Minimum Standards for Occupational Health and Safety in the Construction Industry

There are nearly 3000 deaths per year in Canada due to not following the appropriate guidelines listed in the Occupational Health and Safety Manuel. Every province in Canada has similar but not the same rules for protecting the health and wellness of each and every employee. The purpose of this website is to educate both employers and employees in the construction sector about different things companies can do that will protect both the worker and employer from dealing with a tragic and avoidable accident. If employers are willing to take the extra steps to implement health and safety programs, in the long run, the benefit outweighs the cost. The following link will take you to the Ministry of Labour website to give you even more information.

http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pubs/ohsa/index.php

The above website goes into more detail about the health and safety act and goes more in depth on what has been posted to this website. This is useful to anyone working in Ontario, many workers are unaware of the dangers present in the workplace. The Occupational Health and Safety Act goes in depth about the rights and responsibilities of workers, supervisors, and employers. Almost every occupation in Canada is covered by the Occupational Health and Safety Act, but there are a few federal businesses that are not. They include banks, post offices, airlines, and airports, as well as, some telecommunication centres, they are covered by the Canada Labour Code ("Who's Covered by the Act?", 2011).

The Importance of WHMIS and Training

All employers are required to ensure that all hazardous materials are labeled and to ensure that Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are available throughout the workplace, they must be updated every 3 years as they do expire.

Providing the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) will lower the rate of employees becoming ill or injured on the job;

proper training from employers and supervisors will reduce the risk of both those things from happening.

Worker training programs should be designed, implemented, and reviewed at least once a year for, both the employees and employers.

All employees in Ontario should be trained and know these labels if they are dealing with them.

http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pdf/whmis.pdf


The above site gives all the information needed about WHMIS and the supplier's, employer's and employee's responsibility when it comes to following the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System. Following these regulations is important to help decrease workplace accidents, injuries, and illnesses.


Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System widely known as WHMIS is used throughout Canada. It is designed to inform both employers and employees about the potential hazards associated with certain chemicals and substances. Many workers are not aware of the potential hazards of chemicals in the workplace, but there are ways information can be provided, they are as follows:

• Employee education programs
• Ensuring labels are on all containers,
• Material Safety Data Sheets are available

If both the employer and employee are informed about the potential dangers associated with workplace chemicals, it will greatly reduce the risk of a serious injury or illness from happening ("Ministry of Labour," 2011).

Four Different Hazards as Listed under WHMIS

There are 4 different hazards as listed in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, they are listed below:

• Physical Agents
• Chemical & Biological Agents
• Psychosocial Hazards

Physical Agents are the most common in construction, and there are 4 different types being, thermal stress, vibration, radiation and noise. All of these hazards can have a life long effect and may not be able to be treated. Every employer must take into account that the health and safety of their employee's depends on the success of the business. To prevent physical agents from happening workers must wear their personal protective equipment, supervisors and employers must follow the guidelines, train and educate workers on the potential hazards involved in the workplace.

There are a number of different ways chemicals can get in the body, including, ingestion, penetration, respiration, and skin absorption. It may be bacteria, spray paint, and aerosols. These sort of agents can be prevented by taking the necessary measures for every issue that could cause illness or injury, such as cleaning up a spilled mess, notifying a supervisor or employer of unsafe chemicals around, and make sure there is a room for toxic chemicals that may pose a hazard.

Psychosocial hazards are stressors in the workplace environment that cause a significant amount of stress on the worker. Stress can possibly have some serious consequences, employees exposed to constant or high levels of stress may cause strain reactions that may be psychosocial, physical, organizational or behavioural (Kelloway & Francis, 2011, p.184).

The Benefit to Employer's and Employees with WSIB/WCB

There are great benefits involved with WSIB for both employers and employees. Occupational Health and Safety in Ontario falls partially under the Workman's Safety Insurance Board. All employees have the right to:

• Refuse the work if it endangers the health and safety of the employee
• Participate in health and safety recommendations through the JHSC
• Know about about the potential workplace hazards

The employer pays a monthly premium into WSIB to protect the worker is he/she is injured on the job, by compensating them for their injury or illness, as well as loss time. It also protects the employer from the employee suing the organization and putting them into bankruptcy. Since WSIB has been implemented among all businesses in Ontario the loss time claims for injury or illness went from 112,754 in 1995 to 80,863 in 2007, this is a clear indication that with implemented health and safety programs the worker has a less likely chance of being injured on the job.


http://www.wsib.on.ca/en/community/WSIB

The above site goes into detail about the duties for both employees and employers when it comes to filing a claim, prevention of serious accidents, and different programs and services available for injured workers. If an employee is injured on the job, it is their duty to inform a supervisor right away, failing to do this will result in a denied claim. A worker must provide information by the practitioner and be willing to return to work as soon as possible ("Rights and Responsibilities," 2011).

