There are countless benefits of having an effective and diverse joint health and safety committee (JHSC). But, what if despite all of the benefits and your best efforts to help people see how wonderful the JHSC is, you still can’t…
Category: Health and Safety (page 10)
Cannabis and the Workplace: What Employers and Managers Need to Know
Recreational cannabis is now legal in Canada, and with that legalization comes a lot of questions for employers and managers. A recent study by Deloitte revealed that 22 percent of the Canadian adult population consumes recreational cannabis at least occasionally,…
Employer’s Responsibilities: Temporary Workers
The use of temporary workers is quite common. In fact, in North America, over three million workers are employed through staffing agencies every week! If that’s not enough to make you believe that tons of employers are using staffing agencies…
How to Select JHSC Members
Workplaces with over 20 people must have an active joint health and safety committee (JHSC) in place—Section 9 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (the Act) makes that clear. But, the JHSC is only as good as its members.…
Keeping it Clean: Desk Hygiene at Work
Most of us sweep and mop our kitchen regularly, and many of us don’t let our dishes pile up or our laundry go un-folded. Yet, there are a surprising number of workers who admit to never cleaning their desks. Some…
Working Alone: Employer Responsibilities
Employers are obligated to keep workers safe. According the Occupational Health and Safety Act s.25(2)(h) they must do this by taking reasonable precautions for safety. This means that employers who have workers that work alone must take special precautions to…
Terms of Reference – a Guide for Effective Joint Health & Safety Committees (JHSC)
What is a Terms of Reference? A terms of reference is a written statement that describes the function of the joint health and safety committee (JHSC) and outlines the procedures that the JHSC will follow. Why does the JHSC need…
Onboarding and Offboarding Joint Health & Safety Committee (JHSC) Members
When Joint Health and Safety Committee members join the committee, it’s often with little fanfare. When members finish their tenure on the committee, they normally leave without fanfare as well. Sometimes, JHSC membership term lengths are defined in the “Terms…
Proper Follow-up Procedures for Joint Health & Safety Committee Workplace Inspections
Workplace inspections are one of the most important functions of the Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC). Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), s.9(23), the JHSC must designate a non-management member to inspect the workplace. If possible, the…