workplace hazards

Ontario employers must provide workers with mandatory health and safety training by July 1, 2014

December 17, 2013 Doug MacLeod, MacLeod Law Firm Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Penalties and Fines, Training and Development

A new regulation under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act mandates basic safety awareness training for all Ontario workers and supervisors – with a specific focus on small business and vulnerable workers.

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HRinfodesk poll result and commentary: Do you know what the Globally Harmonized System is?

June 20, 2013 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Training and Development, Union Relations

Well it seems not many people know about the Globally Harmonized System. When we asked in our poll of April 19, 2013, “Do you know what the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) is?” Out of 221 respondents, 140 (63.35 percent) said no. The rest of the respondents either knew about GHS (59/26.70 percent) or were not sure (22/9.95 percent). So, what is the Globally Harmonized System?

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Preventing hazards related to working in the cold

February 1, 2013 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources

As temperatures plunge in several Canadian provinces, employers must take precautions to prevent cold stress while employees work outside.

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Health and safety training tool kit for immigrants

April 17, 2012 Adam Gorley Corporate Immigration, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Recruiting and Hiring, Training and Development

A few years ago, the Institute for Work and Health decided to look for health and safety resources for recent immigrants. When it didn’t have much luck, the institute took the initiative to develop its own comprehensive tool kit. While the package is designed for immigrant settlement agencies to use in their orientation programs, organizations that employ immigrants should find it contains much valuable information that they can use in their own training efforts…

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Labelling tool helps organizations comply with WHMIS, OSHA, GHS

February 6, 2012 Adam Gorley Health and Safety, Human Resources

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has released an online tool to help organizations that handle chemicals comply with requirements under Canada’s WHMIS, the United States’ OSHA standard and the new Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. If you’re keeping an eye on the GHS implementation, this might interest you…

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Slaw: Employer monitoring employees with GPS tracking

April 26, 2011 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Health and Safety, Human Resources, Privacy and Security

Safety is the expressed justification that’s driving the use of GPS in the workplace; however, from what was explained, most employers’ use goes beyond safety. Frankly, I was taken aback by the lengths to which employers are going to track the whereabouts and activities of their employees in the name of safety.

Organization fined for violating OHSA after a worker was injured

February 25, 2011 Christina Catenacci Health and Safety, Human Resources

The Ontario Ministry of Labour recently emailed their latest Court Bulletin indicating that a company that makes plastic auto parts received a hefty fine of $50,000 for violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was injured.

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

August 20, 2010 Christina Catenacci Health and Safety, Human Resources

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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