As many of you know, Bill 168 constitutes a major change in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which will require your workplace to change its policies and procedures in order to mitigate instances of workplace violence and harassment.

Well, Bill 168 received Royal Assent on December 15, 2009, which means it will come into force on June 15, 2010. Are you ready?

Consider your answer to this question carefully, because you have less than five months to prepare. Five months may seem like a long time, but many of the new changes required could be quite time consuming. If you leave everything until the last minute, you may find yourself in non-compliance with the new law and face serious penalties, including potentially stiff fines. In other words, if you tend to procrastinate, this time it could cost you, because there are several things you must do to prepare.

First off, you must conduct a risk assessment, to determine if any part of your operation is vulnerable to acts of violence. This assessment will serve as a basis for creating and updating policies to control such risks. While the new law doesn’t contain strict guidelines with regard to how such assessments are to be conducted, it does require employers to do a complete evaluation to ensure that all vulnerabilities to violence are identified and addressed.

Once you’ve done the risk assessment, you’ll then have to implement the changes necessary to reduce susceptibility to workplace violence. For example, if customers or clients might cause a potential threat to workers, measures should be taken to reduce that risk by creating a system for instant communication with management and/or security personnel or police. Employees have to be able to call someone when they see behavior they believe might pose a danger to themselves or other workers.

You will also have to use the risk assessment to develop workplace violence and harassment policies and have them in place on June 15. Those policies must include a procedure for reporting and investigating workplace harassment complaints. They must also be reviewed as often as necessary, but at least annually. Failure to develop, maintain and follow such policies can lead to substantial penalties, including fines, from the Ministry of Labor.

And it’s not enough to simply develop these policies, put them into a book somewhere and pull them out whenever an inspector asks to see them. You also have to maintain and demonstrate that you’re following them. You have to make sure all employees are thoroughly trained to deal with workplace violence and harassment and are keenly aware of the company’s new policies, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but also because inspectors will be making sure you’re doing more than simply jumping through a hoop or two. All employees have to know what they can and must do to minimize risks in the workplace, and they have to know exactly how their employer will investigate and handle such incidents. And most of all, they have to know what their obligations are with regard to these new policies and the consequences for non-compliance.

As you can see, there is a lot to do to prepare for the new changes in the Occupational Health and Safety Act. If you think you can do all of this over a couple of weeks in June, good luck. But it might be good to start preparing now.

The Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has announced the appointment of Estelle Marie Caines as the newest member of the WSIB’s Board of Directors.

Caines has an interesting perspective on the workers compensation system, having been through the system herself as an injured worker. She worked for the Red Lake Goldcorp Mine as a hoist operator for 17 years, before returning to school by way of the WSIB’s Labour Market Re-entry program, where she attained a B.A. in Psychology and Conflict Resolution Studies from the University of Winnipeg/Menno Simons College along with an Applied Counseling Certificate from University of Manitoba.

Since her graduation in 2002, Caines has been affiliated with Integrated Services Northwest, a program of Lake of the Woods Child Development Center where she is currently Director of Access Services. As such she travels extensively throughout Northwestern Ontario and maintains a broad perspective of life and work in northern communities.

Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) administers no-fault workplace insurance for employers and workers, as well as disability benefits. They also monitor the quality of healthcare and assist in early and safe return to work for workers who are injured on the job.

According to a report filed by the Quebec Health and Safety Board (CSST), a horrible accident last summer that claimed the life of a window washer who fell 20 stories to his death was caused by a variety of factors, including a poorly installed and defective electrical cable, poor work instructions and failure to use proper protective equipment, specifically a safety harness.

The accident occurred on August 18, when a worker was washing windows and the equipment holding up the platform to which he was tethered broke loose and fell from the roof of the Blue Cross building in downtown Sherbrooke. Health and Safety Board investigators found the employer, Mon Laveur de Vitres, partially to blame for the accident, and the company could be fined between $5,000 and $20,000. The final amount will be determined by a Quebec judge.

There were more than 600 falls of three metres or more at Montreal region worksites last year, and eight deaths from worksites across Quebec. Because of this record, the CSST has taken a zero-tolerance approach to safety with regard to altitude work, such as high-rise window washers.