WSIB also offers a variety of benefits for injured or ill workers, they include, loss of earnings, loss of retirement income, non economic loss, health care, and survivor benefit plans. A non economic loss would be where a worker was injured or became ill because of their job and is permanently impaired and unable to work. This benefit plan would be used when there is no further improvement expected ("Benefits of Injured Workers," 2011).

Internal & External Agencies That Effect Workplace Health and Safety

There are both internal and external agencies that provide information to employees and employers about the proper health and safety procedures. The Internal Responsibility System (IRS) is a system that ensures employers, employees, and supervisors take personal responsibility for safety.

There is also a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) and they are mandatory with workplaces that has 20 employees or more. They are made up of representatives of managers and union or workers, they have the responsibility of ensuring that health and safety is taken seriously in the workplace. There are four principle functions the JHSC is responsible for:

1. Identifying potential hazards
2. Evaluate the potential hazards
3. Recommend corrective action
4. Follow up implemented recommendations

The main goal of the Joint Health and Safety Committee is to work with management and create a safer working environment, having a JHSC could greatly reduce WSIB and Ministry of Labour claims. At least one member on the committee must be certified under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Kelloway & Francis, 2011, p.30). 

The Ministry of Labour is the external agency responsible for investigating workplace accidents, they may enter the workplace without prior notice, and they have more power than police officers, custom officers, and the RCMP. As an employee you can get charged a maximum of $25,000 and the organization could receive a max fine of $500,000, just for not following the Occupational Health and Safety Act.


http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/topics/construction.php

The above link will guide you if you are a construction worker or employer, it has regulations and guidelines for working with hazardous materials, specific construction jobs, as well as, case studies of events that have happened in the past. It also has publications for different areas of construction. For example, if employees are working with asbestos there are regulations implemented by the Ministry of Labour in 2007, these include:

• Clean air testing
• Proper Training and personal protective equipment 
• Procedures for the use of glove bags
• Maintenance of air quality 

There are many resources available to anyone working in construction in Ontario, they are free and beneficial to every employee and employer. All it takes to work in a safe environment is being educated and aware of the dangers associated with construction.

Industrial and Safety Regulations for Construction

http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_910213_e.htm

The link listed above is a website that goes in depth about the specific regulations that must be followed when working in construction.

There are a number of guidelines that must be followed under Regulation No. 213/91, in the Industrial and

Construction regulations implemented in Ontario by the Ministry of Labour.

There are five different parts to the regulations for construction workers and employers, they are as follows:

• Part I - General
• Part II - General Construction
• Part III - Excavations
• Part IV - Tunnels, Shafts, Caissons, and cofferdams
• Part V - Work in Compressed Air

This website will focus on the Health and Safety Act and Regulations involved in construction in Ontario. 
Many workers do not know the proper procedures to keep them safe and healthy while at work. 
This website provides in-depth knowledge for construction workers and employers to take the necessary
precautions to prevent extreme events from happening.

References

Kelloway, K., & Francis, L. (2011). Management of Occupational Health and Safety (5th ed.). Toronto, ON:           Nelson.

Ministry of Labour. (2011). A Guide to the Legislation WHMIS. Retrieved from http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english /hs/pdf/whmis.pdf


Ministry of Labour. (2011). Hot Topics in Construction. Retrieved from http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/topics/construction.php

Service Ontario. (2011). Occupational Health & Safety Act. Retrieved from http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_910213_e.htm


WSIB. (2011). Benefits for Injured or Ill Workers. Retrieved from http://www.wsib.on.ca/en/community/WSIB/230/ArticleDetail/24338?vgnextoid=6fe6f3bff3d0c210VgnVCM100000469c710aRCRD


WSIB. (2011). Rights and Responsibilities. Retrieved from http://www.wsib.on.ca/en/community/WSIB/230/Article Detail/24338?vgnextoid=a096f3bff3d0c210VgnVCM100000469c710aRCRD