How to Make the Business Case for Sustainable Development
Tina Tsonis2023-09-09T08:12:01-07:00Showing the C Suite how environmental initiatives improve your company’s profitability.
B.C. Traffic Company Ordered to Pay $1.5M for Defaming Richmond Competitor
Tina Tsonis2023-08-10T13:33:26-07:00One of B.C.’s largest traffic control service companies, Valley Traffic Systems (VTS) has to pay $1.5 million after its defamation campaign caused a competitor to lose out on a lucrative
Heads Up! OHS Inspectors Preparing For Ontario Inspection Blitz!
Tina Tsonis2023-07-21T07:43:57-07:00A warning to Ontario employers in the health care, industrial, mining, and construction sectors - expect Occupational Health and Safety inspectors at your door anywhere from June 1, 2023 to
Brief Your JHSC on the Heat Stress Death of Joseph Jolley
Tina Tsonis2023-07-20T08:18:21-07:00Help your JHSC recognize the urgency of managing heat stress hazards.
When Do Municipal Environmental Laws Go Too Far?
Tina Tsonis2023-07-18T09:19:30-07:00Cities have limited powers to regulate environmental matters beyond their boundaries.
Company And CEO Both Convicted Of OHSA Offences, Despite The Absence Of A Workplace Accident
Tina Tsonis2023-07-06T11:02:30-07:00Bottom Line A Kitchener-based manufacturing company and its CEO were recently convicted of offences under Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act ("OHSA") after they failed to ensure that machines being operated in the workplace
The Importance Of Pool Safety
Tina Tsonis2023-06-13T09:59:24-07:00With the summer months upon us, it is time to say goodbye to the cold, rainy days, and say hello to time spent by the pool. Though summer may come
Federal Government Mulls Tough New Environmental Restrictions for PFAS
Tina Tsonis2023-06-07T15:18:08-07:00All “forever chemicals” pose environmental and health hazards, the government contends. The federal government has decided to drop the green hammer on a class of chemicals known as Polyfluoroalkyl Substances
Brief Your JHSC on What Safety Culture Is & Why You Need It
Tina Tsonis2023-06-07T14:33:47-07:00The JHSC plays a key role in promoting a positive workplace safety culture. Could this have happened to us? A worker in Ontario uses a chainsaw to cut down a
Must Employers Pay for the PPE Workers Are Required to Use?
Tina Tsonis2023-06-05T14:19:36-07:00It all depends on the province and type of PPE required. One of the fundamental duties of OHS law is to ensure that your workers use the PPE required
Alberta Wildfires And Workplace Health And Safety: What Employers Need To Know
Tina Tsonis2023-06-01T13:39:57-07:00As wildfires across Alberta continue, Environment Canada has issued special air quality statements (SAQS)1 indicating that there is a high risk of poor air quality in the majority of the province
United Steelworkers Union Calls for Answers on Deadly Kelowna Crane Collapse
Tina Tsonis2023-05-26T08:10:27-07:00The United Steelworkers union (USW) is adding its support to calls for answers into the tragic crane collapse that killed five people in Kelowna, B.C., in July 2021. Kelowna RCMP
New OHS Regulations Require Free Menstruation Products at Federally Regulated Workplaces
Tina Tsonis2023-05-20T15:57:06-07:00OHS laws require employers to provide workers clean, sanitary and suitably supplied toilets and washing facilities. Nobody needs to explain why these rules exist. However, what may need explaining is
Federal Government Unveils Sweeping New Plastics Packaging Regulations
Tina Tsonis2023-05-17T08:09:27-07:00Plastics producers will have to meet new labeling requirements by 2025. Canada has resolved to eliminate all plastic waste by 2030. On April 18, 2023, the federal government rolled
Standard PPE May Leave Women Workers at Risk of Injury
RoryL2023-05-05T11:26:31-07:00As an OHS coordinator, you no doubt feel a responsibility to look after each and every one of your workers. Unfortunately, the safety equipment and PPE that you select may
What You Need to Know about the New WHMIS Regulations
Tina Tsonis2023-04-13T09:56:49-07:00The changes took effect on April 4, 2023, but you don’t have to comply until Jan. 1, 2026 Significant changes to WHMIS requirements officially took effect across Canada on
Must Federally Regulated Companies Obtain Provincially Required Permits?
