On April 28, Ontario marks the Day of Mourning — a day when we remember and honour those who have died, been injured or become ill on the job. The Day of Mourning is a time to reflect on the past and remember our fallen. It is also an opportunity to look to the future, and reaffirm our commitment to keep workplaces safe. This weekend, people across this province will gather at ceremonies in city squares, union halls and other locations. Flags will be lowered to half-mast to honour loved ones...
TORONTO, ONTARIO – Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Limited (Gay Lea) pleaded guilty and has been fined $70,000 after a worker was injured by machinery. On July 19, 2014, a Gay Lea worker operated a yogurt filling machine at the workplace located at 100 Clayson Road in Toronto. The worker noticed that a yogurt tube was stuck on the line and tried to free it by hand. The worker’s hand then made contact with the machine’s blades, causing injuries. A Ministry of Labour...
BRAMPTON, ONTARIO – The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) was found guilty after a trial and fined $100,000 after a worker was injured and a LCBO location was found to have an unsafe work environment. On April 24, 2013, a LCBO worker was moving a pallet of product using a forklift at the LCBO store located at 170 Sandalwood Parkway in Brampton. As the worker began to insert the forks into the pallet, a sound was heard which caused the worker to get out of the forklift and...
If there’s one take-away from the disturbing aftermath of the United Airlines passenger-extraction fiasco, it’s how quickly a badly managed incident turned into a disastrous PR crisis. The bungled response will no doubt fester in the annals of history for the once-reputable airline company. That’s bad. Really bad. And too bad for United Airlines. Having dealt with a few work-related crisis over the course of my career, the first thing any sensible organization should have...
The growing movement to legalize marijuana for recreational use mixed in with random drug and alcohol testing in the workplace brings to light a myriad of complex issues to the forefront of occupational safety and the implications for work. Just recently, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) announced they plan to begin random testing after an Ontario Superior Court judge upheld its plan to test its employees for drug and alcohol use – a refreshing development in the TTC’s ongoing...
TORONTO, ONTARIO – Mattress retailer Sleep Country Canada Inc. pleaded guilty and has been fined $60,000 after a worker was critically injured in traffic while completing a delivery in north Toronto. On January 21, 2016, a worker employed by Sleep Country as a delivery helper was making an evening delivery with a co-worker at an apartment building on the south side of Finch Avenue West near Weston Road. Finch Avenue West at that location consists of two eastbound lanes, two westbound...
The Province has announced its latest list of targeted workplace inspection blitzes, over the next year. Each year, the Ministry of Labour schedules inspection blitzes and initiatives in specific sectors to protect workers’ rights under both the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Employment Standards Act, and enhance employers’ awareness of their responsibilities. As usual, the focus of their workplace inspection blitzes and initiatives for 2017-18. are announced ahead of...
Don’t fear the Ministry of Labour (MOL) inspector. While it can be a bit intimidating to subject your construction site to such in-depth scrutiny, having an MOL inspector drop in to your workplace should be treated as a litmus test for your efforts to maintain a safe work environment. After all, they have seen it all – good and bad. Recently, the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) spoke to Michael Chappell, Provincial Co-ordinator for the MOL Construction...
The Ministry of Labour has extended by six months the April 1 compliance deadline for construction workers to get their new Working at Heights training. The new deadline is October 1 – meaning all Ontario construction site employers will have until then to ensure workers who use fall protection systems on their projects, have taken a new Ministry of Labour-approved Working at Heights (WAH) safety training course. The extension applies only to experienced workers – those who...
BURLINGTON, ONTARIO – Sunny Roofing Inc., a roofing company based in the Greater Toronto Area, was fined a total of $40,000 in court for health and safety violations that included obstruction of a Ministry of Labour inspector during an investigation and failing to ensure its workers had mandatory fall protection and safety equipment. Obstructing an inspector in the performance of the inspector’s duties is an offence under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). On July 13...