Prevention System Realignment Page



The Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) is your new partner in preventing workplace injury and illness. The Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) was formed in January 2010 by amalgamating the Construction Safety Association of Ontario (CSAO), the Electrical & Utilities Safety Association (E&USA), and Transportation Health and Safety Association of Ontario (THSAO). The amalgamation will lead to more efficient administration and more staff on the front lines. Savings from integrating back-office departments will go towards increasing the number of field consultants available to help firms prevent injury and illness. We remain committed to providing you with world-class service and the information you need to prevent occupational injury and illness.
Background
This amalgamation is the result of a 2008 review by the Occupational Health and Safety Council of Ontario, which gathers representatives from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), the Ministry of Labour, and Ontario’s 12 industry-related health and safety associations. The purpose of the review was to explore how the health and safety associations could be reorganized so that they could be as effective as possible in pursuing the objectives of the Road to Zero, the WSIB’s injury reduction plan. The review concluded that the health and safety system has achieved major successes over the years, but now faces many challenges that cannot be met as it is organized today. The report recommended a more integrated system, more robust front-line services for Ontario’s industries, and more efficient back-office support functions. Merging backoffice functions would reduce duplication and capitalize on economies of scale, freeing up resources for hiring more field consultants.
A New Association
In the coming months, one amalgamated health and safety association will be launched to serve the following industries: construction electrical utilities aggregates natural gas ready-mix concrete transportation. A transition board of directors, which consists of representatives of the boards of CSAO, E&USA, and THSAO, has been working collaboratively on the administrative and operational details of the new association. A recent advance was the hiring of Michael Delisle—an executive with extensive experience—as the association’s CEO. While this will be a time of transition, CSAO, E&USA, and THSAO are committed to keeping you informed about the changes. In the coming months, you will see a new name for your health and safety association as well as new branding. While there are more changes to come, we remain committed to our core principles. Our job will still be to work with the industries under our jurisdiction to prevent occupational injury, illness, and death. Our field consultants will continue to be industry-specific specialists. We look forward to continuing our relationship with you and to providing the highest quality products and services to help you prevent occupational injury and illness.
IHSA Membership
Special prices for products and training courses are available to members of the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA). You are automatically a member of IHSA if you are employed with a firm that pays premiums to the WSIB in Ontario in one of the following rate groups: 134 – Aggregates 497 – Ready-Mix Concrete 551 – Air Transport Industries 553 – Air Transport Services 560 – Warehousing 570 – General Trucking 577 – Courier 580 – Miscellaneous Transportation 584 – School Buses 681 – Lumber/Builders Supply 689 – Waste Materials Recycling 704 – Electrical and Incidental Construction 707 – Mechanical and Sheet Metal 711 – Road Building and Excavation 719 – Inside Finishing 723 – ICI Construction 728 – Roofing 732 – Heavy Civil Construction 737 – Millwrighting and Welding 741 – Masonry 748 – Formwork and Demolition 751 – Siding and Outside Finishing 764 – Homebuilding 830 – Power and Telecommunication Lines 833 – Electric Power Generation 835 – Oil, Power and Water Distribution 838 – Natural Gas Distribution
More Information
IHSA intends to ensure that you continue to receive high-quality, authoritative products and services from your health and safety system. We will keep you posted with new information as the plans move ahead. You can visit the IHSA website for more information about the new association www.ihsa.ca IHSA Member Update – Letter from Michael Delisle, President and CEO, IHSA (22 Jan 2010) IHSA Media Release – Three Safety Associations Merge for Powerful Delivery of Workplace Health and Safety Services (12 Jan 2010) Interview with IHSA CEO – Michael Delisle shares his thoughts about future service to IHSA’s customers (Construction Safety Magazine, WInter 2009/10)