A copy of the report will be sent to window-washing companies throughout Quebec, and since the accident, CSST has produced a series of recommendations in the form of a guide, describing safe practices for window washing.

Calgary police and federal safety officers are investigating the death of a worker in his early 50s who fell about six metres from the bucket of a truck to the ground while de-icing a plane at Calgary International Airport.

According to police, the employee of Servisair Canada was de-icing a plane and a co-worker subsequently found him on the ground, where it appeared that he had fallen from the de-icing machine. By the time EMS arrived, he was dead on scene. Light snow was falling at the time, but it is not known if that was a factor in the accident. Servisair Canada specializes in providing de-icing services at airports.

The investigation will be led by federal authorities because it happened at the airport. Human Resource Skills Development Canada is the lead, but they will work closely with Calgary police. Servisair Canada was quick to note that they were cooperating fully with the official investigation, as well as conducting an investigation of their own.

According to an airport spokesperson, the death did not slow down operations at the airport.

The de-icing of aircraft is a safety measure to prevent ice from forming on wings and control surfaces, because the weight of the ice can have a negative effect on a plane’s stability in the air. The usual method of de-icing is to have a crew spray a fluid similar to anti-freeze on the aircraft.

Ontario’s auditor general urged making changes in the workers’ compensation system on both ends of the spectrum in order to fix budgetary problems with the province’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).

In the latest WSIB annual report, AG Jim McCarter recommended that more employers should start paying insurance premiums and that premiums increase to protect injured workers. But the report doesn’t stop with increased premiums; it also suggests that injured workers may have to sacrifice a bit, as well, by collecting less money, returning to work sooner and being given fewer drugs to relieve pain.

McCarter suggested that due to more than $4 billion in investment losses in the past two years, average operating deficits of $900 million annually over the past seven years, and an overwhelming urge on the part of the WSIB to “satisfy all the stakeholders,” the WSIB has amassed a huge $11.5 billion funding deficit by the end of 2008, a deficit the report suggests should be added directly to the government’s books.

To solve the problem, the report recommends that “(b)oth the WSIB and the government may have to commit to a different strategy with respect to the setting of premium rates and benefits if the WSIB is to be able to eliminate the unfunded liability within a reasonable period. Eliminating or reducing the unfunded liability requires the interaction of four key levers – legislated benefits, (expanding) coverage (to industries like financial services), (raising) premium rates and investments – to work effectively in tandem.”

The report contradicts statements by other government officials that the deficit should not be cause for concern, because there is no danger of it going out of business or failing to pay benefits. Moreover, any fixes will be difficult to deal with, politically speaking. Ontario’s workers’ compensation premiums are already among the highest in Canada, averaging $2.26 per $100 of insurable payroll, up from $2.13 in 2002. For 2010, premiums will remain frozen, except for 36,000 companies with poor safety records. The last time injured workers’ benefits were cut was after the recession of the early 1990s, when premiums also started to fall.

Hard to believe it’s been a year since you made your last set of New Year’s resolutions. And don’t pretend you didn’t make any; most of you did, because there is something about humans that makes them turn the changing of a calendar into something special and makes them promise to use the dawning of a new year as an excuse to do things they should have done last year.

But no one seems to ask that vital question no as they come up with new resolutions; how do you think you did with the last set?

If you’re like most people, you didn’t do well, but not for the reasons you might think. According to behavioral experts, one reason people tend to blow off their New Year’s resolutions by the end of January is because our tendency is to resolve to do things that are far too generalized, such as “I resolve to use fewer resources to help save the planet,” or “I resolve to work out.” What do those mean, really, and how do you know you’ve reached your goal?

Businesses also tend to make New Year’s resolutions and they often reflect the same tendency to generalize that plagues the rest of us. As a result, businesses also tend to abandon resolutions after a short time because they really haven’t set meaningful goals. Resolving to “reduce the number of injuries” isn’t really much of a goal.

So, here’s an idea. Instead of your business adopting the same tired safety resolutions, how about doing something different this year; set some practical, measurable and quite attainable New Year’s resolutions for your safety program for 2010.

Here are a few ideas:

Resolve to go “Hazard Hunting.”

