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Health & Safety Magazine: Volume 11, Issue 4

The latest edition of our Health and Safety Magazine covers critical information you need to know to stay safe on the job. Articles include: Ice Roads, Designated Substances, Propane, Small Business, CEO Message, Smoking Cessation, Winter Driving, Section 21 Committees, Formwork and Demolition, Safety Groups, Free Poster, COR™ Program, Skills Development Centre, and a safety talk on Lifts Trucks in the Warehouse.

2-Minute News: November 2011

With 2-Minute News, you can read the health and safety information on your industry in two minutes or less! It's emailed to subscribers in the middle of each month.

This month's articles include: Light up the worksite, Toronto safety show a success, IHSA releases strategic plan, Fall prevention poster now available for free, Neil McCormick retires, Free occupational illness and infectious disease awareness session in December.

Free Occupational Illness and Infectious Disease Awareness Session

IHSA is hosting this free awareness session on Dec 2nd to provide an overview of the Ministry of Labour enforcement strategy relating to the Construction Sector Plan 2011 – 2012 on occupational illness and infectious disease. Representatives will demonstrate toilet and clean-up facilities and industry experts will be on-hand to answer questions. For more info, download the brochure.

Ontario College of Trades announces appointment of Board of Governors, Divisional Boards

The Ontario College of Trades announced its appointments to the College’s first Board of Governors, as well as to the Construction, Industrial and Service sectors of the Divisional Boards. For more info, visit www.collegeoftrades.ca.

Premier announces a new Minister of Labour

Today the Premier announced a new Minister of Labour, Linda Jeffrey, MPP for Brampton Springdale. Minister Jeffrey was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 2003 after serving four consecutive terms on Brampton City Council. She has also served as Minister of Natural Resources and Parliamentary Assistant to the Ministers of Children and Youth Services, Democratic Renewal, Intergovernmental Affairs, Citizenship and Immigration, and Transportation.

See the full list of Cabinet appointments.

Complete biographies are available online at ontario.ca/premier.

Certificate of Recognition COR™ Program

IHSA is proud to present to its membership the Certificate of Recognition program (COR™) for Ontario. To find out more, download the Certificate of Recognition COR™ Program brochure.

Chief Prevention Officer Appointed

The Ministry of Labour has announced the appointment of George Gritziotis as Ontario's new Chief Prevention Officer. As Chief Prevention Officer, Mr. Gritziotis will be responsible for:

developing a provincial occupational health and safety strategy
coordinating and aligning Ontario's workplace health and safety prevention system
providing advice on the prevention of workplace injuries and occupational diseases.

Safety Talk of the Week

Take five minutes to save a life! A weekly safety talk shows your commitment to health & safety.

This week: Temporary Lighting

Visit Safety Talks for more topics. (2008 ed. available.)

Bill 160 receives Royal Assent

On June 1, 2011, Bill 160 received Royal Assent. The bill proposes to amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act to overhaul Ontario’s occupational health and safety system. It would empower the Ministry of Labour to implement a number of the key recommendations made by the Expert Advisory Panel on Occupational Health and Safety in December 2010.

For more info, download the article developed by Health & Safety Ontario with the support of the MOL Secretariat.

New course: Working at Heights Fundamentals of Fall Prevention Instructor Workshop

To expand the reach of our Working at Heights – Fundamentals of Fall Prevention program, IHSA offers the opportunity for companies to become training partners. The Working at Heights Instructor Workshop will prepare you to deliver the program content and train workers within your industry.

For more info, download the Information Brochure, and the Instructor Application Form.

Expert panel calls for substantial improvements to workplace safety system

The Expert Advisory Panel on Health and Safety, led by Tony Dean, announced the results of its review of Ontario’s occupational health and safety system.

IHSA Health & Safety Catalogue

The 2011 edition of IHSA's Health & Safety Catalogue features a comprehensive list of the products, training, auditing, and consulting services we offer, along with descriptions, images, course registration and product order forms.

You'll also need the Products and Training Price Guide.

New program: Working at Heights – Fundamentals of Fall Prevention

If your workers face fall hazards, you’re required to provide them with fall-protection training. Register them for IHSA’s new program: Working at Heights – Fundamentals of Fall Prevention. This full-day training program explains the essentials of fall protection in the construction, electrical & utilities, and transportation industries. Taught by IHSA experts, it involves classroom instruction and hands-on exposure to some of the most common fall-protection equipment.

Health and Safety Advisory: Ethanol/water mixtures

Ethanol/water mixtures in geothermal loops are flammable. Contractors and workers in the geothermal industry need to know that handling ethanol/water mixtures can be hazardous. Vapours from the mixture can be ignited in a small space and near an ignition source—such as in a basement of a home.

PenSafe Anchorage Connector – Recall Notice

PenSafe Inc. is issuing a recall for all 3730 anchorage connectors manufactured in the latter part of 2007 and distributed by PenSafe from June 2008 through June 2009.

» recall notice (english)

» recall notice (french)

WSIB announces comprehensive funding review and premium rates

Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is moving forward with a Funding Review to ensure the long-term financial stability of the WSIB. The year-long Funding Review will gather expert advice and input from workers, labour and employers on a range of public policy issues relating to the WSIB’s financial future, including a plan on how to eliminate the WSIB’s unfunded liability. Premium rates have been announced for the next two years. For more details, please visit the links below:

Internal administrative changes at the WSIB are also planned, including a focus on targeted prevention of high impact claims (typically fractures and musculoskeletal disorders in the shoulder and lower back) and streamlined case management to reduce claim duration.

New safety awareness campaign and poster

Ontario’s health and safety system launched an awareness campaign to remind workers and employers to prevent injuries. The focus is on construction safety, but the message applies to all the industries IHSA serves. The campaign features striking ads—showing x-rays of broken bones—that highlight the seriousness of workplace injuries and the need to eliminate them. IHSA recommends that you download the poster and post it in your workplace.

Basics of Asbestos e-learning program

Asbestos-related diseases are the #1 work-related cause of death among Ontario construction workers. In this program, you will find out what asbestos is, what the potential health effects of exposure can be, how to identify asbestos in infrastructure, and how to work with it safely.

Workplace Violence and Harassment e-learning program

In this online program, you will find out what the law says about workplace violence and harassment, what the employer needs to do, risk assessment, and development of a workplace violence and harassment program.

Workplace Violence and Harassment Toolkit

Beginning on June 15, 2010, the Occupational Health and Safety Act will require employers in Ontario to assess the risks of workplace violence and develop policies and programs towards eliminating violence and harassment in their workplaces. IHSA has developed a Workplace Violence and Harassment Toolkit to assist employers in Ontario’s Transportation, Utility and Construction sectors with the development of their company-specific violence and harassment prevention programs.

Contractor Safety Essentials: New training program for owners and managers

This new program, aimed at owners and senior managers of small to medium-sized construction firms, demonstrates that making more time for safety will not only prevent workplace injuries, but will also improve your bottom line and reduce your liabilities.

Media release: Safety association tackles fall hazards

The Infrastructure Health & Safety Association is combating fall hazards in Ontario construction by increasing access to safety training in the industry. An extra 200 sessions of Basics of Fall Protection classroom training will be added to course offerings this summer.

IHSA media release

Three safety associations merge for powerful delivery of workplace health and safety services. CSAO, E&USA, and THSAO merge to create new organization called IHSA.

IHSA member update

Explains IHSA's new organizational structure and outlines plans for becoming more customer focused through engagement with clients and an emphasis on frontline service.

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