The Retail Merchants' Association of Canada (Ontario) and its partnership with the Ontario Service Safety Alliance
RMA is an Ontario based not for profit organization serving the independent retailers in Canada since 1948. With an experienced staff and management team, RMA has the capacity to provide retailers with the answers they seek in today’s competitive market.
The Ontario Service Safety Alliance (OSSA) is the designated safe workplace association for Ontario's retail industry. RMA has partnered with OSSA to provide members with valuable health & safety resources to help them protect employees from illness and injury at the workplace.
Benefits to members
RMA members can benefit immensely from helpful advice and health & safety expertise; practical resources and information; and discounted health & safety products from OSSA (members receive a 5% discount on OSSA products - see below)
Free Resources
Do you have crowd management measures in place for the holiday season? In order to prevent avoidable fatalities or injuries like the one at a retail store in the US on Black Friday last year, the OSHA, a division of the US Department of Labour has issued crowd management tips for retailers. Click here |
Small businesses need to keep their health and safety processes simple, informal and effective. Here are a few ways to do that:
1. OSSA's online guide walks you through six basic steps to set up and run an effective health and safety program
2. A Health and Safety Report Card will help you find out how your program measures up by answering quick, simple questions
3. Use OSSA's Health and Safety Map to take the guesswork out of finding help with health and safety resources
4. Access this unique Health and Safety Calculator to evaluate the total cost of an injury and the impact on your bottom line
5. Use this Monthly Inspection Checklist Form to identify what hazards might be present at your workplace
6. Check out these safe work guidelines specially created by OSSA for the retail sector:
Preventing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) at the cash register
Preventing MSDs at the grocery store
Health and Safety Products
RMA members receive a 5% discount on OSSA products when you call OSSA's Client Services Line 1-888-478-6772 and quote your membership with RMA.
Health and Safety Representative
All businesses are required to have a basic understanding of the roles and responsibilities of health and safety in the workplace, regardless of size. This product, created specially for small businesses, covers the roles and responsibilities of health and safety in a small business environment.
WHMIS Digital
Get OSSA's Digital WHMIS where you could train all employees (current and new) for one whole year for as low as $2.50 depending on the number of employees you have.
Check it out (Cashier ergonomics)
Grocery store cashiers handle over 6,000 pounds of groceries in an eight-hour shift and move their wrists up to 600 times an hour.Properly designed work and workplace environments will reduce the risk of cashiers developing a work-related musculoskeletal disorder.
Young worker safety
The retail sector is often faced with frequent
high staff turnover rates, high numbers of part-time workers, and a significant number of
young workers, often just entering the workforce for the first time.OSSA's Dare To Care product provides a much needed, highly effective health and safety training tool for both young workers and managers
Click here for more information on the above products, or call 1-888-478-6772
Contact Us
Retail Merchants' Association of Canada (Ontario) Inc. , Tel.: (416) 293-2100, Fax (416) 293-2103, www.rmacanada.com
Ontario Service Safety Alliance, Toll Free: 1-888-478-6772, www.ossa.com
While the minimum age for workers is 15 in a factory, the minimum age requirement for employment behind a counter (in a store, for example) is 14 years of age.
