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Safety Mosaic Magazine Summer 2009
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The REGIONAL
Health & Safety News, Events & Information
August 2009
How prepared are we for a second wave of the H1N1 influenza pandemic?
SARS taught us some pretty important lessons - everyone is at risk of being infected; people will get sick; some may die; businesses will be affected; and we can't afford to be complacent because viral outbreaks generally occur in waves.
Here's what H1N1 did to us in the first wave - claimed more than 11 lives in Ontario; made the word 'pandemic' the new buzzword; and taught us that most of us are woefully unprepared for a possible second wave. That second wave may just hit us in the fall, or 'flu season' as we call it. If you're a business owner or a health and safety manager here's one question to ask yourself " How prepared am I for the second wave?"
Additional resources are also available at http://www.ossa.com/content/resources/PandemicResources.cfm
The August issue of The Regional provides tips on some of the steps you could take to prepare for 'flu season'; points you to the Ministry of Labour's foray into social media; gives you a heads up to the upcoming inspection blitzes and provides details on a new resource to help everyone in your workplace walk, talk and live safety.
Prevention System News
A pandemic may seriously affect your business. But there are steps you can take to reduce the risk to your employees' health, the continuity of your business operations and your company's bottom line.
OSSA's partners in prevention, The Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA), will be delivering courses on pandemic planning across Ontario beginning September. At the course you will learn; what defines a pandemic and how infectious diseases spread, workplace strategies for infection control; and steps for minimizing the impact of a pandemic on your business.
The course is ideal for business owners, human resources managers, business continuity professionals and health and safety managers.
Click here to register or call 1-800-406-IAPA (4272) for more information.
Additional resources are also available at http://www.ossa.com/content/resources/PandemicResources.cfm
MOL News
If you're one of the many people that learns from others this is a site you don't want to miss. The Ministry of Labour's Twitter page.
It's an ideal location to know more about the many incidents that caused firms to be convicted for health and safety violations. You'd be surprised how many workplace hazards exist that you didn't think were even a possibility.
In addition, the page also provides information on new legislation, inspection blitzes and other health and safety awareness campaigns.
To follow the MOL on Twitter, simply sign on for a Twitter account and opt to follow OntMinLabour. And remember, if anyone asks you how you know so much, tell them "A little bird told me".
Service sector firms would do well to prepare for two MOL inspection blitzes this fall - chemical hazardous materials blitz in September and slips, trips and falls blitz in November.
During the first blitz Inspectors will expect to be shown evidence that your staff have received adequate training on recognizing, assessing and controlling hazards related to the safe storage and handling of chemicals at your workplace. As an employer it is your responsibility to ensure that your workplace has conducted a hazard assessment with specific emphasis on chemical material like cleaning solutions, chlorine, solvents, paints, among others.
According to Ministry of Labour statistics twenty per cent of workplace injuries are caused by slips, trips and falls. During winter months we see a surge in such incidents with people slipping and falling due to icy conditions. No wonder then that the Ministry has scheduled it slips and falls blitz in November. Last year Inspectors visited 935 workplaces and issued 2,628 correction orders, of which 183 were stop work orders.
Contact OSSA to learn how you could prepare for the two blitzes. Call OSSA's client services line at 1-888-478-6772 or visit www.ossa.com
Course Title |
City |
Date |
| Certification Part 1 | Toronto / Mississauga | August 10-12 |
| Certification Part 2 - Retail & Wholesale | Toronto / Mississauga | August 13 |
| Certification Part 1 | Toronto / Mississauga | August 24-26 |
| Certification Part 2 - Office & Related Services | Toronto / Mississauga | August 27 |
| Risk Assessment Workshop | Toronto / Mississauga | September 2 |
| Certification Part 1 | Ajax | September 8-10 |
| Certification Part 2 - Vehicle sales & service | Toronto / Mississauga | September 10 |
| Certification Part 1 | Toronto / Mississauga | September 14-16 |
| Risk Assessment Workshop | Ajax | September 15 |
| Safe Lifting Training for Supervisors | Barrie | September 16 |
| Certification Part 2 | Scarborough | September 16 |
| Risk Assessment Workshop | Barrie | September 16 |
| Certification Part 2 - Tourism & Hospitality | Toronto / Mississauga | September 17 |
| Certification Part 2 - Retail & Wholesale | Toronto / Mississauga | September 24 |
| Risk Assessment Workshop | Richmond Hill | September 28 |
| Certification Part 1 | Toronto / Mississauga | September 28-30 |
Golden Horseshoe Region
| Certification Part 1 | Burlington | August 17-19 |
| Risk Assessment Workshop | Burlington | September 15 |
| Certification Part 1 | Welland | September 23-25 |
| Risk Assessment | Welland | September 30 |
South & Western Ontario
| Risk Assessment Workshop | Windsor | September 17 |
| Certification Part 1 | Kitchener | September 22-24 |
| Certification Part 1 | London | September 22-24 |
| Certification Part 1 | Windsor | September 22-24 |
| Risk Assessment Workshop | London | September 23 |
| Compliance Assessment Workshop | London | September 29 |
Eastern Ontario
| Risk Assessment Workshop | Ottawa | September 14 |
| Certification Part 1 | Ottawa | September 21-23 |
Click here for details on course venue and pricing.
To register for any of the above courses, please call OSSA at 1-888-478-6772.
You walk the walk, now talk the talk with 'Safety in a Box'
Having a health and safety program in place is part of the job done. The other part or rather the harder part is keeping it alive to ensure that everyone at your workplace receives all the help they need to walk, talk and live safety.
OSSA's newest offering Safety in a Box does just that It provides firms with a ready-made set of expert and up-to-date health and safety topics ready to be used for implementation in your workplace with minimal outlay of time or money. All of the material focuses on common and recurring hazards and covers day-to-day "on the shop floor" requirements that businesses need.
Click here to know more about OSSA's health and safety products. Call our client services line at 1-888-478-6772 to order products or for more information on our products and services.
This glossary provides a quick reference to common health and safety terms used throughout the Six Step Guide to Health and Safety.
You should always tape down electrical cords if there is a possibility of someone walking over the cord. This will minimize the possibility of someone tripping. Refer to OSSA Safety Check Sheet on Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls for more information.
