On April 3rd, 2006 the Ontario Ministry of Labour announced it would deploy workplace inspectors across the province. These inspectors would be targeting 6,000 workplaces including industrial, health care, retail, office and administrative environments.

According to Ministry of Labour spokesperson Belinda Sutton “the inspectors will be targeting high-risk workplaces in addition to providing information and discussing ergonomic hazards, identifying ergonomic-related issues and taking preventive steps.”

Zero may be the worst possible mark in the academic realm, but in the workplace, it’s exactly what safety professionals are aiming for.

 
The Electrical and Safety Utilities Association (EUSA) has been working with its member companies towards a similar goal. Launched in 2004, ZeroQuest was established as a tool for instituting an integrated health and safety system in the workplace, envisioned to lead the industry towards its target of zero lost time injuries by 2011.

Canadian Occupational Safety introduces the new Video Library, adding to its roster of quality online content. Through the Video Library, readers can browse through our professionally created and well-edited collection of quality videos of news and events within the health and safety community.

Provisions for the prevention of workplace violence will soon be part of the federal occupational health and safety regulation, according to Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.

Blackburn made the announcement at the Canadian launch of the North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week in Ottawa on May 5th.

Honeywell International will soon be playing in the personal protective equipment space, after it announced a definitive agreement to acquire Norcross Safety Products.

John Greer, vice-president of marketing for North Safety, a subsidiary of Norcross, made the announcement at the Health and Safety Canada 2008 trade show, held in Toronto last week.

Seatbelts took awhile to catch on when introduced to the market but have become an acknowledged, life-saving device for drivers. Workers in industrial plants, too, have come to accept safety devices as a necessary part of their routine. In some cases, they use them as automatically as seatbelts.

Despite this progress, why are workers still getting injured or killed by machinery?

On April 28th, B.C. workers and employers pause at Day of Mourning ceremonies throughout the province to remember and honour those who have lost their lives, been injured or made ill on the job.

The BC Forest Safety Council supports this national day of reflection and its members recommit to ensuring all workers return from work safely everyday to their friends and families.