October is Canada’s Workplace H&S Month: Are You Following H&S Laws?

October 7-13 is Fire Prevention Week. Although this week is geared toward fire safety at home, it's still a good time to think about fire safety in the workplace.

Did you know that every 85 seconds a fire breaks out somewhere in Canada?  Being prepared is not only a matter of life and death - it's a legal obligation. Although it might not be on the top of your to-do list, OHS laws require you as an employer to take steps to protect workers in the event of a workplace fire. There are three basic sets of obligations for employers:

1. Creating and implementing a fire preparedness and response plan for your workplace
2. Providing fire response training to your workers
3. Supplying the appropriate firefighting equipment at your workplace: Fire and smoke alarms, fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems

Although some workplaces are more vulnerable than others, fire hazards exist in every workplace. It is important that you are using due diligence in order to be preventive and keep your workplace safe. What is Due Diligence? When applied to occupational health and safety, due diligence means that you as the employer must take all reasonable precautions to prevent injuries or accidents in the workplace.

When exercising  due diligence, you must implement a plan to identify possible workplace hazards(example - fires) and carry out the appropriate corrective action (example - fire safety procedure) to prevent accidents or injuries arising from these hazards.

Establishing a Due Diligence Program in Your WorkplaceThere are specific criteria for you to follow when establishing your program:

• You must have written OHS policies, practices, and procedures in place
• You must provide the appropriate training and education to employees so that they understand and carry out their work according to the established polices, practices, and procedures
• You must train the supervisors to ensure they are competent persons, as defined in legislation

When it comes to health & safety in the workplace, the topic can be overwhelming. Clear Path offers two upcoming learning sessions: Intro to Health and Safety and Due Diligence. 

The sessions cover:

• Identifying supervisory duties in the workplace
• Understanding useful strategies for the supervisor's role
• What the potential outcome is when you have not established due diligence defence and how do you protect yourself and your organization from legal proceeding
• What the definition of a"competent supervisor" is and why it matters
• What Bill C45 means for your business

Upcoming sessions:

• Intro to Health and Safety - Tuesday, October 30th 2012 at the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• Due Diligence - Tuesday, October 30th 2012 at the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce from 1-3 p.m.
• Register today and save $25.00.

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