Accident Prevention e-News March 2008	Volume 3/Issue 3/March 2008
In this Issue: Canada’s first Bill C-45 conviction An advance look at WSIB accreditation Court upholds firing of casual drug user Could three days in April change your future? In the News Critical Dates

Canada’s first Bill C-45 conviction

By Ryan Conlin

A Quebec firm awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to criminal negligence charges arising out of a young worker’s death. A decision is to be handed down on March 17. Both defence lawyers and the Crown prosecutor have called for a $100,000 fine and no jail term.

It’s been almost four years since Bill C-45 amended Canada’s Criminal Code to make it easier for employers and supervisors to be convicted of criminal negligence for serious breaches of workplace safety standards. This case marks the first conviction under the amended code.

Transpavé Inc. pleaded guilty to the charges in December 2007, following an October 2005 incident at a Quebec workplace that manufactures concrete patio blocks. The worker was crushed after entering a moving area of a machine that stacks blocks, while attempting to clear a jam in the machine. The worker was not performing his regular job, instead replacing an employee on a break.

The machine was equipped with a light curtain guarding system, which should have interrupted power to the equipment as the worker approached it. Investigators from the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail conducted a wide reaching investigation and concluded that the following caused the incident:

• the light curtain system was disabled. Investigators determined that it had been disabled for most of 2004 and 2005. An expert who examined the machine concluded that it was very easy to bypass the light curtain system.
• the company did not provide adequate machine safety and hazard awareness training. This resulted in the worker not knowing the dangers associated with entering the area and moving the patio stones.
• the company did not implement any specific work procedure that adequately addressed hazards associated with moving the patio stones.
• the company did not have an inspection program to confirm whether the guarding system was operational.
• a member of management had noted in the past that the light curtain guarding system was disabled but did not take any action to address the situation.

Implications

There is no limit on the amount of the fine that the court can impose. It remains to be seen whether this case will pave the way for an increased number of OHS related criminal prosecutions. Crown prosecutors continue to be pressured by safety advocates and representatives of organized labour across the country to pursue criminal prosecutions.

It appears likely that this pressure will increase now that an employer has been convicted. It is my view that the risk of criminal prosecution is particularly high in the context of high profile incidents or cases involving young worker fatalities. To avoid criminal and/or regulatory prosecution, employers must be vigilant to ensure that their organization meets due diligence standards. Given that the Criminal Code focuses on the role of senior management, particular attention must be paid to the issue of OHS due diligence at the most senior levels of the organization.

Since this case was a guilty plea, the court did not make any comment about how it would assess whether an organization is guilty of criminal negligence in the OHS context. However, the sentencing decision on March 17 may shed some light on how an organization will be sentenced under the Criminal Code.

Ryan J. Conlin, Stringer Brisbin Humphrey Management Lawyers, is a regular contributor to the “Law & Policy” column; Tel: 416.862.1616, ext. 370; rconlin@sbhlawyers.com.

An advance look at WSIB accreditation

By Cyrus Gordon

Revolution has always been part of workplace health and safety. The industrial revolution of the 19th and early 20th centuries led to a social revolution where work-related injuries, illnesses and death became socially unacceptable. The result: enactment of what became the foundation of Ontario’s current occupational health and safety legislation: the 1886 Factories Act and the 1914 Workmen’s Compensation Act.

Fast-forward to 2008, and workplaces are going through another revolution. However, this one involves managed systems, not machines.

Most people think of such standards as CSA Z1000 or ISO 9001 when they hear the phrase “managed system.” Though often involving standards, a managed system is more of a philosophy, a tacit understanding that a company needs to

• implement a process, involving a number of critical elements, towards achieving organizational success, and
• validate the process and the results.

This philosophy is at the heart of one of the most potentially ambitious OHS programs to be implemented in Ontario: the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)’s accreditation program.

Accident Prevention e-News spoke to Paul Casey, director of the WSIB’s Prevention Standards & Incentives Division, John Macnamara, general manager of health and safety and loss prevention at Dofasco ArcelorMittal, and Jim Armstrong, executive director of IAPA operations, about the potential benefits of accreditation and its impact on the culture of OHS and business in Ontario.

What accreditation is

The WSIB has a legislated mandate to reduce the occurrence of workplace injuries and diseases. This mandate includes developing an accreditation program that recognizes employers with OHS policies and programs that meet an established standard.

