THE EMPLOYERS' EDGE
Supervisor Health and Safety Draft Guidelines Released
One of the recommendations in the Dean Panel Report and Bill 160 was for more health and safety training. One of the groups where training will be a focus is supervisors. To that end, the Ministry of Labour has prepared two consultation draft guidelines for supervisor training. One is the draft workbook entitled “A Supervisor’s Guide in 5 Steps”, and the other is “An Employer Guide to the Health and Safety Awareness program for Supervisors.” These can be found at www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/prevention/consultations/workbook_sup.php. There is also a section on how to submit information to the review as the MOL is seeking feedback on these draft versions up to June 29, 2012.
The Guideline provides information, exercises and quizzes. It focuses on 5 areas:
Make a Difference
Lead the Way
The Supervisor’s Toolkit
You are not alone; and
Be a Role Model
How can you use this guideline? If you do not have a training program in place you could customize it to reflect your particular workplace and train those who direct the work of your employees. If you have a program in place already, then use this guideline as a checklist to determine if your program needs to be modified to include any additional focus. If your training program exceeds the points made in the guideline, pat yourself on the back and document, document, document.
The lawyers at CCP have extensive experience in occupational health and safety compliance. Feel free to contact one of our lawyers if you have any issues relating to health and safety, including accident investigations and defending charges under the OHSA.
Please Note: This blog has been prepared as an informational service for our clients and other interested parties. It is not intended to constitute legal advice, a complete statement of the law or opinion on any subject. Although we endeavour to ensure the accuracy of the content, no one should act upon the information provided without a thorough examination of the law after the facts of a specific situation are fully considered.