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Occupational Health and Safety

March 4, 2010

Report unsafe work sites, Building and Concrete Restoration Association of Ontario says

The Building and Concrete Restoration Association of Ontario (BCRAO) Safety Task Force continues to encourage anyone who sees any health and safety violations at a work site to call the Ministry of Labour.

March 3, 2010

Full text of the throne speech

The following is the unedited text of the speech from the throne delivered by Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean on Wednesday.

February 16, 2010

Ontario Electrical League accuses safety councils of union bias

The terms of reference for new Infrastructure Health and Safety Association advisory councils contain a union bias in worker representation, states the Ontario Electrical League (OEL).

February 1, 2010

Greater Toronto Restoration industry forms safety task force

The Toronto Christmas Eve swing stage tragedy has driven a group of Greater Toronto Area restoration contractors together to create a task force to tackle safety practices in their industry.

February 1, 2010

Building and Concrete Restoration Association steering safety task force

An industry task force formed after a fatal swing-stage accident to tackle safety issues in the restoration contracting industry is now under the umbrella of the Building and Concrete Restoration Association of Ontario (BCRAO).

January 27, 2010

Ontario creates panel to review occupational health and safety

The creation of a provincial panel to look at occupational health and safety prevention will bring a necessary focus on Ontario workplace fatalities, says a provincial building trades official.

January 18, 2010

Safety of subcontractor’s workers a concern for all: industry lawyer

To ensure a job site is truly safe, the safety of a subcontractor’s workers is a responsibility which cannot be overlooked, safety and legal experts said recently to a crew of Brook Restoration foremen.

January 15, 2010

'Don't paint us all with same brush,' Toronto restoration company chief says

A Toronto restoration company has decided to ramp up its swing stage safety and scrutiny to demonstrate that perceptions of a “wild west” mentality in its industry are unjustified.

December 18, 2009

New Infrastructure Health and Safety Association pledges enhanced service

Construction industry stakeholders need to be patient as the Construction Safety Association of Ontario merges into the new Infrastructure Health and Safety Association, says a safety association official.

December 15, 2009

Law and enforcement now part of daily life for construction superintendents

Regulations governing job site health and safety are constantly being scrutinized and revised as the legislative landscape evolves, says veteran Vanbots superintendent and project manager Ian Campbell.

January 19, 2006

On the fringe of nanotech safety

As applications of nanotechnology change the composition and properties of materials construction workers handle every day, questions about worker safety continue to arise.

January 19, 2006

Reporting unsafe work conditions

Ontario workers who report unsafe working conditions to the authorities have the benefit of protection from any reprisals from employers.

January 19, 2006

Interior systems contractors boast low accident rates

One group of contractors that doesn’t fear the Ministry of Labour’s move to clamp down on contractors breaking health and safety regulations is the Interior Systems Contractors Association of Ontario (ISCA).

January 19, 2006

Electronic safety training gains momentum

Bob Christie, a partner in Edmonton-based Christie Communications Ltd., says safety training has come a long way from the 1970s when a colleague was asked by a manager at a coal mine: “Are we running a coal mine here or a f***ing college?”

January 19, 2006

Musculoskeletal Disorder

The Ontario Ministry of Labour is rolling out a new program to help reduce work-related musculoskeletal injuries. Its Pains and Strains campaign will use a combination of education and enforcement to reduce these injuries.

January 19, 2006

Not all safety guidelines are created equal

The Illinois-based American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has released workplace safety tips aimed at helping reduce injuries and illnesses for women in the construction industry.

January 19, 2006

Construction fashions for women

Entrepreneur Elizabeth Johnston, proprietor of Toronto’s Working Woman Workwear, has come up with a better mousetrap: coveralls and other protective clothing specifically designed for the female form.

January 19, 2006

WHMIS training essential in construction safety

The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) has been in place since 1988, classifying hazardous products in the workplace and training workers to recognize and interpret safety data.

January 19, 2006

Butting out on the job site

Workplace smoking legislation has largely bypassed the construction industry on the assumption that any smoking takes place in the open air.

January 19, 2006

Safety training stepped up in oil sands, chemical valley

New construction projects in both the Sarnia area and in Fort McMurray, Alberta have one thing in common — safety training is a priority for the thousands of construction workers entering area workforces.

January 19, 2006

Prepare your company for increased MOL

Now more than ever, Ontario construction companies need to take a hard look at how health and safety is being managed in the workplace, and take proactive steps to mitigate the potential consequences of Ontario’s enforcement onslaught.

January 19, 2006

New safety audit certificate opens doors

Abiding by new national safety audit standards for all construction sectors will make it easier for small and medium sized contractors to get work outside Ontario.

January 19, 2006

Safety inspectors having a positive impact

The province is making good on its promise to hire additional Ministry of Labour health and safety inspectors to cut down on workplace injuries and deaths.

January 19, 2006

Keep your shirt on? It’s not law in Canada - yet

Last year, the European Parliament (EP) was at loggerheads over controversial legislation intended to protect outdoor workers — including construction workers — from exposure to sunlight.

January 19, 2006

Ontario clamps down on

Construction companies caught violating provincial health and safety regulations in Ontario can expect more than a rap on the knuckles this year as the government toughens its stand on rule breakers.