Scheduled for an official unveiling this year, the WSIB’s proposed accreditation program is built around a simple process:

• a participating company commits to high-quality, sustainable OHS performance by developing and continuously improving its health and safety program
• the program is audited by a recognized, independent third party auditor
• the WSIB issues a recognition award to the company after it successfully completes the audit.

The push for accreditation has come from inside and outside the WSIB. In August 2006, a group of employer representatives called the Accreditation Working Group (AWG) presented the WSIB with recommendations for an accreditation program. In turn, the WSIB included these recommendations in a 2007 accreditation consultation paper sent out to labour and employer groups.

Paul Casey believes an accreditation program represents a significant shift for the WSIB. “Up until 1998 we were an insurance company plain and simple,” he explains. “We processed claims. But the reality is that processing claims, even if you process them very well, does not do enough to protect workers from being injured.”

Casey also believes that accreditation is a natural progression. “Workplace health and safety management systems have matured and set clear direction with good communication and training on how to work safely.”

John Macnamara agrees. He’s the former chair of the AWG. He believes that the collaborative management attitudes of today provide the perfect opportunity to promote a managed approach to health and safety.

The process

Participation in accreditation will not be as simple as filling out an OHS program checklist. “We envision accreditation being different in that it’ll be based on each individual workplace identifying risks and hazards, controlling them, and demonstrating that they are being managed,” says Casey.

According to the consultation paper, companies applying for accreditation will have their OHS programs evaluated from two perspectives:

• health and safety guiding principles—the strategic goals and values that should be in a company’s OHS program, and
• health and safety management system elements—how an organization can achieve these goals.

A flexible roadmap

The WSIB sees accreditation as a roadmap to superior health and safety performance. And, by extension, organizational performance. “We’re saying to employers that this is the path [to OHS excellence], and it’s based on recognized, proven standards worldwide,” explains Casey. ”It’s up to the company how they achieve the standard.”

This flexible approach offers employers a number of advantages. For one thing, it will open up the program to employers who already have an OHS management system, such as CSA Z1000, OHSAS 18001 and ANSI Z10. The WSIB is working on equivalency criteria that will recognize comparable OHS management systems.

“Our intention is not to compete with other standards,” stresses Casey. “If somebody else [another standards institution] has already developed a health and safety management standard we want to recognize that as well as part of the third party audit process.”

Open to companies of all sizes

Management systems have the reputation of being the domain of large companies, and just too sophisticated for smaller companies to implement. However, Casey believes that the program’s flexible approach means that it will fit any size business.

“For most companies, achieving accreditation will be the same regardless of size. For example, a courier company with eight employees might identify 25 risks to be controlled when it conducts a risk assessment for accreditation. On the other hand, a major construction company might identify 125 risks. To achieve accreditation, the smaller company will have to meet the same standard as the larger company, but how they are met it in terms of the sophistication and complexity of the process will differ.

Who can help you through the accreditation process? The WSIB and AWG have proposed that WSIB partner organizations, such as health and safety associations like IAPA and other recognized OHS providers, act as facilitators by helping companies through the accreditation process.

IAPA’s Jim Armstrong agrees, and sees a number of possibilities for health and safety associations to participate, including

• training services
• train-the-trainer courses
• consulting services, and
• audits and assessments.

Armstrong envisions the associations guiding firms along the entire prevention continuum. “We see a potential for health and safety associations to help firms with high-risk status—in other words, the Ministry of Labour’s target list—and move them into the Safety Group where they learn how to implement a managed system around fixed elements, and from there to full accreditation.”

Incenting success

In addition to a possible rebate from the WSIB, there will be legal, social and economic benefits to achieving accreditation:

• demonstrating due diligence. “Accreditation is a proactive approach to due diligence,” explains Casey. “You’re putting things up front. You’re not waiting for something to happen first.”
• showing corporate social responsibility. “Right now companies with superior performance are not seen as being different from anybody else,” believes Casey, “We want to help companies stand out and say, ‘We have made the investment to achieve superior OHS performance.’”
• retaining employees. At a time when Ontario faces a growing shortage of skilled labour, “you don’t hold onto employees by letting them get hurt,” says Casey. “The best way to hold onto them is by protecting them and making them aware of how healthy and safe their workplace really is.”

