Safety managers believe open and consistent communication with young workers is the key to reducing the risk of injury on the job. This is according to a COS Reader Panel survey conducted in April.

Current statistics reveal that compared to their more experienced counterparts, young workers are twice as likely to suffer injuries and are five times more likely to get injured during their first four weeks on the job.

In our latest Reader Panel survey we asked our readers to give us some insight into job salaries and responsibilities of today’s health and safety professionals. Although this is not a comprehensive salary survey, it provides some interesting information about health and safety as a profession.

Current provincial rules prohibit refusing a promotion to an employee that exhibits "severe substance abuse, addiction or dependency, e.g. maladaptive patterns of substance use leading to significant impairment or distress." In addition, the prohibition extends to employees that exhibit the "perception" they may either currently have, or have had in the past, such a condition.

What are your thoughts on safety accountability?

Some say that safety starts at home. Most agree that it continues at home, in the way that we take care of ourselves. But just how great is the connection between oh&s and off-the-job safety and general "wellness"? If I'm the type of person who rides a bike without a helmet, stays up late drinking on week nights and has a primarily popcorn diet, am I more prone to getting hurt at work? Researchers are still at work on this issue, but meanwhile we asked the COS Reader Panel some questions on work-life balance. Here's what our 127 panelists had to say:

Safety distributors have told us that their customers don't necessarily complain when they dislike a hard hat, earplug or respirator. Instead, they tend to simply stop buying that product and switch to another, without ever giving the manufacturer feedback on how to make personal protective equipment (PPE) safer, more comfortable, more durable, and generally more appealing to workers.

A new fiscal year is upon us, so we thought it might be time to ask our readers about their job tasks and salaries. While this isn't a comprehensive survey of all occupational health and safety professionals in Canada, it shows a good cross-section of our readers and the work they're paid to do. Here's what our 167 respondents had to say:

Instead of our usual multiple-choice type of survey, this month we asked our reader panelists to share their thoughts on the past and present of health and safety in Canada. Here's what they had to say:

Here's what our 173 respondents had to say:

Once a year, we at COS like to check in with readers to see how their careers are going. These people represent most Canadian industries, from manufacturing to education, and from mining to health care. To get a feel for what health and safety professionals like or dislike about their jobs, we sent COS readers this latest Reader Panel survey questionnaire, entitled "Your burning issues." Here's what our 428 survey respondents had to say: