We were recently asked by a client if Ontario has Ergonomic Regulations in place with the answer being no. However it is interesting to note that Ontario thru the Ministry of Labour has further reaching and more stringent use of written Orders for employers related to ergonomics. The following Blog for today is intended to remind all employers in Ontario that there are mandatory ergonomic standards in place and these need to be taken seriously as these can impact operations & profitability in your organization.
“…indeed the Province of Ontario has had mandatory ergonomic standards (they choose not to use Regulatory Language which was used to a resounding failure in BC in 1993) in place for all types of employers for well over 2 decades. These are enforced in 2 ways; under the General Duty Clause where the general H&S Inspectors and Ergonomic Inspectors issue Written Orders regarding ergonomic standards being met with a usual timeline of 30 days; and the issuing of financial penalties the day of the inspection whenever a smaller type of ergonomic standard is not met. The second method over the last 3 years has been the Strains and Sprains Campaign (sounds innocuous but it is not) where 6,000 workplaces are targeted each year for the General Inspectors now armed with ergonomic training attend at workplaces without prior notice. They review each company’s written ergonomic program, manuals and training (if they have any of this in place) and they interview employees regarding the ergonomic program and about the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries.
Orders are written where indicated during these visits and financial penalties & tickets are levied at the time of the visit. This second program represents the initiative of the Ministry of Labour to decrease both the frequency of MSI’s and the duration of lost time from MSIs in Ontario workplaces which remains stuck at 49-51% of all injuries and accidents in Ontario’s workplaces.
Given the fact that Ergonomics and Ergonomic Programs are mandatory in Ontario how can OPC with over 21 years of experience help? Our expertise has guided over 1500 employers in Canada and the US to develop, enhance and manage their ergonomic and human factors processes and programs.
OPC Inc and our team can assist with;
1. Industrial Ergonomic Program audits; Ergonomic Evaluations of jobs, job redesign, product redesign/manufacturing redesign, job demands analysis, standards development and adherence processes ; equipment & tool review and standards development; training and educational programs; on line ergonomic software and E Learning Tools
2. Office environments; Ergonomic Program audits; Ergonomic evaluations of individual jobs; ergonomic standards development; Lunch and Learn and educational sessions; E Learning tools; Ergonomic software; and ergonomic & Universal design expertise with design/build, redesign and move projects as well as furniture purchase projects
As you know for our other Blogs and national articles we also now have one of Canada’s leading experts in the AODA and ADA Acts in Canada and the US. Olga Dosis is currently working at the Sr. Management level toward the construction of the first fully accessible college at the George Brown College Waterfront campus. With the addition of Olga to our team we are able develop Universal Design processes with clients to meet both the AODA and Ministry of Labour design requirements.
Let us show you how OPC and our expert team can help your organization to succeed. Call us for a meeting so we can discuss the ROI business case for Ergonomic and Universal Design; 416 860-0002 or 0004 and AODA@OptimalPerformance.ca
