Canadian Occupational Safety

April 2013 7 Crucial gaps, lack of transparency in oHs sustainability reporting: study By COS staff A study released by Des Plaines, Ill.- based Center for Safety and Health Sustainability (CSHS) found gaps and a lack of transparency in occupational health and safety sustainability report- ing among organizations rated highly for sustainability performance — some even having work-related fatalities during the reporting period. The study, Current Practices in Occupational Health and Safety Sustain- ability Reporting, also raised concerns about ranking methodology, as some corporations reported more than 10 work-related fatalities in a year—with one organization reporting 49 in the same period. After analyzing public data on OHS reporting practices from each organization listed on the Corporate Knights' 2011 Global 100 Most Sus- tainable Corporations in the World, the study revealed the majority of the corporations did not include metrics recommended by the Global Report- ing Initiative (GRI), one of the most comprehensive sustainability report- ing frameworks available. Nor did the majority include metrics recognized as important by CSHS and the inter- national OHS professional community. e study further concluded that even when relevant information is reported, corporate OHS performance is diffi cult to interpret, compare and analyze due to a lack of uniformity in data collection and clarity over report- ing methods and metrics. "Our research showed, for example, that the companies surveyed used six diff erent formulas to calculate injury rate overall and at least 15 diff erent methods were used to defi ne 'a report- worthy injury or incident,'" CSHS chair Tom Cecich said. "The objectives of sustainability reporting are not achieved simply by disclosing information. e informa- tion disclosed must also be meaningful. Current OSH (occupational safety and health) sustainability reporting practices make it diffi cult for stakeholders and investors to understand and evaluate the extent of an organization's commitment to OSH management," said Cecich. In its recommendations, CSHS said the GRI and other sustainability report- ing frameworks must do a better job in promoting the importance of OHS as a major indicator of an organization's overall sustainability. e organiza- tion also urged the adoption of OHS performance indicators that meet the following criteria: By Linda Johnson L ow job control is a signifi cant factor in the development of hypertension among workers, according to new research by Toronto-based Insti- tute for Work and Health (IWH) and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). e study, published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health, found that over a nine-year period, 27 per cent of men in occupations with low job control were diagnosed with hypertension, com- pared with 18 per cent of men who report higher degrees of job control. e same connection was not apparent among women workers. Job control refers to the ability to make decisions about how work is done or skills are used to meet the demands of the job. While previous studies have pointed to the causal relationship between work characteristics and the development of cardiovascular disease, this is the fi rst study in Canada to look at the rela- tionship, said Cameron Mustard, IWH president and senior scientist. "It is novel, too, in its estimate of the risk of progressing to hypertension that is associated with characteristics of people's psychosocial work- ing environment," said Mustard, who co-authored the study with IWH scientists Peter Smith, Hong Lu and Richard Glazier. "And in this study, the particular attribute that was identifi ed as being a risk factor for men was low job control," Mustard said. e study found 12 per cent of hypertension cases among men can be directly attributed to low job control. us, apart from obesity (which is linked to 26 per cent of hypertension cases among men), hypertension is more likely to be caused by low job control than by those behavioural factors usually associated with hypertension — smoking, drinking, low physical activity and low daily con- sumption of fruits and vegetables. e study suggests attempts to reduce hyper- tension should include an assessment of ways to modify work environments. Mustard stressed, however, researchers are not diminishing the importance of public health eff orts to focus on the health benefi ts of physical activity, not smoking and moderate alcohol consumption. study fi nds male workers with low job control at higher risk of hypertension in oHs sustainability reporting: study that the companies surveyed used six diff erent formulas to calculate injury "The objectives of sustainability reporting are not achieved simply by • Well-defi ned and standardized terms and defi nitions that allow for accurately evaluating an organization's performance across diff erent sectors and geographies; • Standardized data collection methodology that allows stakeholders to easily compare safety performance across and among organizations; • e reporting of leading indica- tors, allowing stakeholders insight into whether corporations are taking meaningful actions to improve OHS performance; • Information reported over multiple years (e.g., fi ve years historical infor- mation) enabling internal and external stakeholders to gauge improvement and compare performance to other organi- zations over time; • An extended scope of coverage that includes OHS reporting for contingent workers, including temporary contract and subcontractor workers, as well as workers in the supply chain— a grow- ing and highly vulnerable segments of the global workforce frequently le out of OHS reports. "It's hard to believe that organiza- tions can report double-digit fatalities and still be on a list of the 100 most sustainable companies," said United Kingdom-based CSHS director Steve Granger. "Clearly, the methodology for rating sustainability performance must be overhauled." What law fi rm does more than defend OHS/WSIB Charges? We Do. David Marchione, B.A., CRSP, CHSC, OHS Consultant/Paralegal Norm Keith, B.A., J.D., LL.M., CRSP Partner Training Prevent accidents, improves productivity Consulting Workplace safety audits and OHS procedures Legal Defending OHS and Criminal charges Lawyers and consultants working together to provide you with training, consulting and legal solutions, protected by solicitor and client privilege in OHS and Workers' Compensation matters. Call us today at 1-866-862-5787 ext. 83580 or visit gowlings.com/ohslaw august.indd 1 16/07/2012 2:47:04 PM Gowlings (5438).indd 1 13-03-18 10:04 AM

• Cover