Canadian Occupational Safety

6 Canadian Occupational Safety | www.cos-mag.com WORKPLACE NEWS One-half of employers have suspected worker under infl uence of drugs, alcohol: Survey A ccording to a recently released survey by law fi rm Fasken Martineau, 53 per cent of employers nationwide have suspected that a worker was under the infl uence of alcohol or non-prescription drugs while at work in the last 12 months. Almost one-quarter of the 358 employers surveyed knew — with 100 per cent certainty — one or more workers that had been under the infl uence of drugs or alcohol while at work in the last year. Moreover, 60 per cent of respondents' managers and supervisors are not trained to identify workers that may be under the infl uence. This increases organizations' chances of experiencing alcohol and drug related problems or safety concerns at the workplace, the survey said. The survey also found that 79 per cent of respondents work at organizations without an alcohol and drug policy that allows for random testing for employees in safety sensitive positions. The Good, the Bad and the Troubling found that more than 40 per cent of employers across Canada do not ensure all employees are trained on their occu- pational health and safety policy and program, and are therefore vulnerable to several potentially crippling liabilities. While the majority of Canadian organizations are aware of legal OHS require- ments, many are not equipped to enforce them. The crucial areas of concern centre on the OHS policies and programs themselves; the use of alcohol and drugs in the workplace; harassment and violence in the workplace; and OHS inspectors and enforcement, the survey said. "In addition to the personal dangers workers face when employers are not adequately educated and trained, failing to comply with OHS requirements leaves organizations at risk of regulatory investigations, damaging charges, costly fi nes and even jail terms," said Norm Keith, partner at Fasken Martineau in Toronto. "Many Canadian employers are still unaware of the legislation's details and are unclear about their legal rights in situations that are ever-evolving and often tricky." Fifty per cent of the companies surveyed have not conducted a workplace harassment and violence risk assessment in the last 12 months. Almost one-half of organizations have not provided every manager, supervisor and worker with training about domestic or sexual violence in the workplace. Nearly one-half (49 per cent) of employers surveyed received a visit from an OHS inspector in the last 24 months. The majority of respondents (55 per cent) reported that their organization did not provide managers or supervisors with training for what to do when an OHS inspector arrives. Falls are number 1 priority for Ontario Ministry of Labour F alls were the main cause of workplace fatalities in the con- struction sector in Ontario last year, which is why t he Minist r y of Labour is making falls its top prior- ity for 2017-18. "Working at heights without proper fall protec- tion and training is simply not acceptable and we will prosecute those to the full extent of the law," said Peter Augruso, assistant deputy minister at the Ministry of Labour, speaking at the Partners in Pre- vention conference in Mississauga, Ont. on May 2. Last year, the ministry issued 465 stop work orders to construction companies during its fall hazards blitz. The industrial sector was hit with 162 stop work orders related to work at heights. In this sector, safe ladders were a major issue. "In this day and age we should not have to still be dealing with this," Augruso said. "Employers must make sure ladders are working properly." Across all sectors, falls are the number 2 reason for occupational fatalities in Ontario, said George Gritziotis, chief prevention offi cer, who also spoke at the conference. While Aug r uso said t he ministr y was "overjoyed" that 300,000 workers have completed the mandatory work at heights training program, the province still issued 9,958 orders to the construction and industrial sectors during its fall hazards blitz. "That's scary to me. There's a whole bunch more that need training," he said. To that end, the government has extended the deadline for work at heights training from April 1 to Oct. 1 of this year. The Ministry of Labour will also be focusing on noise this year across all sectors, in an effort to reduce the number of illnesses caused by occupa- tional disease. "Noise is the number 1 occupational illness and it's the easiest to prevent by wearing the proper PPE, ensuring folks are having their earplugs inserted. It's not that diffi cult," Augruso said. A new noise regulation came into force July 1, 2016, for all provincially regulated workers. It extended noise protection requirements to all Ontario workplaces that were not previously covered under the noise regulation, such as schools, fi re ser vices, amusement parks and health-care facilities. Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) and ergonomics are two other Ministry of Labour priority areas that extend across all sectors for 2017-18. A range of other initiatives will be taking place across the sectors, including: new and young workers in the industrial sector; occupational disease in mining; machine guarding in the industrial sector; struck by hazards in con- struction; and workplace violence in health care. Workplace violence 5th highest cause of injury in Saskatchewan I n 2016, workplace violence was to blame for 936 workers' compensation claims and two deaths in Saskatchewan, according to the provincial Workers' Compensation Board (WCB). Violence was the fi fth highest cause of workplace injuries across the province, accounting for 3.84 per cent of lost-time injuries. As a result, the WCB and the Saskatchewan Association of Safe Workplaces in Health (SASWH) have announced a province-wide initiative to address work- place injuries due to violence. The fi ve sectors where acts of violence and aggression are within the top fi ve causes of injury to workers are: health care, social services, education, hospitality, policing and corrections. In the health-care industry, 8.84 per cent of the lost-time injuries were caused by assaults, violent acts, attacks and harassment. Violence was the fourth highest cause of injury in that industry. "Violence in the workplace, whether it is a physical attack or psychologi- cal or verbal violence, is a threat to Saskatchewan workers and a growing problem for supervisors and employers," said Sandra Cripps, CEO o f SASWH. "The emotional cost of vio- l e n c e in the workplace is far higher than any estimated fi nancial cost." The Provincial Violence Preven- tion Framework includes a toolkit that will be piloted in facilities in Saskatchewan health regions. Tools include information, training, man- uals, web content and videos for employers and workers. Top 5 occupations with injuries by violence 1. Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates 2. Community and social service workers 3. Registered nurses 4. Police offi cers (except commissioned) 5. Security guards and related occupations Top 5 causes of injury by violent acts 1. Health-care patient or resident of a health-care facility 2. Person (not self-infl icted) 3. Dogs 4. Prison inmates 5. Students Falls are number 1 priority for Ontario Ministry of Labour F alls were the main cause of workplace fatalities in the con- struction sector in Ontario last year, which is why t he Minist r y of Labour is making falls infl uence of drugs, alcohol:

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