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Occupational Health and Safety

September 3, 2010

U.S. workers rate safety standards as top priority

More than eight of 10 American workers rate workplace safety first in importance among labour standards, even ahead of family and maternity leave, minimum wage, paid sick days, overtime pay and the right to join a union, according to a new study.

September 2, 2010

Jobsite safety a shared duty: Mechanical Contractors Association

Who is responsible for safety on the jobsite: the individual, the government, the safety director, the worker or all of the above?

August 31, 2010

Plenty of work ahead as Ontario construction-site safety blitz ends

Though Ontario’s construction safety awareness campaign ends today, there is still plenty of work ahead to improve health and safety practice across the province, industry stakeholders say.

August 30, 2010

Ontario General Contractors Association adds new member to safety team

The Ontario General Contractors Association has bolstered its WSIB and health and safety expertise with the recently announced addition of David Frame to its safety team, says its president.

August 20, 2010

After toddler death, Calgary Construction Association issues safety guide

A guide to help ensure the safety of workers and the public on or near highrise construction sites in Calgary has been produced after a toddler was killed by falling debris.

August 4, 2010

Council of Ontario Construction Associations calls for mandatory training for workers, firms

Suggestions from mandatory entry-level safety training to a new provincial safety body were among the ideas presented to Ontario’s health and safety review, a sample of industry submissions reveals.

July 29, 2010

Ontario launches construction workplace safety campaign

Work Safe Today — Go Home Tonight. With those six words, the province has launched a construction workplace safety campaign it hopes will start a culture shift to improve worker safety.

July 7, 2010

WSIB chair optimistic on future of Infrastructure Health and Safety Association

With the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association recently selecting its advisory council members, the head of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is excited about the association’s road ahead.

June 22, 2010

Construction Safety Network, Construction Safety Association of British Columbia vote to merge

The two construction safety associations in B.C. have almost completed a merger to establish a single society to provide industry specific health and safety services.

June 14, 2010

Workplace Safety Panel can set the system on the right course

The Ontario government, through the Ministry of Labour, has launched a high profile review of the province’s occupational health and safety system in response to a disproportionately high number of workplace fatalities within the construction sector late in 2009 and into 2010.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.