I had the pleasure to attend the Health & Safety SIG held in Hamilton at Karma Candy (a sweet venue indeed) this week.  Laura Gibson had arranged for the Ministry of Labour to attend to speak to us about the violence legislation and the 2010 blitz plan.  Shelley Spier & John Pierroz were very informative.

Blitzes

John mentioned in his presentation that Blitzes are now part of Inspectors' performance plans - they will need complete a certain number over the year.  This will likely mean there will be more visits to workplaces than there were last year - I know at least one of our members had a visit this week to look at their cranes.

Lifting Devices - what was explained to us was that they won't just be looking for training records, they will want to go and see your devices in operation to ensure they are being operated safely (a visual verification of competence).  They will want to know how you ensure your operator is competent and stays competent.  Are your racks and bollards showing extensive damage?  Do your forklifts have seat belts?  Are your operators using them?  They will also be looking for the permanent record of inspections (not just the sticker on the device) to make sure you made recommended repairs (if there are any).

New/Young Workers - the Ministry wants to ensure that workers are getting the training/instruction/supervision they need to be safe on the job.  New workers are people that have been on that particular job for less than 6 months - they may have been with your company for 5 years but they are "new" if they have transferred to a different position in the last 6 months.  Young workers are people that are less than 25 years old.  With summer coming, how you train your student workers will be of particular interest.

MSD's - this is Musco-Skeletal Disorder (a.k.a strain/sprains).  Last year the MoL chose a particular industry (Inspector Pierroz said it was grocery stores) and the inspectors received industry specific training on what to look for when they went into those workplaces.  He said they haven't decided who the focus will be on this year but it will be communicated once they know.  The sector specific injury information available through the WSIB & MoL will help you get a jump on this item.

Conveyor Guarding & Lockout - Inspector Pierroz liked the acronym MAC - moving, access, consequences; these are the risks he'll look at when reviewing conveyors.  Do they have skirt boards?  Do they have tail/head pulley guards?  Is there access underneath the conveyor?  Don't forget - fixed guarding must be designed so that you need a tool to remove it.  It's not good enough to have a barrier hooked in place that anyone can just lift off.

Loading Docks - Inspector Pierroz didn't talk too much about this one but most of us have these in our workplaces and they go hand in hand with the safe work environment the Inspectors will be looking at when they are looking at your lifting devices.  Do you have chocks available for truck drivers?  Do they use them?  Do your dock locks work?  Are you maintaining them?  Is you light system working?  Is it possible for a truck driver to pull away with an employee/lift truck in their trailer?

I hope you find this summary useful.  The Ministry is trying to be transparent in their activities - they want you to know what they are looking for so that you can work towards having a safer workplace.  Please don't hesitate to give me a shout if you have specific questions.

Have a healthy day!

Laura Rourke, CRSP, P.Eng.