As someone responsible for worker safety in your business, hopefully you’ve already assessed workplace hazards and attempted to eliminate as many as possible. But how closely have you looked lately? Resolve to go “Hazard Hunting” on a regular basis and look more closely than usual. Scrutinize the housekeeping and closely examine the condition of work areas. Conduct a thorough examination of equipment and tools to ensure they’re safe to use and make sure personal protective equipment is in good condition and is readily available. Make sure all safety guards on equipment are working, and repair or add them as necessary. And be creative; don’t just look for hazards you recognize, be on the lookout for any pesky new hazards you may have never noticed before, and take steps to eliminate them. And whatever you do, be sure to carve out some time to observe how your employees work; you may be surprised at what you find.

Resolve to emphasize training.

Because employee training is an absolutely vital part of anyone’s safety regimen, promise to constantly evaluate and update training to meet the needs of your workplace and the people in it. Review all government regulations and industry policies for training requirements, as these are often fairly specific. Coincidentally, January 1 is a great time to do this, because new laws and regulations often take effect with the dawn of a new year. In addition to regulations and policies, promise to take advantage of available technology to expand or enhance training options. Provide lots of hands-on training and demonstrations, to make the training experience more meaningful and effective. Also, promise to include supervisors and managers in your training plans; training isn’t only for workers.

Resolve to encourage everyone’s participation in the safety culture.

Resolve to bring everyone into the fold. Your goal should be to create a culture of safety in the workplace, and that requires everyone’s participation. Use recognition and rewards programs to encourage safe behaviour, and talk about safety every chance you get. Encourage workers to take ownership of the safety process, and to make their own suggestions about how to improve the safety of their workplace. Also, make sure they know their suggestions are taken seriously. Organize a safety team and assign a safety lead to every department, and promise to rely on safety committees made up of employees from all levels and positions and involve everyone in problem solving activity. Make sure everyone is aware that safety is a top priority in the workplace, and that they should consider it a top priority, as well. Publish your safety numbers where everyone can see them, so that everyone knows which areas need improvement and can offer better input to the safety process.

You can make 2010 your best year ever by resolving to take specific action to improve workplace safety at your company. But make sure they’re resolutions worth keeping.

Beginning this month, the Construction Safety Association of Ontario (CSAO), the Electrical & Utilities Safety Association (E&USA) and the Transportation Health and Safety Association of Ontario (THSAO) all merged to form the brand new Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA).

The merger comes out of a 2008 Occupational Health and Safety Council of Ontario review, which concluded that even though the health and safety system could point to major successes over the years, its organization was unlikely to be able to meet future challenges. The purpose of the reorganization is to capitalize on shared efficiencies and devote more time to delivering services.

This particular merger creates just one piece of a realignment of Ontario’s 12 workplace safety associations into four new health and safety associations.

A transition board has been working for the past few months on administrative and operational details of the new association. The new association will serve the following industries:

· Construction

· Electrical & utilities

· Transportation

· Aggregates

· Natural Gas

· Ready-Mix Concrete

The IHSA’s mission is to listen to and respond to employers and workers, and do whatever is necessary to create a safe and healthy environment.

Visit the IHSA web site to find out more.

Two simple, yet enormously effective one-minute-long commercials produced by the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) of the NWT and Nunavut recently won first prize in the TV/radio broadcast advertising category at the 2009 American Association of State Compensation Insurance Funds (AASCIF) Communication Awards. The awards are no small achievement, as the competition included workers’ compensation insurance boards across 27 U.S. states, as well as 10 workers’ compensation boards in Canada.

In one commercial, a man from Yellowknife stares matter-of-factly into the camera and tells viewers how he underwent four major surgeries which left him with 26 screws and three plates in his body. “They reconstructed my hip, my knee, my ankle and my urethra,” he states as he stares into the camera. The background is pure black.

This isn’t the first time the WSCC has placed high at the AASCIF awards. In fact, last year, the board took first prize under the audio-visual category, and placed second place in the overall campaign category the year before that.

The board isn’t just producing commercials to win awards, but to make workers think about safety. They’re hoping the prestige of winning the big award will bring more attention to the commercials, and to the board’s “Don’t be a Number” campaign, which focuses on educating young workers on safety. On average, approximately 455 young workers are injured in the NWT and Nunavut. The subjects of both award winning ads were only 22 when they were injured.

