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Occupational Health and Safety

May 26, 2009

New Alberta safety code gives employers three months to implement changes

A new Alberta safety code is coming into effect in July after a lengthy public consultation process.

May 22, 2009

CSA electrical standard an aid to new safety code

In January, the Canadian Standards Association released CSA-Z462, a voluntary best practices guideline that represents the country’s first national workplace electrical safety standard. However, there’s some uncertainty among Ontario’s electrical contractors as to what role the standard will play in daily working life.

May 6, 2009

Construction Safety Association of Ontario hands out 2009 safety awards

The Construction Safety Association of Ontario recently handed out its safety awards at its 80th annual general meeting.

May 5, 2009

CSAO provides template for realignment of provincial safety groups

The realignment of 12 provincial safety associations aims to achieve what is best about the Construction Safety Association of Ontario, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s chair recently told association members.

May 4, 2009

CSAO won’t cut consulting outreach

The Construction Safety Association of Ontario faces impending change through the realignment of provincial safety associations, but that does not mean health and safety consulting outreach will slow down, says its general manager.

April 28, 2009

Alberta heart hospital changes boost cost by $60 million

Controversy over the long-delayed opening of Alberta’s flagship Mazankowski Heart Institute took a bizarre twist April 23, with Alberta’s health minister promising that patients will be allowed in next month, but administrators saying they won’t.

April 28, 2009

Day of Mourning light must shine brighter in Ontario

The light of hope cast on improved workplace safety by today’s 25th anniversary events for the Day of Mourning still needs to shine longer and brighter, say industry representatives.

April 24, 2009

Niagara health complex set to break ground in St. Catharines, Ontario

Construction is scheduled to get under way in May, 2009 on the Niagara Health System’s new health-care complex in St. Catharines, Ont.

April 22, 2009

ESA ready to deliver revised Ontario Electrical Safety Code on May 1, 2009

Ontario’s Electrical Safety Authority will be issuing the 24th Edition of the Ontario Electrical Safety Code (2009/24th Edition) on May 1, following provincial approval.

April 14, 2009

Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Z462 takes safety another step forward

A new 148-page document has many stakeholders confident that greater safety practices can be achieved in the workplace.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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.