This article highlights statistics and government requirements on why workplace health and safety training is no longer nice to have, but a must have in today’s business landscape. Click here for how ACUTE helps staff who work in hazardous environments stay secure and proactive.
Why Should Employers Be Intentional About Workplace Health and Safety?
In 2014 the Health Safety Executive (HSE reported 27.4 Million days of lost work due to health and safety issues. This statistic highlights the need for employers to be cognizant of impacts to employee productivity, regulatory penalties, and public relations which have far reaching implications.
- Employee productivity – Both short and long-term productivity may be impacted by unsafe working conditions or limited awareness of healthy and safety hazards. Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) reported in 2014 that employees were off work for an average of 7.5 days one month after an incident.
- Regulatory Penalties – Regulatory fines are made when employers are found to be negligent in adhering to regulatory requirements. In 2015 employers were fined over $5.7M for violations of Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development regulations settled in court, and in some cases resulted in conviction.
- Public Relations – Employers operate alongside communities, families, and individual lives: all of which are impacted when unintended incidents occur. Employers large and small continue to face the repercussions of untimely workplace incidents from the BP oil spill to Imperial Metals’ mine disaster.
Training is crucial for any employer who looks to manage health and safety for their employees to help them do the right thing in the right way. ACUTE offers comprehensive training for staff, to prepare for and be proactive against health and safety issues.
“We have relied on ACUTE for years to train our staff and keep them safe on the job site.”
– Bob, Millwrighting Company
What Are Common Workplace Health and Safety Hazards and How Can They Be Mitigated?
There are many hazards to workplace health and safety which many can be mitigated by training, awareness, and team support. Here are some common workplace hazards and risks that employers will continue to face:
Falls – This a common risk no matter the working environment an employee may be in, but can amount to significant decrease in productivity or missed time from work.
Toxic Event – Gas and chemical leaks including asbestos continue to be a hazard that many employers need to plan for and respond to.
Repetitive Motion / Ergonomic Risks – With many industries having a bulk of its workforce, engaged in one posture, repetitive motions, or heavy lifting throughout the day, employees may suffer from injuries that could have short-term or permanent ramifications.
Employers can mitigate these hazards by offering regular training of workplace hazards, how they should respond, and who to communicate with so that others are not put at risk. To supplement knowledge acquisition, employers may also evaluate staff understanding; either by running mock scenarios to test execution, or reoccurring evaluations. Team communication and escalation protocols can also help employers quickly respond to incidents; but without up to date process and training, these hazards remain at large.
What Are Legal Requirements of Health and Safety for Employers in Ontario?
Ontario has stipulated legal requirements for training within the Occupational Health and Safety (Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.1). Based on our understanding the following training imperatives are of priority for employers:
- Health and safety representative(s) (or within a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC)) are to be trained to allow them to effective serve in their roles
- Train workplace employees who are not on a JHSC to carry out duties delegated by a JHSC
- Ensure that a worker exposed or likely to be exposed to a hazardous material or physical agent receives training
- Provide information to government inspectors on content, frequency, and manner of instruction of any training programs offered
- Health and safety awareness training for every worker and supervisor
ACUTE provides comprehensive health and safety training, on-site safety services and consulting services. With over 100 years of combined experience, company staff offer more than theoretical or abstract ideas. ACUTE offers solutions.
Acute Safety & Safety Services is located in Waterloo, Ontario and services customers from the cities such as Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, Milton, Kitchener, London and Guelph as well as a large list of other cities from across Ontario and North America.
Sources
http://www.wsibstatistics.ca/s1home/s1highlights/
http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/news/cb2015.php
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/at-a-glance.pdf http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh1213.pdf, http://awcbc.org/?page_id=14
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90o01#BK10
This was an awesome read thanks for sharing the important of work place safety training! I am looking to read more post from you.
I can imagine that falls are a common risk like you pointed out. This is probably a bigger risk for those who work at heights. To think that so many deaths and injuries could be prevented by proper training makes it clear how important training is.