Week 1 - Introduction - Occupational Health and Safety - Spring/Summer 2023 PDF

Occupational Health and Safety In class Post Grad 34250 Introduction - Health & Safety Basics Spring/Summer 2023 Tuesday May 16 11 – 1 Room: B334 Friday May 19 11 – 1 Room: A304...

Occupational Health and Safety In class Post Grad 34250 Introduction - Health & Safety Basics Spring/Summer 2023 Tuesday May 16 11 – 1 Room: B334 Friday May 19 11 – 1 Room: A304 1  Occupational Health and Safety  Apologies for the cancellation of last week’s courses.  This week I will be with you both classes and will try and catch us up on content.  Both PowerPoints have been posted in SLATE. 2  Occupational Health and Safety Introductions Course Schedule SLATE OHS In the News Assignments 3  Course Textbooks 1. Management of Occupational Health & Safety 8th edition 2. OHS Act & Regulations 2023 (also available online) https://store.thomsonreuters.ca/en-ca/products/pocket-ontario-occupational-health- and-safety-act--regulations-2020---consolidated-edition-the-green-book-print--provi ew-30908446  The 2023 Green Book includes the following regulations: Confined spaces Construction projects Control of exposure to biological or chemical agents Designated substances Farming operations First aid requirements Healthcare and residential facilities Industrial establishments WHMIS 4  My Expectations  Engagement – be here in mind & body  Commitment to timelines  Attendance – or advise if you are unable to attend  Respect for all  Ask if you are unsure  Marks are earned not given  Ask for help – early! Any you want to add? 5  Course Grading  2 Exams – each worth 30% - Weeks 7 & 14  Assignments totalling 40%  Policy Assignment worth 15% - individual or pairs – I will cover the assignment next week  Specific Hazards Assignment worth 25% - groups of 4-5 6  Please review Academic Integrity Policy  No tolerance in this class for any breach  Policy site:  https://policy.sheridanc.on.ca/dotNet/documents/?docid=917 7  Great Resources Sheridan Library  http://sheridancollege.libguides.com/c.php?g=55382&p=2909549#s-l g-box-8932858 Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety  http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/basic.html Ministry of Labour, Training & Skills Development  MOL - https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/index.php  MOL Newsletter Example: https://mailchi.mp/719360ceb794/whats-new-april-2023?e=9f4cbee9ed  Let’s take a look 8  What do you already know?  Let’s take a quick Health & Safety Quiz to see what you already know!  Go into Week One in SLATE 9 Occupational Health and Safety – Week 1 Learning Outcomes: 1. Overview of the importance of health and safety at work 2. The evolution of Occupational Health & Safety in Canada 3. Legislation impacting Health & Safety 10  Occupational Health and Safety Definition: The recognition, assessment, and control of hazards associated with the work environment. 11  Introduction – Health & Safety  Occupational health & safety has become an important aspect in organizations and will have an even higher priority for human resource managers in the future  Federal & provincial laws require the attention of HR professionals  Most governmental health & safety acts now require the establishment of safety committees in companies  WHMIS legislation requires that all organizations prepare employees to work with hazardous materials  WSIB helps to strengthen the role of government in assisting those who become injured on the job  In addition, rising or new issues such as privacy, COVID, Workplace Violence make the implementation of health and safety even more complex 12  Work Related Deaths In Ontario  Every year there are Ontarians who die of a work-related traumatic injury  Over the past 10 years, 92 per cent of all traumatic fatality claims were from men, mostly between the ages of 55 to 59 years old  Construction, transportation, manufacturing and services sectors accounted for 76 per cent of these workplace traumatic incidents.  For Schedule 1 employers in 2018, 72 people lost their lives because of a workplace traumatic fatality. 13 Introduction – Health & Safety The average cost of a WSIB claim is $19k Employers must exercise How can due diligence – anticipate safety issues and take employers steps to prevent them do this? 14  Health & Safety – a sad  history In 1911 NY's Triangle Shirtwaist Co. caught fire, and 146 of 300 employees died. This disaster made companies start to look at their role in workplace safety – through it would still take many years for real changes to be made. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYouiwyABS8  15,000 Chinese immigrants died during construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the late 19th century 15  Health & Safety – a sad history And more recently…  In 2000, two 14 yr old children were killed at a John Deere plant in Welland, Ontario during a Take Your Kid to Work Day  In 2008, a temporary employee at a NY Wal-Mart was trampled to death during a shopping rampage There are nearly 1,000 workplace fatalities in Canada each year; almost 4 per working day. 16  Occupational Health and Safety History of Health and Safety in Canada:  1st Act protecting Canadian workers was legislated in 1885 but was ineffective  During this time period, the assumption of risk was placed on the worker, not the employer  “Blame the worker” attitude was prevalent for injuries on the job 17  Occupational Health and Safety History of Health and Safety in Canada  1891 Ontario created its first Worker’s Compensation Board but legislation for WC did not appear until 1915  In the early 1900’s a steel company had 1600 of its 2200 employees lose time due to injury over a 4-year period  Working conditions were poor and illness/disease and injuries plagued workplaces with very little support for the employees 18  Occupational Health and Safety History of Health and Safety in Canada  The 1960’s and 1970’s brought further legislation improving the working conditions including The Hazardous Product Act (1969) Prohibits and sale or import of specific items eg. Children’s furniture painted with lead paint Establishes hazard identification and labeling requirements e.g., Household cleaners Canadian Labour Code (1968) Deals