Transcript SafetySmartsWeb - George Brown College

Safety Smarts
on the Job
Maureen Hynes
The School of Labour
416 415 5000 x 2549
[email protected]
Outcomes
By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:




Name and explain the laws that cover your
health & safety in the workplace
Demonstrate understanding of your three
main rights for workplace health & safety
Identify your health & safety responsibilities
as a worker
Identify the employer’s responsibilities
Young people on the job
Stats show a clear link between
experience and safety:
 Young people (between 15-24)
are 35% more likely than
older workers to get injured on
the job
 Over 15,000 young workers
are injured, killed or made ill
yearly in Ontario (that’s over
40 a day!)
 In 2000, 16 young workers
were killed in Ontario
 Half of all workplace deaths
occur in the employee’s first
month
What’s dangerous work?
Where do most injuries occur?
 Construction sites
 Factories
 Service industry (hotels, bars, restaurants,
stores, supermarkets)
 Health care
 Office work
Why do young workers have a
higher injury rate?






Usually no supervision when
young workers are injured
Because employers think they
aren’t permanent, they don’t
train young workers, or just
give them a quick training
Young workers don’t know the
hazards, the laws, the
employer’s responsibilities and
their own
Young workers are often
anxious to please
Young workers take more risks
Some young workers have a
sense of “invincibility” – it could
never happen to me
Canada’s rank internationally
(2004 statistics)
Fatalities per 100,000
workers –
Where would you put
 Canada?
 The U.S.?
 Sweden?
2.1 workers
per 100,000
4.46
6.5
How do injuries to young
people occur?
Top cause of injuries to young worker:
 Slips and falls
What injuries do young people
suffer?
Most common injury to young workers:
 Sprains and strains
What serious injuries to young
people are common?
Top CRITICAL INJURY to young people
 Broken bones
What laws protect us?

The Occupational Health and Safety Act

The Workplace Hazardous Materials
Information System (WHMIS)

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Act
Occupational
Health and Safety Act



Protects most workers in Ontario from health
and safety hazards on the job
Sets out the minimum standards for health
and safety in Ontario
This Act is a general one, and it has a series
of Regulations, each of which covers
specific occupations, work sectors or work
hazards.
Occupational
Health and Safety Act
This law gives us 3 main rights:

The Right to Know

The Right to Participate

The Right to Refuse
The Right to Know
Your employer must:
 tell you the actual and potential hazards in the workplace;
 give you the training you need to avoid injury and illness in your
specific workplace;
 Include Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
(WHMIS) in your training – it gives you the info you need to work
safely with materials in your workplace (see WHMIS symbols &
warning labels);
 tell you who the first aid person is (or where the first aid station
is);
 provide protective clothing/equipment and maintain it in good
condition;
 tell you where the fire alarms and exits are
 tell you what to do in emergency situations.
The right to participate
Through your health and safety representative,
or your joint health and safety committee (in
workplaces with more than 20 employees),
you have the right to:
 identify work hazards
 participate in health and safety inspections
 make recommendations about health &
safety conditions and improvements
The right to refuse
unsafe work
If you think the work you’re doing is unsafe, or the
equipment you’re using isn’t safe, you can refuse
the work.
When you follow the proper refusal procedure (as in
the OHS Act):
 You cannot lose pay
 You cannot be docked for the hours
 You cannot be suspended or fired for refusing
But you must stay in a safe place at the workplace
and follow the directions of the employer if s/he
gives you other work to do before an investigation
takes place.
Kinds of hazards





Physical hazards
Chemical hazards
Biological hazards
“Confined space” hazards
Other hazards –
o
o
o
o
Indoor air quality
Working alone
Violence at work
Fire
Your responsibilities
As a worker, you MUST:
 Always work safely and follow the OHSA
 Use the required protective equipment
 Never remove, change or damage protective
equipment. If it’s missing or damaged, tell the
supervisor
 Report any unsafe condition or hazard to the
supervisory
A few things to ask about H&S
when you start a new job







What are the general safety rules for this job?
What are the hazards in this job?
What specific procedures do I have to follow
to protect myself?
Will I be using any hazardous chemicals?
When will I get H & S training for this job?
When will I get WHMIS training?
What safety gear do I have to wear?
Questions to ask, cont’d





What training will I get on how to use my
safety equipment?
What do I do in emergency situations such as
a fire, or a chemical spill?
Where are the fire extinguishers, first aid kits
and other emergency equipment?
If injured, what should I do?
Who is the trained first aider in my area?
Questions to ask, cont’d


Is there a worker H & S rep, or a joint H & S
Committee? Who is it/are they?
Does this company have an occupational
health and safety specialist? Who is it?