can be viewed here.

confined space management program, confined spaces, CSA Group, emergency response, employment law, hazard identification, health and safety management principles, occupational health and safety, personal protective equipment, risk assessment, training for work in confined spaces, work in confined spaces, Z1006 Management of Work in Confined Spaces

How to create an occupational health and safety policy manual

October 23, 2015 Adam Gorley Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Penalties and Fines, Training and Development

With heightened scrutiny over workplaces and increased penalties for workplace incidents causing injuries—or worse, death—employers must ensure they understand their obligations under occupational health and safety legislation. One of the fundamental obligations is to prepare workplace safety and health policies and procedures and to train employees and supervisors on them. But where to start?

criminal code, criminal negligence, employee health and safety, employment law, health and safety compliance, health and safety considerations, health and safety law, Health and safety policies, health and safety policy, health and safety practices, joint health and safety committee, occupational health and safety, occupational health and safety policy manual, OH&S, ohs policies and procedures, OHS policy, ohs policy manual, OHS Training, OHSA, workplace health and safety, Workplace Safety and Health Act, wsha