The winning commercials can be seen at WSCC’s www.dontbeanumber.ca website.

Hendrickson Canada Ltd.Fined $65,000 After Worker Injured

Hendrickson Canada Ltd., a manufacturer of springs used in heavy trucks, pleaded guilty and was fined $65,000 last week for a violation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) that resulted in a worker injury.

The incident that led to the conviction and fine occurred on August 1, 2008, at the company’s facility in Stratford, Ontario. Workers were using a welding machine to remove a steel partition attached to the floor. The machine was being powered by three extension cords chained together. When the machine began to malfunction, a worker turned it off and moved to disconnect one of the extension cords and remove it, but was electrocuted and lost consciousness.

A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the electrical cord was faulty and had caused the electrical shock, and Hendrickson Canada Ltd. pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that the electrical cord was maintained in good condition.

The fine was imposed by Justice of the Peace Robert Gay, and was accompanied by the court-imposed 25% victim surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act.

This might be a great time to inspect everything in the shop and discard or repair anything not in perfect working order. That is, unless you think a faulty electrical cord is worth as much as $81,250 and an injured worker.

It’s been estimated that about four out of every five adults will experience back pain or injury during their lifetime. As you can guess, this is also a very common reason that workers lose time on the job. Therefore, if would be wise move to develop a routine to reduce the potential for back injury while on the job.

The back is a complicated mechanism. It’s supported by a spinal column made up of vertebrae, each of which is supported by a network of muscles, ligaments and tendons and cushioned by discs. Most instances of back pain occur when part of the body is weak or overworked and the back attempts to compensate. For instance, many back aches occur when carrying a large amount of weight without preparation. If the abdominal muscles aren’t strong enough to carry it, the back overcompensates. That’s why most common form of back pain is muscular.

Muscular back pain usually occurs when engaging in a new activity that the muscles aren’t used to, or by increasing the workload beyond whatever the muscles have done before. It can also happen when muscles are cold. Before engaging in work that might put some strain on the back, you need to warm up first. Do some basic stretching exercises before any strenuous activity. If you’re lifting heavy items, try to lift the least heavy items first, and work your way up to the heaviest. Try to avoid repetitive tasks as much as possible; if equipment is available to perform the job, use it. And be sure to drink plenty of water; dehydration can lead to muscle spasms.

If you take all precautions, and you still end up with a sore back, make sure you give it plenty of rest using good posture. Apply heat to it, in the form of a warm shower or a heating pad.

Tendon and ligament injuries are less common than muscle injury, but it’s still a problem. Ligaments are bands of tissue that connect bones and work as shock absorbers for joints, and tendons connect muscle to bone. Most ligament and tendon injuries occur due to prolonged poor posture. Tendons and ligaments become overstretched due to the poor posture and when sudden strain is placed on them, they can tear. Damage often happens when leaning over a piece of equipment for too long and then engaging in physical activity that puts the back into another awkward position. Such injuries have also been known to occur during tasks such as shoveling.

Again, warming up is a good idea to avoid these injuries. In addition, be sure to take regular breaks to give your back a rest. If your work has you in a position of poor posture, be sure to stop and stretch often. As always, if equipment can perform the job and is available, use it.

Disc injury is also far too common in the workplace. Discs are little cushions between each vertebrae. As you lean from side to side, the down-tilted side of each disc will be squashed and the up-tilted side of the disc will expand. Injuries generally occur when the spine is rotated beyond its normal range of motion, by bending forward too often or too quickly, or by lifting heavy loads. Excessive strain to the discs can occur when you lift a heavy load and proceed to rotate or bend forward while doing so.

Besides warming up and maintaining good posture most of the time, follow proper lifting techniques — “lift with your legs” comes to mind. When carrying a heavy load, lift and set down the load using your legs, while keeping your back as straight as possible.

To keep your back healthy, keep it in your thoughts at all times. Practice good posture, which means keeping the back straight as much as possible. Warm up before engaging in activity that might put pressure on your back. Make sure you give yourself time to rest and recover between activities, and always allow your body to adapt to new activities; don’t just rush into a new project until you’ve had time to rest from the last one.