Informative news and topics

The health and safety of everyone at work is everyone's responsibility. 

Workplace incidents have a long lasting impact and severe consequences in the workplace, on the families of those connected, and their surrounding communities. They can also cause financial burden on both the business and the worker.  And in many cases, incidents also provoke a sequence of legal affairs that can have negative residual effects.  This can lead to both internal and external investigations into the worker and the business. 

It is important to communicate, document, and report workplace violence and harassment, sexual harassment, as well as hazardous and unsafe conditions as soon as we are made aware of such events and conditions. Documentation and reporting of hazards, incidents, and accidents provide due diligence support for everyone, including the worker, supervisor, and the business. 
 

Some tips:

• Maintaining a detailed log book that includes location, time,  date, weather and other environmental conditions, number of personnel,  job ID if possible, along with description of the events and tasks for  each day
• Conducting a thorough job safety analysis 
• Field level risk assessments
• Daily safety briefings, and weekly safety meetings
• Worker observations
• Conducting regular job site safety audits

Some of the  preceding steps can help identify behavior that may lead to a negative  outcome. They can also help implement mitigation controls, and sometimes  remove hazards that a business, its managers, supervisors, workers, and  even the public can encounter during work activity. 

Keep in mind, when considering ways to defend against a workplace hazard, personal protective equipment (PPE) should be the last option. PPE is a way to control hazards at the worker. Better options are engineering controls that eliminate or reduce as much of the risk as possible at the source or along the path to the worker. In many industries there are tasks that must be performed where the risks cannot be completely eliminated but controlled to a point where they allow the work to be done with low risk rating. That said, we must always attempt to find a reasonable risk solution, or control method to safely, and effectively perform the task.  

Some items and topics applicable in the workplace:

Criminal Code - Part I - Parties to Offences

• Offences of Negligence | Organizations - Section 22.1
• Other offences | Organizations - Section 22.2

Criminal Code - Part VIII - Offences Against the Person and Reputation

• Duties of persons undertaking acts dangerous to life - Section 216
• Duties of persons undertaking acts - Section 217
• Duties of persons directing work - Section 217.1
• Criminal negligence - Section 219 
• Causing death by criminal negligence - Section 220
• Causing bodily harm by criminal negligence - Section 221

OHSA | Act and Appendix Quick Reference

• Definitions – Section 1
• Safety Rep – Section 8
• Joint Health and Safety Committee – Section 9 
• Constructor – Section 23, Section 24
• Employer – Section 24, Section 25, Section 26
• Supervisor – Section 27
• Worker – Section 28
• Workplace Owner – Section 29, Section 30
• Directors and Officers – Section 32
• Violence and Harassment – Section 32.0.1
• Right to Refuse or To Stop Work Where Health or Safety is in Danger – Section 43
• Notice of Injury or Death – Section 51 and,
• Notice of Accident, Explosion, Fire or Violence causing injury – Section 52 (1), (i), (ii)
• Critical Injury – Appendix C-24, Section 1
• Enforcement – Section 54
• Offences and Penalties – Section 66
• Ticketing Schedules and Set Fines Relating to Occupational Health and Safety – Appendix E-1, Schedule 67, and 67.1
• Hazardous Physical Agents – Appendix D-3, Section D
• Regulations that Directly Affect / Impact the ACT – Appendix D-3, Section E

Ontario Regulations 213/91, and Appendix Quick Reference

• Critical Injury – Section 8
• Emergency Procedures – Section 17
• Head Protection – Section 22
• Foot Protection – Section 23
• Eye Protection – Section 24
• Skin Protection – Section 25
• Fall Protection Section 26
• Drowning Protection and Rescue – Section 27
• Hygiene, Drinking Water – Section 28
• Hygiene, Toilets, Urinals, Clean-up Washing Facilities – Section 29.1, Section 29.2
• Hygiene, Washing Facilities, Substances- Section 30
• Housekeeping – Sections 35 to 43
• Fire Safety – Sections 52 to 58
• Public Way Protection – Sections 64 to 66
• Traffic Control – Sections 67 to 69.1
• Access and Egress – Sections 70 to 72
• Signaler – Section 104 (5), (a), (b)
• Explosive Fastening Tool – Sections 117 – 121
• Elevated Work Platforms – Sections 143 - 149
• Hoisting and Rigging – Sections 150 to 156
• Electrical – Sections 187 to 188, and Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) – Section 195.2
• Excavations – Sections 222 to 242
• Tunnels, Shafts, Cofferdam, Caissons – Sections 243 to 247
• Fire Protection – Sections 248 to 259
• First Aid Kits – 261 to 263, and Regulation 1101
• Rescue of Workers – Sections 264 to 268, and Confined Space, Ontario Regulation 632/05
• Communications – Sections 269 to 273 

The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario, FSRA website provides some of the following information with respect to what you should know after a motor vehicle collision.

