Safety

Govt bill weakens labour law protections for workers

October 28, 2018

This has been a challenging week for legal protection of workers’ conditions of employment and safety on the job. On Tuesday the Ford government introduced Bill 47, Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018 to roll-back labour laws changes enacted in the…

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The Opioid crisis, injured workers, and the WSIB

August 17, 2018

Although the opioid crisis is now recognized as a national priority in both Canada and the United States, the two countries with the highest per capita opioid usage, a feature article in Workers’ Comp Hub Newsletter (summer 2018) highlights the fact…

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Extreme heat and the worker

August 7, 2018

With global temperatures rising, heat waves are becoming the new normal, leaving many workers increasingly vulnerable to sunstroke and other heat-related illnesses, and at risk of injury from related loss of concentration and fatigue. While working in hotter temperatures impacts outdoor workers,…

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Construction industry anxious for handout from Doug Ford’s WSIB

June 28, 2018

A recent article in the Daily Commercial News reports that construction industry leaders are anxious for details from the new Ford government. David Frame, director of government relations for the Ontario General Contractors Association, said this year the Workplace Safety and Insurance…

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Remembering Ontario’s workers

May 1, 2018

Communities across Ontario held ceremonies Friday and over the weekend to commemorate the national Day of Mourning. Injured workers speaking at these events brought home the horrendous reality behind the numbers (227 Ontario fatalities in 2017 from occupational injury or…

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When workers die: the woeful state of OH&S regulation

November 30, 2017

“Penalties when workers die on the job don’t go far enough, say labour groups, families” / Jacques Marcoux, Kristin Annable (CBC News, Nov. 30, 2017) According to the most recent statistics available from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada, in…

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Study: How workplace violence affects Ontario hospital workers

November 28, 2017

Following the release of a member poll on workplace violence earlier in the month that revealed more than two out of three healthcare workers had been physically assaulted at least once in the past year, a new study by Jim Brophy, Margaret…

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Working towards safety

June 18, 2017

With the start of the summer job season, the Ministry of Labour’s annual inspection and enforcement blitz got underway, aimed at ensuring workers are safe at work and know their rights. Although Ontario now has mandatory occupational health and safety (OH&S) awareness…

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“Asbestos takes no prisoners”

May 7, 2017

Bill 88, Asbestos Use Prohibition Act 2017, introduced by MPP Robert Bailey, passed second reading in the House February 23 and was sent to the Standing Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly. Scheduled hearings for Bill 88 before the Legislative Committee…

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Day of Mourning 2017

April 25, 2017

On April 28 those who have been killed, made ill or injured as a result of occupational disease or work-related accidents are commemorated around the world in ceremonies of remembrance and action. In Canada, the Day of Mourning, launched in 1984 by…

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