Heads Up on Heat Stress
Seasonal hazard is back on the radar
With record-setting temperatures already on the books this past spring, and with the Ministry of Labour (MOL) raising the alarm on a
seasonal hazard and killer called heat stress, it’s time for firms to remind employees how to recognize, assess and control over-exposure to high temperatures. Fortunately, you can select from a large library of excellent, readily available resources.
Who should be concerned
MOL inspectors take a dim view of firms whose operations require workers to be outdoors or working near high heat, but who don’t know the
legislation and their legal obligations; for example, how long people are allowed to work in a place at a certain temperature, and the measures they have in place to prevent heat stress. Young people whose summer jobs require them to work outside at attractions, landscaping and golf courses are especially at risk.
Take the test
If an MOL inspector enters your workplace—particularly if you employ young and new workers (see “Got Young Workers?” above)—be prepared
to demonstrate that:
LEARNING FROM OTHERS
The Latest Health & Safety Violations for Service Sector Firms
Opportunities to learn from others
Every month, organizations take an entirely preventable hit on their bottom line when they are fined tens of thousands of dollars for violations
of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that injure or kill Ontario workers. In recent weeks, one person died,
three more were seriously injured, and countless people were put at risk in Ontario's service sector...
Is Your Storeroom Configured for Workplace Injuries?
Toys “R” Us, Hamilton, was fined $50,000 for a violation that resulted in the injury of a worker who climbed a 2.4-metre ladder to
retrieve a tricycle in a box on a top shelf of a storeroom. Because of the large size of the box, the worker had to descend facing away
from the ladder, without maintaining three points of contact with the ladder. This resulted in the worker losing balance, falling to
the floor, hitting a clothing rack and suffering bruising and scratches. The company pleaded guilty to failing to provide information,
instruction and supervision in the safe use of ladders, although such training was part of its health and safety program.
The point is...many organizations—retail, restaurants, resorts—have storerooms, and many put large items on the top shelves
because they won’t fit on the lower shelves. The problem is, workers are required to have a three-point contact with the ladder—one hand
and two feet—but if they’re carrying a bulky box that they can’t lift with one hand, they’re in immediate violation of the act.
The answer: redesign shelves so the bottom shelves have more height. Put larger, heavier boxes on the bottom shelves, and lighter, smaller
boxes on higher shelves.
It’s Not Enough to Provide Personal Protective Equipment
Patene Building Supplies Ltd., Guelph, was fined $55,000 for a violation involving a worker who sustained head injuries when he fell on a roof. The worker was wearing fall protection equipment when unloading shingles on the roof, but had not been provided with adequate fall protection training.
Horizon Construction Group Ltd., Nepean, and a sub-contractor hired by Brigil Homes, Gatineau, Quebec—both companies were fined a total of $133,000 for a violation involving a worker who suffered numerous injuries after falling nine to 11 metres from a roof when the beam being installed to support roof trusses gave way. The worker was not wearing fall protection. Both organizations were found guilty of failing—Brigil as a constructor, and Horizon as an employer—to ensure that the worker was adequately protected by at least one of the prescribed methods of fall protection.
The point is... providing workers with personal protective equipment isn’t good enough. Workers might wear their fall arrest vests, for example, but won’t actually tie them off. Health and safety is a multi-step process, and includes providing the equipment, whether it’s fall arrest gear, safety boots, or safety glasses; educating staff on the hazards and how to use the equipment; explaining why the rules are the rules; rigorously following up; and administering effective discipline if the rules are broken.
Build a Robust Health & Safety Program Around Machine Guarding
Zehrmart Limited, Chatham-Kent, was fined $75,000 for a violation involving an employee whose hand was pulled into the rollers while feeding balls of dough into a machine that flattened them into pizza crusts. The firm was convicted for failing to ensure that the in-running nip hazard of the machine was protected by a guard preventing access to a pinch point.
Fisher & Ludlow, a manufacturer of steel grating in Burlington, was fined $65,000 for a violation involving a worker whose finger was crushed when using a remote control device to manipulate a crane. The finger became caught between the grating and a hook used to attach the crane to the grates. The worker had reported a hand injury three days previously, and was using the non-dominant hand to operate the equipment. The organization was convicted for failing to take the reasonable precaution of providing work within the worker’s physical limitations.
Goodyear Canada Inc., Oshawa, was fined $55,000 for a violation involving a worker whose arm was broken after walking into the path of an electronic beam guard, stopping the machine’s operation. However, the electronic beam guard failed to prevent the machine from being restarted by an automatic start button. The worker pressed the button, and the worker’s arm was drawn into the machine at a pinch point and broken.
Ottawa Fibre L.P., an Ottawa manufacturer in Ottawa, was fined $70,000 for a violation involving a worker who sustained serious injuries after shutting off power to a machine so as to be able to perform maintenance on it, and a co-worker, thinking the work was complete, restored the power. The organization pleaded guilty for failing to ensure that a machine was equipped with a guard or other device to prevent access to a moving part.
The point is...if you have moving equipment or moving parts at your location—a mixer, conveyor belts, etc.—make sure your staff receive adequate training on guarding and on how to avoid pinch points.
Employers are responsible for training temps
Jumper Productions Ltd., a British Columbia-headquartered film production company on a Toronto film shoot, was fined $250,000 for violations involving the death of one worker and serious injury of another. Frozen granular sand and gravel materials covering an external stage softened in the sun, breaking away in large slabs and falling on top of two workers. The organization pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that the granular material was not left in a manner that would endanger a worker; that precautions were taken; and that every worker wore protective head gear.
The point is...these were contract workers, yet the organization who hired them was just as responsible for providing personal protective equipment and training as they are for their regular workers. Contract or temporary workers are particularly vulnerable: they’re often new to the work environment and don’t have built-in knowledge of the hazards.
