Interesting Facts

Working in Confined Spaces            

Confined space is one of the most common workplace hazards facing the industry.  A great number of workers succumbed to the injuries and fatalities while working in the confined space.  MOL already has a regulation addressing the health and safety of workers working in the confined space but there are other standards also available such as CSA for added safety of workers.  CSA has introduced a new standard on confined space which complements MOL regulation on confined space and explains in detail how to recognize a confined space, identify hazards, assessing risk, and managing risk and exit.  Details of these new confined space standards are not posted on CSA's website as of yet but further information can be attained by exploring this link:

http://ohs.csa.ca/standards/management_systems/Confined_Management/Z1006.asp

Firefighters To Receive Fire-Related Illness Coverage

Ontario is making it easier for the province's volunteer and part-time firefighters and fire investigators, who suffer fire-related illnesses, to qualify for benefits under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act.

The province has established a new regulation which presumes that eight types of cancer - as well as heart injuries within 24 hours of fighting a fire or a training exercise - that are suffered by these workers would be work-related, unless proven otherwise.  The same presumptions currently apply to full-time firefighters in Ontario.

The regulation will apply to volunteer and part-time firefighters and fire investigators from the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal who meet certain conditions and to diseases diagnosed or heart injuries sustained on or after Jan. 1, 1960. (For more information please visit http://news.ontario.ca/mol/en/2009/11/firefighters-to-receive-fire-related-illness-coverage.html)

"Work Smart Know Your Rights"

Are you a young worker? Here are a few things to consider other than the extra cash...

Click here to read more...

YOUNG WORKERS - FYI

On March 31, 2008, minimum wage in Ontario increased from $7.50/hour to $8.20/hour.

On March 31, 2009, minimum wage in Ontario increased to $8.90/hour

On March 31, 2010, minimum wage in Ontario will increase to $9.60/hour.

Persons over the age of 18 - FYI

On March 31, 2009, minimum wage in Ontario was increased to $9.50/hour

On March 31, 2010, minimum wage in Ontario will increase to $10.25/hour

GO GREEN

Qualified companies can access a $650 million dollar fund set up by the Ontario government, to invest in the development of green cars, fuels, technologies and products.

A CASE OF INTEREST

In Quebec earlier this summer, a decision was handed down by the CLP (Quebec’s version of Ontario’s WSIAT) that exposure to toxins at an aluminum smelter was the root cause of lung cancer contracted by 10 workers. In making the decision, the CLP relied upon a study which demonstrated that workers in similar factories for at least 20 years have a risk of contracting cancer double that of workers who never worked at a smelter at all.