Small Contractor Guide to Health and Safety
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Follow 5 basic
steps.
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Register
your company with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).
As an employer, you're legally required to do so. You will gain
immediate benefits:
- No-fault
health and safety insurance
- Protection
from lawsuits
- Coverage
for lost wages and health care costs
- Help in
safely returning injured workers to work
- Access to
products and services from the Construction Safety Association
of Ontario (CSAO) most of them free.
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Report injuries
to the WSIB and Ministry of Labour (MOL) as required by law.
- Investigate
injuries to keep them from happening again.
- Comply with
regulations.
- Create a
more safety-conscious company.
- Demonstrate
due diligence by implementing an effective health and safety program.
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Know
your health and safety responsibilities as an employer and as a supervisor.
Register for CSAO's Basics of Supervising. You can take the program
in the classroom or at home.
- How to supervise
health and safety
- Motivation
and communication
- Legal responsibilities
- Developing
health and safety programs
- How to investigate
accidents.
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Train
your employees--or arrange training through CSAO. Realize the benefits
when workers know health and safety practices, rights, and responsibilities.
- Lower injury
rates
- Lower compensation
costs
- Better worker
morale
- Fewer stop-work
orders
- Competitive
advantage in bidding on jobs.
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Wherever
personal protective equipment or clothing is required by law or by
the work being done, be the first to wear it.
- Show your
commitment to health and safety.
- Demonstrate
compliance with the law.
- Set an example
for your employees.
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____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
What
must you do? |
Who
can help? |
How? |
You must
- have appropriate
WSIB coverage
- report all
injuries requiring health care
- cooperate
in the return to work process
- follow first
aid regulations under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act.
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Workplace
Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) www.wsib.on.ca
Hamilton |
1-800-263-8488 |
Kitchener |
1-800-265-2570 |
London |
1-800-265-4752 |
London |
1-800-265-4752 |
Ottawa |
1-800-267-9601 |
Sudbury |
1-800-461-3350 |
Thunder
Bay |
1-800-465-3934 |
Toronto |
1-800-387-0080 |
Windsor |
1-800-265-7380 |
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- Prevention
- Health Care
- Return to
Work
- Compensation
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You must provide
mandatory health and safety training and information:
- Workplace
Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
- first aid
- traffic
control
- fall protection
- other programs
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Construction
Safety Association of Ontario (CSAO)
www.csao.org
info@csao.org
1-800-781-2726
416-674-2726
416-674-2726
Fax 416-674-8866 |
- Training
- Consultation
- Technical
Services and support
- Print, video,
and digital information
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You
must
- report all
critical and fatal accidents to the Ministry of Labour (MOL)
- ensure that
mandatory legislated training is delivered
- file a Notice
of Project where required by the MOL
- appoint
competent supervisors
- establish
a written health and safety policy and program
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Ministry of
Labour (MOL)
www.gov.on.ca/lab/main.htm
Toronto |
1-800-268-8013 |
Central
Region (Downside) |
1-800531-5551 |
Eastern
Region (Ottawa |
1-800-267-1916 |
Northern
Region (Sudbury) |
1-800-461-6325 |
Western
Region (Hamiliton) |
1-800-263-6906 |
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- Legislation
- Pre-job
meetings
- Information
- Inspection
- Investigation
- Enforcement
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For
various reasons, smaller construction companies have a higher rate of
injury than larger companies. As a small contractor, you must pay particular
attention to health and safety.
A single workplace
injury can have a devastating effect on business. Costs include:
- pain and
suffering for victim and family
- increased
compensation premiums
- an average
cost of $34,000 and 28 days off work for each lost-time injury
- time to
train replacement worker
- low morale
- delays and
lost production
- equipment
and property damage
- possible
prosecution by the Ministry of Labour.
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An Ontario employer
with more than five employees must "prepare and review at least annually
a written health and safety policy and develop and maintain a program
to implement that policy" (Occupational Health and Safety Act,
Section 25). Even if this requirement doesn't apply to your business,
it's still a good idea to have a policy and program in place to save lives
and money.
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- Prevent
workplace injury, illness, and death.
- Improve
your company's health and safety performance.
- Demonstrate
due diligence.
- Earn WSIB
rebates.
- Eliminate
Ministry of Labour stop-work orders and fines.
- Raise employee
morale.
- Improve
your company's image and reputation.
- Gain the
competitive edge with clients who require proof of good safety
performance.
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The policy statement
must emphasize management commitment to accident prevention.
Sample
Policy
It is our policy
to perform work in the safest possible manner consistent with the
Occupational Health and Safety Act and the regulations
made under the Act. Protecting employees from workplace injury and
disease is a major continuing objective.
Supervisors
will be held accountable for the health and safety of workers under
their supervision. All employees must work in compliance with health
and safety legislation and with the practices and procedures spelled
out in this policy.
It is in the
best interest of all parties to consider accident prevention in
every activity. Commitment to health and safety must form an integral
part of this organization. Compliance with the health and safety
policy and program will be regularly reviewed at all employee levels
and violations will be recorded. The procedures in this policy have
been formulated as a guide to assist you in enjoying a safe, productive
future.
Signed_________________________
[company owner, president, or chief executive officer]
Date _________________________
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A
health and safety policy by itself is not enough. You need a program
to implement and support the policy. The program should cover areas
such as:
- health and
safety responsibilities for every
- level of
employee
- injury reporting
- personal
protective equipment
- measures
to prevent or arrest falls
- ladders,
scaffolds, and other work platforms
- power tools
and equipment
- occupational
health precautions.
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One phone
call will do it.
1-800-781-2726
For sample
policies and programs,
ask Customer Service for a copy of B041 or B042.
For
help in drafting your own policy and program,
ask Training and Advisory for consultation.
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Construction employers
are required by law to have certain items posted or otherwise available
in the workplace. As a contractor, you are required to do at least the
following.
Post on site
- Occupational
Health and Safety Act and Regulations for Construction Projects
- Company
health and safety policy
- Any Ministry
of Labour (MOL) inspector's orders and reports
- Written
emergency procedure (refer to Emergency Response Planning
[B030] available from CSAO)
- WSIB poster
on how to report injuries (P085 available from CSAO)
- MOL notification
form if the project is valued at more than $50,000 or falls under
one of the other conditions in Section 6 of the construction regulation
(Ontario Regulation 213/91)
- Address
and phone number of nearest MOL office
- DANGER signs
in hazardous areas
- Location
of toilet facilities
- Valid certificate
of first aider on duty
- Name, trade,
and employer of health and safety rep, if applicable.
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Have available
on site
Material safety
data sheets for any controlled products used on site and covered
by the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
- Fall-arrest
rescue procedures
- Employee
trained in first aid
- Records
of first aid treatment given
- First aid
kit that meets requirements of Regulation 1101 under the Workplace
Safety and Insurance Act.
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Know the law
One book is
absolutely essential for what employers and workers need to know
about health and safety on site. That's the Occupational Health
and Safety Act and Regulations for Construction Projects (Ontario
Regulation 213/91).
Regulations
covering every aspect of health and safety on construction sites
are spelled out in the "green book."
Topics range
from protective equipment to housekeeping, from confined spaces
to traffic control, from ladders and scaffolds to welding and cutting.
Copies are
available from Publications Ontario at (416) 326-5300 or from CSAO
at (416) 674-2726 or 1-800-781-2726.
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