Canadian Occupational Safety (COS) magazine is the premier workplace health and safety publication in Canada. We cover a wide range of topics ranging from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards.
Issue link: https://digital.thesafetymag.com/i/351680
20 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com E mployees who get refrig- erant, battery acid or any other caustic chemicals in their eyes generally have just 10 to 15 seconds to reach an emergency wash station. Speed is of the essence when you need to fl ush away a corrosive substance before it does serious damage. That's why across Canada, organi- zations that use hazardous substances must provide emergency wash facili- ties. And the rules for these stations are spelled out loud and clear in provincial occupational health and safety regulations. Less obvious, however, is the need for these wash facilities to be fully accessible to people with physical disabilities. Although Canada has no specifi c regulations regarding accessible emergency wash facilities, your orga- nization may be courting a lawsuit if it fails to make them available. Con- sider these points of national and provincial law: • The Canadian Human Rights Act makes it illegal to discriminate based on sex, race, nationality or disabil- ity. That means if you have wash facilities for able-bodied people, you should have wash facilities for people with disabilities, too. • The Employment Equity Act states that organizations shall "correct the conditions of disadvantage in employment experienced by… persons with disabilities." • The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) stipulates barrier-free access to buildings, facilities, communications and other aspects of everyday life at organizations across Ontario. Private and public sector companies that violate the act's regulations could face fi nes. AODA is specifi c to one province, of course, but according to Jessica Young, a lawyer at Stringer law fi rm in Toronto, employers throughout Canada will probably have to follow similar rules soon. "I think this is something we're going to see in every province," she says of the Ontario legislation. Claudio Dente, president of Dentec Safety Specialists in Newmarket, Ont., points out companies would be wise to invest in accessible emergency wash facilities, even if they have no employees with disabilities today. If an organization doesn't install accessible facilities "and they employ somebody thereafter who needs accessible sys- tems, they have a problem," he says. From Dente's point of view, this is no different than the situation employers face with other accessibil- ity measures. "If your business has a building in Canada, you have to have a cer- tain number of handicap parking spots depending on the number of employees." The same principle applies to emer- gency wash stations. "If you have employees who are handicapped, you have to make arrangements to ensure they have accessibility to protective products, including emergency eye washes," says Dente. But employers in this country don't face legislative requirements common in other places. In the United States, for instance, the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compels By Stefan Dubowski A MATTER OF INCHES Emergency eyewash stations must be fully accessible for workers with disabilities A MATTER OF 50 years of going beyond • Electric radiant heater or heat tracing cable offer freeze protection to below -40°F. • Fire-retardant fiberglass reinforced plastic and urethane foam walls with chemical-resist and UV inhibited high visibility yellow outer finish. • Pre-assembled remote or local alarm options. • Certified to meet or exceed ANSI Standard and CSA approved with UL and FM components. Encon ® is a registered trademark of Encon Safety Products, Inc. Houston, TX. For More Information: www.enconsafety.com/thermaow 1(800) 283-6266 Design and Service Excellence est. 1964