• First Reference
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Blog Signup 📨
  • 22nd Annual Ontario Employment Law Conference 📢

First Reference Talks

Discussions on Human Resources, Employment Law, Payroll and Internal Controls

  • Home
  • About
  • Archives
  • Resources
You are here: Home / Employee Relations / Warming up for work

By Michele Glassford | 2 Minutes Read March 1, 2016

Warming up for work

wellnessatworkA friend recently mentioned that his workplace was implementing a warm-up/stretching requirement at the beginning of shift. It appeared that the program was being met with some raised eyebrows and even some verbal resistance from employees. The workplace was one of physical labour and so, once you get past the novelty of the idea, common sense suggests this may be a good idea.

Occupational health and safety laws in Canada all have general duties imposed on employers “to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker”, or something similar. Considering that in virtually every province musculoskeletal injuries are the foremost lost time workplace injury affecting workers in all types of workplaces, workplace warm-up and stretching programs may be an ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure, especially with an aging workforce.

Despite my earlier comment about the novelty of the idea, workplace warm-up and stretching programs are not that novel. In fact most provinces have produced resources to assist employers and employees in this regard — see for example, Worksafe New Brunswick’s “Warm-Up and Stretch” pamphlet online. And there are a number of articles available online highlighting the success of such programs – see this article in Occupational Health and Safety Magazine, Volume 23, Number 3, September 2000. It seems that such programs not only help to prevent injury but may also increase morale, productivity and team building.

The issue for employers, however, is despite an unquestionable benefit to the prevention of injury, can an employer force employees to participate in such a program, or even more important, should it? As with most workplace policy issues, employers must find the way to ensure employee buy-in to the program, rather than strict enforcement. Employers should involve employees and the JHSC in assessing the physical demands of the work and educating employees regarding the reduction in workplace injuries which may result.

In designing a program employers should consult with a workplace exercise therapist to ensure the program is suitable and effective for the types of movements employees make on the job and to ensure that employees are properly trained to do the movements and understand how the movements improve performance and prevent injury. Any program must also be considerate of employees’ physical limitations or required accommodations.

Employers are reminded however, that implementing such a program is no substitute for their ongoing responsibilities to ensure that all work is as ergonomically safe as possible by assessing and modifying physical environment and work practices as necessary and encouraging employees to express concerns about possible injury or strain with supervisors.

left
HR PolicyPro
Look for a sample policy on “Workplace Wellness” in the Human Resources PolicyPro in the future.

  • About
  • Latest Posts

Michele Glassford

President and Managing Editor at DRH and Lawyer at MacKinnon Law Associates
Michele Glassford, is a lawyer, researcher and policy analyst with a background in employment and labour law.In addition to a part-time law practice in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Michele has worked in the field of labour adjustment for the Health Sector Training and Adjustment Program and has been a Researcher for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Michele also holds the position of President and Managing Editor at D.R. Hancocks & Associates Inc., author of the Human Resources PolicyPros.

Latest posts by Michele Glassford (see all)

  • Discrimination or accommodation? - February 5, 2018
  • Sexual harassment house of cards - January 8, 2018
  • What is a right to request under employment standards? - December 4, 2017

Article by Michele Glassford / Employee Relations, Health and Safety, Payroll, Union Relations / aging workforce, Human Resources PolicyPro, Occupational health and safety laws, policies and procedures, Wellness at work, workplace exercise therapist, workplace injury, Workplace Wellness

Share with a friend or colleague

Learn the 10 essential HR policies in the time of COVID-19

Get the Latest Posts in your Inbox for Free!

About Michele Glassford

Michele Glassford, is a lawyer, researcher and policy analyst with a background in employment and labour law. In addition to a part-time law practice in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Michele has worked in the field of labour adjustment for the Health Sector Training and Adjustment Program and has been a Researcher for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Michele also holds the position of President and Managing Editor at D.R. Hancocks & Associates Inc., author of the Human Resources PolicyPros.

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Monday Pick-Me-Up « Legal Sourcery says:
    March 7, 2016 at 12:30 pm

    […] Warming up for work (First Reference Talks) […]

Footer

About us

Established in 1995, First Reference Inc. (known as La Référence in Quebec) provides Canadian organizations of any size with practical and authoritative resources to help ensure compliance.

First Reference Talks

  • Home
  • About
  • Archives
  • Resources

Main Menu

  • About First Reference
  • Resources
  • Contact us
  • 1 800 750 8175

Stay Connected

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

We welcome your comments on our blog articles. However, we do not respond to specific legal questions in this space.
We do not provide any form of legal advice or legal opinion. Please consult a lawyer in your jurisdiction or try one of our products.


Copyright © 2009 - 2021 · First Reference Inc. · All Rights Reserved
Legal and Copyright Notices · Publisher's Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Accessibility Policy