Businesses in Ontario were fined over $6M by Ontario courts this year for health and safety violations. Below we will detail the top 5 reasons business lost millions from preventable causes.  ACUTE is making an exhortation to Ontario businesses to divert money spent on fines to investing in employee safety with a trusted Ontario trainer today.

“I’ve been using ACUTE for a number of years now. What started with lift truck and crane training has expanded to have them providing most of my H&S disciplines. The customer service is the best I have encountered; they work with me and accommodate my schedules for multiple locations; our employees really like the trainers, and content is the best, and most relevant to my needs as I have ever found. I recommend ACUTE to everyone looking for competent, professional training services.”

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Ontario Business Safety Fines: Accident or Self-Inflicted Injury?

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) published court bulletins, highlighting local businesses for their convictions relating to violations of the Ministry. Ontario businesses were fined over $5.6M as of October of this year. The fines levied are from health and safety negligence on the part of employers which lead to employee injury or fatality. The staggering figure now exceeds $6M, and each of these incidents could have been prevented with the right planning and training. Here are Ontario’s business safety fines as part of violations to MLITSD’s legislation in both 2016 and 2015:

• As of November 16, 2016, companies were fined $6.28 M dollars for failures in upholding safety standards (from court bulletins in 2016).
• In 2015, companies paid out $5.7M in fines for poor health and safety practices, including a lack of procedures and training for workers (from court bulletins in 2015).

The Top 5 Reasons Employers and Employees are Dealing with Injuries Fatalities

We surveyed each of the court bulletins amounting to $6.28M in fines to find these are the top reasons why Ontario businesses are being fined for safety violations against the MLITSD:

1 – Unsafe work procedures ($1.9M fines)

Of the many fines released to date, 23 of them related to workers using unsafe procedures or employers not ensuring that the correct procedures were being used in the midst of hazardous work. Factors that related to unsafe work procedures have now costed Ontario businesses safety fines of  $1.9M.

Relevant course for prevention: Safety Awareness Training – gives employees the hands on and practical knowledge needed to manage and navigate hazardous workplaces and also when to not conduct work if safety cannot be reasonable assured.

2 – Lack of sufficient training ($1.7M in fines)

A whopping 16 fines included deficiencies in training provided or that no training was provided at all despite workers engaging in hazardous work.  Factors that related to a lack of sufficient training helped land Ontario businesses with safety fines of  $1.7M. Employers are prohibited from deploying team members into a working environment until they have been adequately trained. Yet particularly in construction there is a pressure to manage costs of training new employees from staffing churn. Despite the challenges, employers must be ready to face the consequences of failing to prepare employees for hazardous work.

Relevant prevention courses: Safety Awareness Training (Supervisor)  – enables supervisors to understand their responsibilities and requirements in stewarding the lives under their care. This course highlights the need for further training which includes confined space, lock out tag out, and working at heights.

3 – Lack of hazard control ($1.3M in fines)

15 employers were charged for failing to address slippery walkways or unstable work platforms. Lack of hazard controls contributed to Ontario businesses receiving safety fines of  $1.3M. There was a repeat failure on the part of employers to manage hazards of spills, air quality issues, and ergonomic risks faced by their employees. The government of Ontario provides guidelines and mandatory legislation to protect the health of employees, failure to comply is a corner business owners shouldn’t cut.

Relevant prevention courses: Safety Awareness Training (Supervisor)  – enables supervisors to be positioned in managing. This course highlights the need for further training which includes confined space, spill response, and working at heights.

4 – Failure to utilize machinery hazard guarding  ($1.3M in fines)

A total of 11 employers were charged with failing to protect employees from serious injuries and even fatalities when exposing them to hazardous machinery.  Failure to utilize machinery hazard guarding contributed to Ontario businesses having safety fines of  $1.3M. Employers had many mishaps from not properly securing table saws, metal works stations, and other industrial machinery that led to injuries and fatalities in 2016.

Relevant prevention courses: Lock out tag out training – provides the best techniques in shutting down heavy machinery and locking them down to remove hazard or accidentals starts. The course further provides delegates with hands on experience in safely securing industrial technologies to avoid accidents and fatalities.

5 – Failure to take precaution ($1M in fines)

8 employers were penalized by the Ontario court for a variety of precaution failures from too few workers to safely conduct work, to failing to ensure work platforms were set up to manufacturer’s specifications. Failure to take precaution contributed to Ontario businesses receiving safety fines of almost $1M. Communication and analysis of safety hazards was a common unwritten pitfall. Each of these incidents were avoidable providing a hazard analysis and control exercise were conducted.

Relevant prevention courses: Safety Training – One course isn’t a silver bullet but having a comprehensive training delivered and empowered by real life experience by industry trainers is the safest way to avoid over $6M in safety violation fines.

What has been the most effective way of dealing with hazards?

The American Journal of Public health recommends using engaging and dynamic training to ensure skill and knowledge loss doesn’t happen.

• Participants lose 50% of training received from online or lecture-only training (source).
• In addition to being fined over $6M in legislative penalties and convictions, companies spent $52M compensating employees who were injured at work. Comparatively, one training course often costs less than a thousand dollars (source).

Click on the image to view the full infographic.

• Organizations were able to reduce their health and safety claim rates from 50% to 20% when motivated by external influence like a customer or government agency to improve (source).

Get Training from People who Have Experience Facing  and Managing the Hazards your Team Faces

ACUTE offers experienced trainers and a world class training facility, helping your team members navigate hazards and avoid being featured in the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development’s convictions bulletins.