Health & Safety News is our new online magazine. It's emailed to subscribers in the middle of each month.
In January 2010, CSAO amalgamated with E&USA, and THSAO to form the Infrastructure Health & Safety Association (IHSA), which is responsible for construction, electrical, utilities, transportation, aggregates, natural gas, and ready-mix concrete.
The Ministry of Labour (MOL) continues its focus on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Inspectors will be looking for MSD hazards until the end of October, primarily in the low-rise residential sector. A safety poster is available to post at your workplace.
Safety TalksTake five minutes to save a life! A weekly safety talk shows your commitment to health & safety.
This week: Lockout and tagging
Visit Safety Talks for more topics. (2008 ed. available.)
IHSA's Health and Safety Catalogue features a comprehensive list of the products, training, auditing, and consulting services we offer, along with descriptions, images, course registration and product order forms.
You'll also need the Products and Training Price Guide.
Health and Safety NewsHealth & Safety News is e-mailed to subscribers in the middle of each month. If you did not receive it in your e-mail, you can access it online.
To subscribe, type your email address in the subscription form at the top of this page or visit the online edition.
Ethanol/water mixtures in geothermal loops are flammable. Contractors and workers in the geothermal industry need to know that handling ethanol/water mixtures can be hazardous. Vapours from the mixture can be ignited in a small space and near an ignition source—such as in a basement of a home.
Anchorage RecallPenSafe Inc. is issuing a recall for all 3730 anchorage connectors manuafactured in the latter part of 2007 and distributed by PenSafe from June 2008 through June 2009.
Recall Notice (English) Download Now
Recall Notice (French) Download Now
Basics of AsbestosAsbestos-related diseases are the #1 work-related cause of death among Ontario construction workers. In this program, you will find out what asbestos is, what the potential health effects of exposure can be, how to identify asbestos in infrastructure, and how to work with it safely.
The Masonry Trade Labour-Management Committee has produced an advisory about scleroderma, a disorder that affects the connective tissue that supports your skin and organs. The disease is caused by exposure to silica. There is no cure and symptoms continue or worsen even after exposure stops.
Safety PosterOntario’s health and safety system launched an awareness campaign to remind workers and employers to prevent injuries. The campaign features striking ads—showing x-rays of broken bones—that highlight the seriousness of workplace injuries and the need to eliminate them. IHSA recommends that you download the safety poster and post it in your workplace.
Workplace ViolenceAs of June 15, 2010, the Occupational Health and Safety Act requires employers in Ontario to assess the risks of workplace violence and develop policies and programs towards eliminating violence and harassment in their workplaces. IHSA has developed a toolkit to assist industry employers in developing this policy and program.
This new program, aimed at owners and senior managers of small to medium-sized construction firms, demonstrates that making more time for safety will not only prevent workplace injuries, but will also improve your bottom line and reduce your liabilities.
Aerial LiftSome Genie machines (Z-80: Z80-101 to Z8009-2448) have the wrong floor loading information in the owner's manual and machine decals.
Click here to view the bulletin from Genie.
Frontal-Fixed Rail LadderA Class Frontal-Fixed Rail Ladder (FRL) Fall Protection System is a permanently installed metal rail anchoring system used with an automatic fall arresting device called the trolley (carriage). After a worker was recently injured, the Ministry of Labour determined that the design of the Class FRL Fall Protection System used by the worker did not address all potential fall conditions.
Fall ProtectionThe Infrastructure Health & Safety Association is combating fall hazards in Ontario construction by increasing access to safety training in the industry. An extra 200 sessions of Basics of Fall Protection classroom training will be added to course offerings this summer.
Respirator ProtectionThe Central Ontario Regional Labour-Management Committee has developed a safety bulletin on respirator protection and locates. Visit CSAO's Safety Bulletins page for more safety resources.
Hearing ProtectionEach year, around 300 construction workers in Ontario suffer significant hearing loss because of their work. Hearing loss is gradual and once you get it, it's permanent. Find out what you can do to protect yourself by viewing two new e-learning programs:
Basics of Noise and Basics of Hearing Protection.
See also: Noise Control and Hearing Conservation Kit (WSIB)
Return to WorkWhen injuries and illness occur, it is important for the employer and injured worker to minimize the human and financial impacts by focusing on getting the worker back to safe and productive work as soon as medically possible. Visit the Return to Work page for some helpful resources.
Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Construction Regulations came into effect on January 1, 2010. These changes have been added to the online version of the Act and Regs. In addition, documents outlining the amendments are available to download.
The Construction Health & Safety Officer (CHSO) certificate recognizes individuals who have practical construction knowledge and experience in a range of health and safety topics. To qualify, you must complete eight courses and have five years of practical experience.
In conjunction with the WSIB, we have developed an incident reporting program that allows the construction sector to voluntarily record unexpected exposures to substances or diseases in their workplaces. Information brochures and incident forms are available.
