Preventing Fatalities at Work (Ontario)

In 2009, in Canada over 2 people a day died because of a workplace accident/injury or disease!

At breakfast with my husband this morning, he mentioned a small business that had closed due to a workplace accident.  It was terrible for the family of the worker who lost his life and also for the family that owned this business.  They lost everything and are living with guilt for the loss of life of their employee.

In 2009, 384 people died in Ontario due to workplace accidents.  This is more than 1 person per day!  Shocking but true. I could not believe that this could be happening in our workplaces.

Businesses big or small are sometimes left to their own devices for safety and prevention in the work place. It is often up to the business to find out about Health and Safety themselves and it is often overlooked in the middle of getting everything else done.  Can it be a case of “it can’t happen to me” attitude?

Here are just a  few of the items that you need or should review:

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• New Employee Orientation/Training
• Information on the work performed and the potential hazards
• Proper training on any equipment
• WHMIS training
• Did you inform the worker of his/her right to refuse unsafe work?
• Did you inform the worker of the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) required?
• Did you have all your posted documents as legally required?

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Most importantly, is this training documented?  If you do not have any signed training records, it did not happen!

Health and Safety in the workplace is a dynamic component of your business. It should be reviewed and updated  as needed. You can find more information on this via various internet sites, including the Ontario.ca, WSIB.on.ca and healthandsafetyontario.ca websites to name a few.

Be aware of this and research!  Ignorance is not a defence.  It is your legal requirement to ensure the safety of your workers.