with safety regulations, duties of the employer and employee under federal jurisdiction 19  Occupational Health and Safety History of Health and Safety in Canada  In the 1970’s……  Uranium miners in Elliot Lake became alarmed about the high incidence of lung cancer and silicosis  They went on strike over health and safety conditions  The government appointed a Royal Commission to investigate health and safety in mines  Chaired by Dr. James Ham, it became known as the Ham Commission 20  Occupational Health and Safety History of Health and Safety in Canada  Dr. Ham produced over 100 recommendations including the following: 1. H&S would be consolidated under the Ministry of Labour 2. Mandatory establishment of joint H&S committees 3. Safety related qualifications for supervisors and workers 4. Safety related duties of employers 5. Provision of defined medical surveillance and the keeping of records 6. The 3 rights of the worker (the right to know, the right to participate and the right to refuse 21  Occupational Health and Safety History of Health and Safety in Canada  The Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (1978)  The establishment of the Canadian Centre for OHS (1978)  Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act (1981)  WHMIS is added to the OHSA (1987) and updated in 2015 22  Occupational Health and Safety More Recent Legislation:  Major revision to the Workers Compensation Act (1998) (discussed later in the semester)  Criminal code change : Bill C-45 (2004)  Bill 168 (2010)  Bill 160 (2011)  Bill 132 (2016)  Ongoing changes and additions to the OHSA such as changes to hazardous materials 23  Occupational Health and Safety Bill C-45 (2004)  Federal legislation that amended the Canadian Criminal Code and became law on March 31, 2004. The Bill established new legal duties for workplace health and safety, and imposed serious penalties for violations that result in injuries or death. The Bill provided new rules for attributing criminal liability to organizations, including corporations, their representatives and those who direct the work of others. 24  Occupational Health and Safety Bill 168 (2010) Changes to Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) – effective June 15, 2010 – strengthened protections for workers from workplace violence and address workplace harassment. They define workplace violence and harassment and describe employer duties and apply to all workplaces covered by the OHSA. 25  Occupational Health and Safety  Bill 160 (2011) ◦ Summary of changes  Training Standards and Approved Providers  Additional Training Provisions  JHSC Recommendations  Established Policies  Prevention Council  Reprisals  But laws constantly change as we will talk about next class 26  Occupational Health and Safety Bill 132 Sexual Violence and Harassment  Action Plan Act (2016) - Legislation Aimed at Stopping Sexual Violence and Harassment in Effect Sept. 8, 2016 ◦ The act aims to make workplaces, campuses and communities safer and more responsive to the needs of survivors and to complaints about sexual violence and harassment. 27  Laws often change! The legislation includes several amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). These amendments will enhance employer responsibilities with respect to workplace harassment that occurs in the workplace, including sexual harassment, by: providing a new workplace sexual harassment definition; requiring new elements that will need to be included in workplace harassment programs; adding new employer duties that will help to protect workers from workplace harassment. 28  Bill 132 Update Details Bill 132 is an amendment to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (the “OHSA”). The Bill amends the definition of “workplace harassment” to include workplace sexual harassment and adds the following obligations on employers: ◦ Incident Reporting. There must be a system for people to report incidents of workplace harassment to a person other than the employer or supervisor, if the employer or supervisor is the alleged harasser; ◦ Investigations. Incidents or complaints of workplace harassment and sexual harassment have to be investigated and dealt with; ◦ Disclosure. All information obtained about an incident or complaint of workplace harassment CANNOT be disclosed UNLESS it is necessary for the investigation, in order to take remedial actions, or is required by law; ◦ Communication. Both the complainant and the respondent will be informed of the results of the investigation and all actions that will be taken; ◦ Annual Obligations. An employer has to provide conduct an annual risk assessment (which is part of Bill 168), provide all staff with a clear policy on workplace violence and sexual harassment and provide a comprehensive reporting and investigation program that deals with incidences of workplace sexual harassment; and ◦ Independent Investigations. All staff have the right the right to demand an independent, third-party inspector investigation at the organization’s expense to investigate and report. 29  Bill 132 Update Details Under the bill workplace sexual harassment is defined as:  Engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace because of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, where the course of comment or conduct is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome; or Making a sexual solicitation or advance where the person making the solicitation or advance is in a position to confer, grant or deny a benefit or advancement to the worker and the person knows or ought reasonably to know that the solicitation or advance is unwelcome.  IMPORTANT NOTES  According to Bill 132, a reasonable action taken by an supervisor/employer relating to the management and direction of the employee or the workplace is not workplace harassment.  Bill 132 is meant clarify an employer’s obligations to implement a workplace harassment policy under section 32.06(2) of the OHSA to further set out. As such, it may be considered a precedent in other provinces and states.  Vexacious = causing or tending to cause annoyance, frustration, or worry 30 What did you learn this class? 31 Occupational Health and Safety Any Questions? Next week have access to pocketbook OH&S or link. 32