Monkeypox is now active and spreading in Canada, with 26 confirmed cases according to the most recent data from the Public Health Agency of Canada. Most of the cases are centred in Quebec, which is reporting 25 cases, but Ontario has one confirmed case as well. The World Health Organization’s top expert on monkeypox, Rosamund Lewis, said this new health threat is unlikely to become a pandemic but remains a global concern as there are many unknown details about it, particularly how it...
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) President and CEO Jeffrey Lang announced today a new pandemic bonus for businesses with less than 99 employees enrolled in the agency’s Health and Safety Excellence program: doubling of rebates for topics completed in 2022. “We know Ontario businesses work to have the safest workplaces anywhere, but many smaller businesses are still recovering from the pandemic,” said Lang. “We are stepping up with added incentives to help get more...
Labour, Training and Skills Development Convicted: 2258850 Ontario Inc. o/a Perth County Fabrication, 4812 Road 164, Bornholm, Ontario, N0K 1A0, a company that fabricates and erects structural steel for construction projects. Location of Workplace: 439 King Street, Welland, ON. Description of Offence: A worker was fatally injured while performing duties at a construction site in Welland, ON. Date of Offence: November 12, 2019. Date of Conviction: March 29...
Angela Gismondi May 2, 2022 Connected. Supported. Safe. That is the theme of Construction Safety Week 2022 which will be marked May 2 to 6. “It’s appropriate given we’ve been disconnected through the pandemic and now we need to be better connected and supporting each other to keep each other safe,” said Craig Lesurf, president of Gillam Group, who is also chair of the League of Champions and the Ontario General Contractors Association safety committee. “We have always...
Labour, Training and Skills Development Convicted: FIO Automotive Canada Corporation, 199 Bay Street, Commerce Court West, Suite 2800, Toronto, Ontario. Location of Workplace: 220 Dunn Road, Stratford, Ontario. Description of Offence: A worker employed by FIO Automotive Canada Corporation (FIO) suffered a critical injury at the workplace when a 1,500-pund feed bar was knocked out of its support cradle and struck the worker who was operating the crane. FIO contravened...
Labour, Training and Skills Development Convicted: Trouw Nutrition Canada Inc., ISO Research Lane, Suite 200, Guelph, Ontario. Location of Workplace: 600 James Street South, St. Marys, Ontario. Description of Offence: A worker employed by Trouw Nutrition suffered an injury at the workplace due to a lift truck accident. Trouw Nutrition failed to notify an inspector immediately of the occurrence of a critical injury, as required by s. 51(1) and contrary to s. 66 of...
Convicted: Pathways to Independence, 289 Pinnacle Street, Belleville, Ontario. Location of Workplace: 2426 County Road 18, Kemptville, Ontario. Description of Offence: A worker working at a home operated by Pathways to Independence was fatally injured as a result of an incident of workplace violence. Pathways to Independence failed, as an employer, to reassess the risk of workplace violence as required under section 32.0.3(4) of the Occupational Health and Safety...
Convicted: 2341134 ThermoEnergy Structures Inc., 980 Stevenson Drive, Braeside, Ontario. Location of Workplace: 3346 Stirling Marmora Road, Stirling-Rawdon, Ontario. Description of Offence: A worker performing work for ThermoEnergy Structures Inc. suffered a fatality resulting from the use of a bucket truck. ThermoEnergy Structures Inc. failed, as a constructor, to ensure that the measures and procedures prescribed by O. Reg. 213/91, made under the Occupational Health...
Convicted: Westdale Construction Co. Limited, which owns and operates a high-rise residential apartment building. Location of Workplace: 50 Cambridge Road, Toronto, Ontario. Description of Offence: A worker suffered a fall resulting in critical injuries while performing HVAC maintenance work. Westdale should have taken the precaution of providing cautionary signage identifying hazards at the building. Date of Offence: November 12, 2019 Date of...
New measures would improve worker safety and save lives TORONTO — The Ontario government has introduced legislation to protect workers on the job and save lives. If passed, the Working for Workers Act, 2022 (Working for Workers Act 2), will require workplaces that are at risk of a worker opioid overdose to have naloxone kits. The legislation would also introduce the highest fines in Canada for companies that fail to follow workplace health and safety laws. “Everyone in...