Quiz: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, WHMIS/GHS, OHSA, JHSC (15%)

CHAPTER 1
Occupational Health & Safety
 Recognition, assessment, and control of hazard associated with the work environment
 Interpretation of workplace injury data depends on how many people work in each industry,
region, and reporting requirements in each area
 Goal of OH&S programs: reduce occupational injury and illness
Hazard
 Potential adverse health effect, damage, or harm on something or someone under certain
conditions at work
 Includes: chemical, biological, physical, and psychological aspects

Occupation injury
 Cut, fracture, sprain or amputation from workplace incident
 LOST TIME INJURY – injury that results in employee missing time from work

Occupation Illness
 Abnormal conditions or disorder caused by exposure to environmental factors associated with
employment
History perspective on Risk & Liability
 Assumption of risk – belief that a worker accepted the risks of employment when he/she
accepted a job
 View that injuries were caused by accident-prone people

Developments in Canadian Legislation

 Late 19th century – Ontario legislation established safety standards (machine guards)
 Early 20th century – Canadian jurisdictions passed factory laws to regulate heating, lighting,
ventilation, hygiene, fire safety, and accident reporting
 1889 – commissioners made many recommendations
o Improving health and safety by establishing standards and mandating regular
inspections
o System for compensating victims of industrial accidents, regardless of who was at fault
o Labour bureau to be created to oversee these activities
 1974 – three principle rights of workers first articulated
o Right to refuse dangerous work without penalty
o Right to participate in identifying and correcting H&S problems
o Right to know about hazards in the workplace
 1988 – Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Systems (WHMIS) legislation passed
 2004 – changes to the criminal codes of Canada to follow for criminal charges for some OH&S
violations
Imperatives for H&S
1. Economic considerations
- Indirect costs: low employee moral, high absenteeism, negative publicity
- Direct costs: cost to investigate
- 12 billion dollars a year
 2. Legal considerations
- OH&S acts provide legal rights to safe workplaces for every worker
- DUE DILIGENCE: expected standard of conduct that requires employers to take very
reasonable precaution to ensure safety
3. Moral considerations
- Safety is the “right” focus for employers
- Workers have responsibilities
- Management commitment to H&S increases employees’ motivation (change of
perception)
Stakeholders
 Government
- Legislation (OH&S Act, Workers’ Compensation Acts)
- Support knowledge sharing and research on OH&S
 Employers
- Prepare OH&S policy and display in workplace
- Provide and maintain equipment materials, and protective devices
- Ensure work performed is safe and environment is free of hazards/risks
 Employees
- Perform duties and tasks in a safe and responsible way
- Compliance with company and legislative regulations
- Report defective equipment and hazards
 Organized Labour
- Participate in joint OH&S committee
- Bring programs/issues in H&S to government and employers attention

*** The Role of Human Resources***

 TRADITION VIEWS OF SAFETY – emphasizes on engineering, education, enforcement
(doesn’t provide a total solution)
 FOCUSING ON PEOPLE SIDE OF SAFETY – likely to result in a safer workplace
 Safety is often managed under human resources function in organizations for several reasons:
o Safety is integrated into other human resource functions e.g. training, job design,
scheduling
o Safety requires legislative compliance
o Safety decreases costs

Young Workers (16 to 24)

 Especially at risk in the workplace because
o Lack of experience/don’t know what they don’t know
o Bad judgement
o Don’t pay attention to training/lack of training
o Don’t take it seriously, think they are invincible
o Don’t know their rights (laws)

CHAPTER 2
*OHSA – administered by ministry of labour (provincial)
*WSIA – administered by WSIB (provincial)
Canada Labour Code (Federal)