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June 2006
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Deploying a Pincer Maneuver to Defeat the Enemy
Musculoskeletal disorders require a multi-pronged approach
Leaders have been known to deploy a pincer manoeuvre to defeat an enemy,
which involves splitting their troops so they can attack from two or more directions at once.
Ontario's health and safety prevention system is taking a similar approach with musculoskeletal disorders
(MSDs)-a workplace injury of such growing consequence that it has landed on the
Ministry of Labour's
(MOL) priority list (see "The impact of your opponent").
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One arm of the pincer is the MOL
Pains and Strains campaign.
As of April, High Risk inspectors in health care and the service sector have been trained
to recognize the potential for MSD-related risks, and have begun citing them in the workplace.
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A second arm is a working group of the Occupational Safety and Health Council of Ontario,
which has developed and released for consultation,
common guidelines on evidence-based practices for identifying
and assessing these types of injuries.
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MSDs are hardly a new issue for the service sector.
The OSSA has developed a suite of products and services
to help service sector workplaces prevent MSDs;
provides specific training on MSD recognition assessment and controls;
and has developed partnerships with ergonomists.
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Businesses themselves are the mainstay of any successful war against MSDs.
Here are a few simple actions workplaces can take to prevent MSDs and the pain and suffering they cause.
The impact of your opponent
For Ontario's service sector, MSD accounts for:
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39% of long-term claims |
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53% of all lost-time days |
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49% of all benefit costs |
From 1996 to 2004, the average was:
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8,840 lost-time MSD claims per year |
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560,000 lost-time days per year |
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$61 million in costs per year |
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What's New with the MOL's High Risk and Last Chance Initiatives
Walking the talk on evidence-based practices
The Ministry of Labour is attributing 14,649 fewer lost-time injuries in the last two years,
and $960 million in costs avoided by Ontario businesses, to its
High Risk and Last Chance initiatives.
Now, demonstrating its commitment to sustainable, evidence-based practice,
the Ministry of Labour is preparing to evaluate these two initiatives. It has partnered with the
Institute for Work & Health,
which has world-recognized research expertise in health and safety initiatives,
and with the WSIB and health and safety associations, to find out what's working and what's not.
Here's what you need to know:
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The evaluation begins with the 2006 initiatives, which launched in April. |
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It will be conducted over the next 18 months to two years. |
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Workplaces will be identified randomly and asked to complete a survey. |
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The evaluation results will not be related to any particular firm; rather,
they will address health and safety at a province-wide level. |
If you are approached to fill out a survey, it's in everybody's best interests to cooperate.
There is no negative attribution involved, and we all benefit from understanding the effectiveness of the initiative.
Summer: the Best of Times, and the Worst, for Young Workers
New jobs, new risks, for those most vulnerable
School's out and summer jobs beckon. Young workers, some of them entering the job market for the first time in their lives,
start out eager and breathtakingly inexperienced.
Workers in their first four weeks on a new job are six times as likely to be injured than at any other time on the job.
It represents difficult choices for employers who want to provide adequate support and training,
but grapple with what that should look like for a short-term work force,
10 per cent of whom quit within the first two weeks, and the rest who go back to school after two months.
Be prepared: MOL inspectors are making young worker training a top priority, along with musculoskeletal disorders.
They'll be asking workplaces how they train their student employees, and what they're doing to ensure hazard awareness.
Some employers are rethinking traditional models of training,
and are experimenting with creative solutions that meet the needs of what is indisputably a highly computer-literate audience;
for example, online training that is self-paced, bite-sized and integrated into daily operations.
Check out these resources for insights and answers:
If you are approached to fill out a survey, it's in everybody's best interests to cooperate.
There is no negative attribution involved, and we all benefit from understanding the effectiveness of the initiative.
Relief in Sight for Businesses Struggling to Comply
New web site consolidates 85 statutes and almost 600 regulations
Imagine having to be compliant with all the regulatory requirements enforced by 13 different ministries
and other government organizations, whether it's health and safety, environment, building codes,
employment standards, or more. For Ontario businesses, there's no imagination involved.
They must comply, no matter what their size.
Relief might be in sight.
The Regulatory Modernization Act, introduced in February 2006,
recognizes that all but the largest companies who can devote entire departments to monitor legislative requirements,
are overwhelmed with the multitude of regulations they need to meet to run their business. One solution?
A one-stop shop web site intended to provide this information in bite-size, digestible chunks,
and being piloted by the service sector (auto body repair service) before being rolled out to other sectors.
The OSSA is included as a popular link.
Accountability for integrating and coordinating the service rests with the
Inspections, Investigations and Enforcement Secretariat of the Ministry of Labour.
The web site is new and evolving. Check it out and offer your two cents on how to make it better.
Pandemic Countdown
If it hits, who can claim it was a surprise?
We are seeing a range of responses by workplaces in preparation for what experts say is pretty much a sure thing:
a pandemic caused by Avian Influenza or Bird Flu.
If you fall into the camp of those doing nothing because you believe government will take care of everything,
you're in the most vulnerable seat of all: front-row reactionary decision-making.
Protect your company, employees and customers by preparing now so all you have to do is implement your plan.
Avoid having to make last-minute decisions in a potentially chaotic time. Resources and information abound.
You could start with those provided by the
OSSA and
WSIB.
You're Invited!
Centre for Health & Safety Innovation grand opening on September 20
Join us as we celebrate the realization of a dream to provide a meeting place for knowledge exchange, learning and innovation in prevention.
Save the date-Wednesday, September 20, at 10:00 a.m.-for the official grand opening of the newly constructed
Centre for Health & Safety Innovation, 5110 Creekbank Road, located at Creekbank Drive and Tech Avenue in Mississauga.
The new campus is home to four health and safety associations:
the Ontario Service Safety Alliance, the Industrial Accident Prevention Association,
the Electrical & Utilities Safety Association, and the Transportation Health and Safety Association of Ontario.
We hope it will be home to you, too. Check out our flexible meeting rooms,
state-of-the-art technical equipment and modern amenities-all available to you at competitive rental rates-in addition
to our cafeteria, ample free parking, and team of support staff.
Ceremonies begin at 10:00 a.m. and will include demonstrations and presentations by health and safety organizations;
presentations by labour industry partners, dignitaries and community partners;
formal tours of the facility; and live entertainment.
Email lbrownell@ossa.com to RSVP.
The Latest MOL Convictions for Service-sector Health & Safety Violations
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Advanced Tent Rental Ltd. and Supervisor
(rents and erects tents and other temporary structures), Brampton, fined $130,000 and $6,000, respectively:
support pole of tent came in contact with a live 4,800-volt overhead power cable
(electrical contact injuries resulting in death of one worker, and serious injuries in another).
Failure to take reasonable precautions of ensuring there were no overhead electrical lines.
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Casey's Restaurant, Timmins, fined $50,000:
worker slipped on a wet floor while walking past a deep fryer
(second and third degree burns to the hand, arm and back). The floor had not been kept clear of a hazard,
and there was lack of instruction and supervision re working safely around deep fryers.
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LOEB Canada Inc. (grocery store chain), Ottawa, fined $75,000:
driver somehow reversed an electric-powered lifting device to unload pallets,
off the dock (broken bone in left ankle, scrapes to forearm).
The driver had never received training on the use of the lifting device.
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Mattel Canada Inc. (toy manufacturer), Brampton, fined $65,000:
lift truck and load fell forward onto the truck's front end (worker's left wrist broken).
Lift truck loaded in excess of its maximum rated capacity.
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