Transcript Safety in the Workplace - York Catholic District School Board

Safety in the Workplace
Safety Introduction
 definition: freedom from danger, risks, and injury
 health care workers are responsible for their own and
their patients’ safety
 need to report any unsafe practices and know how to
respond if an emergency occurs
 health care professionals are taught methods to avoid
accidents
Preventing Accidents
 training and education must be offered to all workers
 each accident needs to be documented and reviewed
to help prevent others
 Accidents can be divided into three categories:
 Accidents related to the physical environment and
equipment
 Accidents related to hazardous chemicals
 Accidents related to client care
Group Activity
 In your groups, think about five rules or guidelines to
prevent accidents and place them into the appropriate
category:
 Physical environment and equipment
 Hazardous chemicals
 Client care
Governing Agencies
 Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety
(CCOHC) – Federal
 promotes a safe and healthy working environment by providing
information and advice about occupational health and safety
 Ministry of Labour – Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)
– Provincial
 responsible for setting, communicating and enforcing OHS laws
that are designed to reduce or eliminate workplace injury or
illness
 Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) – Provincial
 oversees Ontario's workplace safety education and training
system, provides disability benefits, monitors the quality of
health care, and assists in early and safe return to work
Occupational Health and
Safety Legislation
 Occupational health and safety (OH&S) legislation in
Canada outlines the general rights and responsibilities
of the employer, the supervisor and the worker
 Each of the ten provinces, three territories and the
federal government has its own OH&S legislation.
 There is special "right-to-know" legislation that applies
to hazardous products
 it comprises several pieces of legislation collectively called
WHMIS - the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information
System
WHMIS
 WHMIS applies in all Canadian workplaces which are
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covered by OH&S legislation and where WHMIS-controlled
products are used.
Health Canada serves as the national coordinator for
WHMIS and is responsible for the governance and
administration of this program in Canada.
WHMIS uses classifications to group chemicals with similar
properties or hazards
the Controlled Products Regulations specifies the criteria
used to place materials within each classification
there are 6 classes although several classes have
divisions or subdivisions
Each class has a specific symbol to help people identify
the hazard quickly (see handout)
Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDS)
 in Canada, every material that is controlled by WHMIS
must have an accompanying MSDS
 an MSDS is a document that contains information on
the potential hazards (health, fire, reactivity and
environmental) and how to work safely with the
chemical product
 activity in pairs: MSDS awareness assignment