Tina Tsonis2023-04-12T14:28:02-07:00Provincial environmental law covers federal operations unless it would impair an essential part of those operations. In Canada, the federal government and provinces share legal authority to regulate the environment.
Ontario, Canada Publishes Regulations Aimed at Increasing Participation of Women in Construction Workforce
Tina Tsonis2023-04-11T09:57:56-07:00On March 29, 2023, the province published Regulation 61/23 amending Regulation 213/91: Construction Projects under the Occupational Health & Safety Act (Regulation). The amendments will come into force on July 1, 2023. On March 15, 2023,
Canadian Women’s Experiences with Personal Protective Equipment in the Workplace
Tina Tsonis2023-05-05T07:57:25-07:00Executive Summary Nearly 50 years ago, researchers and worker advocates drew attention to the problems women have finding appropriately sized and sufficiently protective personal protective equipment (PPE). Despite these early
Ontario, Canada Proposes ESA Amendments Relating To Remote Workers And New Hires
Tina Tsonis2023-04-05T07:59:22-07:00On March 13, 2023, Ontario announced that it is proposing two amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) and related regulations. Employees Who Work Solely from Home to Become Eligible to
Quebec Children Under 14 To Be Banned From Working Most Jobs
Tina Tsonis2023-04-05T07:52:46-07:00The Quebec government has tabled a bill that would prevent children under the age of 14 from working most jobs. Labour Minister Jean Boulet says Bill 19 is the result
Construction Company Fined $20,000 After Worker Injured in N.W.T.
Tina Tsonis2023-04-04T15:25:41-07:00A construction company has been fined $20,000 almost two years after a worker was injured in the Northwest Territories. Arctic Canada Construction Ltd. pleaded guilty Friday to a single count
Factory Explosion Survivor, on Fire, Fell Into Chocolate Vat in Pennsylvania
Tina Tsonis2023-04-04T15:10:11-07:00A woman pulled alive from the rubble of a Pennsylvania chocolate factory after an explosion that killed seven co- workers says flames had engulfed the building, and her arm, when
Ontario Proposes to Increase Administrative Monetary Penalties for Environmental Offences
Tina Tsonis2023-03-16T08:28:19-07:00The price of environmental violations may soon be going up in Ontario. Like just about all other costs, the price of committing environmental offences in Ontario is about to
When Should Employers Engage An External Investigator?
Tina Tsonis2023-03-10T11:19:26-08:00Increasingly, employers are faced with the challenging task of responding to a wide range of complaints in the workplace. When made aware of a workplace complaint, it is crucial that
Ergonomic Challenges with Laptop Use in Hybrid Work Models
RoryL2023-03-06T10:35:12-08:00Many employees use laptop computers due to their portability and convenience. Staff can take their laptops to meetings, on the road, and back to their home office. Unfortunately, the laptop’s
Don’t Assume that Following an Industry Standard Is Enough to Comply with OHS Requirements
RoryL2023-03-03T16:18:56-08:00Following industry standards can help a company comply with OHS requirements for material handling that are broadly written and don’t provide specifics. For example, it could be reasonable to follow
Is Following an Industry Standard Enough to Show Due Diligence?
RoryL2023-03-01T15:37:22-08:00OHS violations can happen even when you try hard to comply. But at least the due diligence defence is there to bail you out. As long as you exercise
Is Following an Industry Standard Enough to Show Due Diligence—Scorecard of Legal Cases
RoryL2023-03-01T15:23:25-08:00You won’t be held liable for violating an OHS law if you can show that you used due diligence, that is, took all reasonable steps to comply with the
Are Employers Liable When Workers Deliberately Remove Machine Guards?
Tina Tsonis2023-02-10T15:21:37-08:00It depends on whether the worker’s violation was reasonably foreseeable. Lack of machine guarding is a common cause of serious workplace injuries and OHS penalties. But what if companies do