Workplace violence and harassment is a serious issue. According to Statistics Canada, 17% of all violence and harassment reports in Canada happened in the workplace. That’s a total of 365,000 workplace violence and harassment incidents occurring in Canadian workplaces every…
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,…
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…
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.…
Even More Questions to Test your JHSC Knowledge! Having a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) is essential for maintaining workplace safety. While understanding the basics is important, there’s always more to learn about JHSC roles and responsibilities. To…
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…
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…
In Canada, drug addiction is considered a disability under human rights legislation, such as the Ontario Human Rights Code. As such, persons who suffer from drug addictions are protected from discrimination on the job. Clear as mud, right? Not so…
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…