Filing a claim after an Auto Accident: 

• Understanding the Claims Process
• Tips for Avoiding Tow Truck and storage scams
• Filling out the accident worksheet
• Finding a collision center
• FSCO Insurance Fraud Hotline 

According to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, Canada is home to the third largest railway network. It handles and transports the fourth largest volume of goods, and our Canadian railways move almost three quarters of our country's surface goods annually.  In addition to being connected to thousands of public and private crossings, our railroad transports over one third of its exports, and accommodates approximately 70 million people (Commuters and Tourists).

"In 2015, 14% of rail accidents involved vehicles or pedestrians at rail crossings, down slightly from the 16% average in the previous 5-year period. The safe interaction between railway operations and the public has been the subject of numerous TSB investigations and continues to present opportunities for safety improvements through the identification and elimination of risks."

Transportation Safety Board of Canada

It is important to stay informed on railway safety information. The safe operations of our rail transportation infrastructures is critical to our economic  progress. What is equally important is the safety and security of the public. 

Railway Safety Act - Part III - Non-Railway Operations Affecting Railway Safety

• Access to Line Works Prohibited - No Access to line works - Section 26.1
  
• Access to Line Works Prohibited - Road users to give way - Section 26.2
  Line work means
  
  (a) a line of railway, including any structure supporting or protecting that line of railway or providing for drainage thereof,
  (b) a system of switches, signals or other like devices that facilitates railway operations, or
  (c) any other structure built across, beside, under or over a line of railway, that facilitates railway operations, but does not include a crossing work; (ligne de chemin de fer)

Canadian Rail Operating Rules

• Public crossings at grade - Rule 103
• Public crossings at grade with warning devices - Rule 103.1
  

Rule 103  (c) States that "Crew members must not give vehicular traffic a hand signal to proceed over a crossing." 

As many Canadians have unfortunately already fallen victim to scams developed and executed by scammers. You may have also received a call and answered your phone only to be informed by a recorded voice or someone claiming to be an agent from the Canada Revenue Agency , and that you have been contacted due to a discrepancy in filing your taxes, or that you owe some money. The common message for 2018 was hearing that there was a warrant for your arrest ready should you fail to comply to the demands you heard over the phone. The CRA, and many professionals in the finance sectors have discussed and outlined what steps the CRA would use to inform us of any subject matter related to an account. 

An alarming amount of Canadians fall victim to scams and fraud, losing millions of dollars. Fraudsters and scammers have developed some very unique ways to trick many Canadians into giving up personal information that results in the theft of the targeted person's identity. The impact can be devastating and long lasting, triggering financial losses, provoking criminal investigations, and sometimes leading to criminal charges and convictions against the targeted victims. And reportedly, even lives have been lost.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police manages the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, a data center for collecting information and providing intelligence and resource material for the fight against scams and fraud. 

The website also supplies a list of quick links to informative material including but not limited to:

•  Romance scams
•  Ransom ware 
•  Identity theft and identity fraud
•  Little black book of scams
•  Top ten cyber crime prevention tips
•  Investment and securities fraud
•  Counterfeit currency 
•  Major fraud and commercial crime (Facts sheets)
•  Business e-mail compromise 

Before traveling you can register your passport with the Government of Canada. Registration is a free service that enables Canadians to be notified in the event of an emergency abroad or a personal emergency at home. The service can also keep you informed of important information such as a natural disaster or civil unrest before and during your travel.

"The Global Affairs Canada Travel Information Program team collects continuous reports on safety and security abroad from a variety of sources and monitors world events. The team also analyses trends and incidents affecting international travelers. Travel Advice and Advisories are updated promptly to inform Canadians of situations that may affect their safety and security abroad."

Government of Canada Travel Advice and Advisories

There are several topics travelers should consider studying through the portals in the Government of Canada's Travel section that can help keep many Canadians informed, and safe when planning their next trip abroad. Additionally, if Canadians decide, or must travel to high risk areas abroad they should consider staying informed on currently listed entities by visiting the Government of Canada's Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness site, as well as staying informed and up to date regarding the Safeguarding Canadians with Passenger Project.

Other topics include:

• Travel advice and advisories
• Register as a Canadian abroad
• Contact an embassy or consulate
• Travel health and safety
• Travel health kit
• Travel health notice
• Receiving medical care in other countries
• Travel vaccinations
• Tips for traveling with children
• Cyber security while travelling
• Mass gatherings and large scale events
• Business travel (Government of Canada Global Affairs)