Employers should seek to comply with Ontario government regulations in order to provide safe working conditions and avoid government sanctions for non-compliance. In this article ACUTE walks through all the essential signs your business should be posting. ACUTE helps you focus on safety by providing quality and industry informed training backed by hands-on experience. See here for our course calendar.
Here are some inventive and fresh ways to communicate and raise awareness about safety issues. These posters offered by CCOHS aren’t mandatory, but they do provide a way to increase safety awareness amongst your team.
Mandatory Posting and Safety Signs
The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development requires that all workplaces display the following signage to support employee safety and for employers to demonstrate due diligence:
Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development’s poster on “Employment Standards in Ontario”
The employment standards act outlines the rules and responsibilities for employers and employee in ensuring workplace safety. It is the basic right of every employee to have access to these standards and to understand them.
Who this applies to: Most workplaces who are under the governance of the Employment Standards Act 2000 must post this informational document in a conspicuous area.
Health and Safety at Work: Prevention Starts Here
This mandatory posting reminds employees and managers what their responsibilities and rights are with respect to safe working conditions. The required posting is simple and impactful in illustrating how health and safety starts with each person.
Who this applies to: All provincially regulated workplaces must post this poster. All employers should post this signage to ensure employees receive adequate safety awareness.
Occupational Health and Safety Act
The Health and Safety act must be accessible to employees to read and review. The act helps define the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development’s (MLITSD) regulations and how they are to be followed in accordance laws and mandate of the provincial government.
Who this applies to: All employers are required to post a copy of the act in their workplace.
Your Company’s Health and Safety Policy
Employees must have access to the safety protocols and procedures that help assure safe working conditions. Posting your safety policy is a good practice to ensure the right knowledge and processes are available to staff. The policy should also indicate the training protocols and guidelines to help ensure safe work.
Who this applies to: All employers must post their safety policy in their workplace.
Your Company’s Workplace Violence and Harassment Policy
Workplace violence causes strain on working relationships and can unfortunately conceal negative interactions between employees or the company. Having a Harassment Policy available helps employees know this behaviour is not tolerated and is part of compliance with the MLITSD.
OH&S training for workplace harassment and violence
Who this applies to: All employers with 6 or more regular full-time employees.
Joint Health and Safety Committee Members
Know who the JHSC members are allows employees to participate in the safety program and reinforces a safety first culture. The committee requires proportionate representation of management and staff resources to enable impactful safety vision and outcomes.
Who this applies to: For companies required to have a committee, each member’s name and location most be posted in an easy to find area.
In case of Injury Poster
This one page poster outlines the quick steps and responses required to manage and control an injury that just occurred. The poster helps employees remember the key steps to helping a coworker and follows best practices of supporting proper health and safety administration.
Who this applies to: All companies are required to display this poster in an easy to find area.
Smoke-Free Area
A long standing signage, the smoke-free sign helps support a healthy work culture: even though preference for smoking is a personal one, it’s effects from second-hand smoke can put others at risk.
Who this applies to: All companies are required to display this poster at entrances and exits of enclosed workspaces.
Signs Help Employees Work and Stay Safe
A well-placed safety sign can help remind employees to work safely while considering the many hazards within a typical workplace – particularly in industrial and construction contexts. The Ontario government works with employers to ensure the safety of workers. Click here for the full checklist. One of the responsibilities of your safety representative or committee is to ensure the right signage or postings are displayed for employees. Postings and safety signs help employees and employers to support the safety objectives of the entire workplace. Safety signs are a great way to quickly highlight a hazard like slippery floors or active electric currents within machinery, helping to avoid costly and time-consuming paperwork and injury settlements.
What if my Workplace Uses Multiple Languages?
For workplaces which operate in languages outside of English or have more than one language, employers are required to post mandatory signs in a comprehensible format. If the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development has a posting requirement there are usually multiple language formats available or the sign can be requested.
Private Companies Have Called to Sell Me Safety Posters. What do I do?
If you have been contacted by a private service or company selling mandatory safety signs please do not purchase these signs and call the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development here, to ensure other businesses do not fall prey to these sales tactics.
Here is what a recent customer had to say about their experience engaging ACUTE as their training provider:
“Very professional approach to consulting. I am not surprised about the success ACUTE has achieved over the last 15 years that I have worked with them. ACUTE delivers with great customer service (creative solutions, flexible accommodation, professional conduct). ACUTE is recognized and respected as a people organization and they have been doing it right for a long time.“
–Konstantinos
See here for more reviews.
Going Beyond Compliance with ACUTE’s Ontario Health and Safety Training
Meeting regulatory requirements offers significant accountability for employers towards ensuring employee safety. The true objective, however, is to ensure workers are effectively protected and equipped to navigate existing and emerging workplace hazards. ACUTE not only meets government requirements but strives to provide quality, hands-on, and industry-tailored training to each of their clients. ACUTE has a cutting-edge training facility that has hosted various Ontario Ministries. Here are ways that ACUTE goes beyond government compliance in Ontario health and safety training.
- Open Door Instructor-Student Partnersh
ip: ACUTE’s training services emphasize client participation. Staff foster relationships with clients and serve as a touchstone for advice moving forward. - Serving Your Team and Industry: With a vast array of clients in the manufacturing, construction, health, academic, and government sectors, ACUTE brings the best safety practices from across the spectrum to your workplace.
- 100 Years Combined Experience: ACUTE provides comprehensive health and safety training, on-site safety services, and consulting services. With over 100 years of combined experience, our staff offers more than theoretical or abstract ideas. ACUTE offers solutions.
- Track Record of Success: ACUTE is rated 4.9/5 stars on Google reviews, demonstrating a commitment to our clients, quality, and a passion for training.
Contact us today for quality training in your workplace or on-site at ACUTE’s proven training facilities!
ACUTE is located in Waterloo, Ontario, and services customers from cities such as Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, Milton, Kitchener, London, and Guelph as well as other cities from across Ontario.
