The Ministry of Labour is focusing its efforts in November, 2009 with a scheduled inspection blitz on slips, trips and falls in the workplace, one of the leading causes of workplace injury. This focused inspection effort is part of the Ministry's ongoing Safe at Work campaign.
Inspectors will expect to be shown evidence that your staff have received training on recognizing, assessing and controlling hazards related to slips, trips and falls. As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure that your workplace has conducted a hazard assessment of your workplace hazards.
Inspectors will concentrate on retail and wholeslae workplaces, transportation, education, and industrial services.
The will be paying particular attention to the following:
Ministry of Labour
MOL Press Release - Find out about the MOL's current focus on slips, trips and falls in the workplace and what specific elements hazards they will be focusing on.
MOL Slips, Trips and Falls Hazard Backgrounder - Learn who, how and why the MOL is targeting on the blitz and how you can prepare your company if an inspector comes knocking.
Partner Sites
Farm Safety Assocation (FSA) - FSA provides health & safety information, resources and assistance to all firms involved in the agricultural, horticultural and landscaping industries. Please click the above link to access their website materials.
Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA) - IAPA provides a wide range of health & safety resources that relate directly to slips, trips and falls, hazard training materials and developing safe work practices and procedures around these and other hazards, Please click on the above link to access a complete list of IAPA information, resources, products and services.
Resources & Information
Slips, Trips & Falls Hazard Checklist - Use this free checklist tool for assessing your workplace for slips, trips and fall hazards. Click to download ).pdf file, 37 kb)
Preventing Slips, Trips & Falls - This free one-page .pdf information checksheet will provide you with some basic information to post on your Health & Safety Bulletin Board or at appropriate places in your workplace. Click to download (.pdf file, 152 kb).
Using Ladders - This free one-page .pdf information checksheet will provide you with some basic information to post on your Health & Safety Bulletin Board or at appropriate places in your workplace. Click to download (.pdf file, 167 kb).
Floor Maintenance - This free one-page .pdf information checksheet will provide you with some basic information to post on your Health & Safety Bulletin Board or at appropriate places in your workplace. Click to download (.pdf file, 151 kb).
Six Step Guide to Health & Safety - Visit this section of the OSSA website and get some basics around what you need to have in place to protect your employees. If you are a small business (under 20 full-time employees), be sure to visit OSSA's Small Business Resource Centre.
Articles
Give Winter the Slip - Take a quick look through this helpful article about how to make winter's impact on your workplace less of a problem.
Don't fall for workplace injuries - How can you implement some simple solutions to reduce the likelihood of fall injuries in your wokplace.
WSIB Resources
Falls Cost us All - Visit the WSIB's information page on slips, trips and falls and how they can impact your workplace.
CCOHS Resources
Slips , Trips & Falls Prevention - CCOHS hazard information page on slips, trips and falls provides timely and helpful prevention tips for your business including details on ladders and fall prevention for stairways.
OSSA Products & Services
Contact OSSA to learn how your staff could complete the slips, trips and falls hazard module as part of their Certification Part 2 training or to order products related to safe handling of chemicals. Call OSSA's client services line at 1-888-478-6772
Order OSSA's Slips, Trips & Falls Hazards Workbook
Find out about OSSA's training programs on workplace health & safety, hazards and prevention.
That some hospitals in Ontario have an Occupational Health Clinic.
