When you’re starting to drown between employee concerns, payroll duties and helping your CEO -- HR Insider is there to help get the logistical work out of the way.
September’s OHS Insider focuses on a recurring lesson from recent Canadian enforcement cases: having policies, training, equipment, and experienced supervisors isn’t enough unless employers can demonstrate that critical safety requirements are being followed and verified in the workplace.
This month’s edition reviews four important summer OHS cases, including a $350,000 forklift fatality fine and a BC decision confirming that simply relying on an experienced supervisor won’t necessarily establish due diligence. It also provides practical guidance for conducting a mid-year fire readiness review, managing PPE during extreme heat, wildfire smoke and severe weather, and addressing the compliance implications of employees voluntarily wearing PPE.
The September Month-in-Review and Case Alerts also highlight regulatory developments and enforcement activity across Canada involving respiratory protection, machine guarding, confined spaces, lockout and hazardous energy, workplace violence, workers’ compensation and more.
Key Takeaways for OHS Managers
- Verify supervision, don’t simply assign it. A BC case reinforces that employers should be able to demonstrate that supervisors remain competent and are actively enforcing critical safety requirements.
- Powered mobile equipment remains a significant enforcement risk. A forklift fatality resulted in a $350,000 fine after marble slabs shifted during handling.
- Review fire readiness before an emergency exposes weaknesses. Check extinguishers, evacuation routes, wardens, emergency contacts, worker knowledge and corrective actions from previous drills.
- Extreme weather may require changes to your PPE strategy. Heat, wildfire smoke and severe storms can alter both the hazards workers face and the suitability of existing PPE.
- Confined space and hazardous-energy controls remain high-consequence areas. Recent penalties demonstrate the importance of written procedures, worker competency, supervision and effective lockout.
- Voluntary PPE still requires oversight. Allowing an employee to use a respirator voluntarily may create compliance concerns if the equipment can’t provide the protection it appears to provide.
- Watch September regulatory dates. BC equipment-certification changes and Manitoba menstrual-product requirements take effect September 1, while revised Ontario WSIB policies take effect September 21.
Read the September OHS Insider Newsletter for the cases, compliance strategies and practical tools behind these developments.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS MONTH
IMPORTANT DATES
September 1—British Columbia—Changes to OHS regulations for certifying safety of dangerous equipment take effect.
September 1—Manitoba—Free menstrual products in restrooms rules take effect.
September 4—Nationwide—Deadline to apply for Infrastructure, Technology, and Research stream funding for railway crossing safety projects.
September 12—Ontario—Deadline to comment on new Conservation Authorities Act regulations.
September 16—Yukon—Deadline to apply for Tier 2 Economic Development Fund project assistance.
September 21—Ontario—Revised WSIB policies on workers’ compensation coverage of independent living expenses take effect.
September 30—Alberta—Deadline to apply for $100 Alberta Energy Rebate.
THIS MONTH'S CONTENT IN FULL
ADDITIONAL TOOLS AND READING
How to implement a legally sound Drugs and Alcohol Testing Policy at your own workplace.
How to implement a Powered Mobile Equipment Compliance Game Plan to prevent forklift incidents and injuries at your workplace.
Use the OHSI Due Diligence Scorecard and Case Summaries to draw other important lessons that you can use to assess whether your own OHS program meets the standards of due diligence.
How to avoid reprisals liability when disciplining workers who commit infractions unrelated to their work refusals or previous exercises of OHS rights.
How to prevent fatalities and OHS fines like these by implementing a legally sound Lockout and Hazardous Energy Control Compliance Game Plan at your site.
Use the OHS Insider Assessment Questionnaire template to uncover hidden harassment, bullying, and stalking problems at your workplace.