How IAPA can help

1. Read an expanded version of this article in the February/March issue of Accident Prevention magazine.
   
   
2. Learn more about accreditation and other strategies for improving health, safety and business performance by attending the following sessions at Health & Safety Canada 2008, IAPA’s national conference and trade show:

• A Prevention Strategy for Workplace Health and Safety in Ontario—The Road to Zero, Tom Beegan, WSIB, April 21, 9:30 a.m.
• The Journey from Safety Compliance to a Managed System: A Case Study, Tim Alles, Waterloo North Hydro, and Steve Oakley, IAPA, April 21, 1:45 p.m.
• Risk Assessment—The Foundation of an Effective H&S Management System, Andrew Cooper, Acklands Grainger Inc., and Andrew Harkness, IAPA, April 21, 3:30 p.m.
• Breakthrough Techniques for Optimal Safety Performance, Gary Phillips, NW Training and Development, April 21, 3:30 p.m.
• Job Quality and Organizational Performance, Dr. Graham Lowe, The Graham Lowe Group, April 22, 9:30 a.m.
• The Emperor Has No Hard Hat—Achieving REAL Workplace Safety Results, Alan D. Quilley, April 22, 9:30 a.m.
• Safety Groups—Pulling Together for Safer Workplaces, Dina Meunier, IAPA, April 22, 11:15 a.m.
• Global Best Practices in OHS Management, Monika Sharma and Tim Faveri, Deloitte Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, April 22, 11:15 a.m.
• HP Canada’s Managed System Approach for Integrating Emergency Preparedness, Resiliency and Business Continuity, John Hollands, Hewlett Packard (Canada) Co., April 22, 11:15 a.m.
• Accreditation for Ontario Workplaces, Paul Casey, WSIB, April 22, 1:45 p.m.
• The Siemens Presentation: A Testimonial of a Journey to Excellence, Al Kruzins, Siemens, and Andrew Harkness, IAPA, April. 22, 1:45 p.m.
• Taking Your H&S Program to the Next Level, Chris Moore, CCOHS, April 22, 3:30 p.m.
  
  Please note that session dates and times may change. Delegates will receive notice of any changes when they register.

Cyrus Gordon is an information resources consultant at IAPA's Information Centre.

Court upholds firing of casual drug user

The Alberta Court of Appeal has overturned a lower court decision that a worker fired for marijuana use was a victim of discrimination on the basis of disability.

In summer 2002, John Chiasson was hired by construction firm Kellogg Brown & Root (Canada) as a receiving inspector on the site of a Syncrude plant expansion near Fort McMurray. The job was considered “safety sensitive.”

The construction firm’s hiring policy required non-unionized job candidates of safety sensitive positions to pass a “post-offer/pre-employment” drug test. Nine days after starting work, the firm told Chiasson that he had failed his test. Chiasson confessed that he had smoked marijuana five days before the test, and the firm let him go.

In fall 2002, Chiasson filed a human rights complaint alleging discrimination on the grounds of physical and mental disability. The human rights panel concluded that, because Chiasson was a casual drug user, as he had testified, he was not protected by human rights legislation. No addiction, no disability.

A lower court judge reviewed the panel’s findings and overturned its decision. The judge concluded that the firm’s policy treated recreational cannabis users as if they were addicted to cannabis. She therefore held that the firm must have perceived Chiasson to be a cannabis addict and thus disabled. From this the judge concluded that the firm's policy imposed “a pre-employment barrier, with zero tolerance, automatic termination and no accommodation."

The firm subsequently filed an appeal with the Alberta Court of Appeal, which overturned the lower court decision. In its analysis, the appeal court focused on the purpose of the firm’s policy: “to reduce workplace accidents by prohibiting workplace impairment.” Since cannabis use can have lingering effects on both casual users and addicts, ruled the appeal court, the firm’s policy is no different “than that of a trucking or taxi company which has a policy requiring its employees to refrain from the use of alcohol for some time before the employee drives one of the employer's vehicles. Such a policy does not mean that the company perceives all its drivers to be alcoholics. Rather, assuming it is aimed at safety, the policy perceives that any level of alcohol in a driver's blood reduces his or her ability to operate the employer's vehicles safely. This is a legitimate presumption.”

Having come to this conclusion, continued the appeal court ruling, “it is not necessary to consider the question of accommodation. Since there was no breach, there is nothing to accommodate.”

Could three days in April change your future?

By Suzan Butyn and Scott Williams

Health & Safety Canada 2008, Canada’s premier annual OHS event, takes place this April in Toronto. Although in name it’s one event, in reality it’s a community of events in one location. Among those of greatest appeal:

• 130+ sessions and workshops over three days (April 21-23)
• a two-day trade show (April 21-22) that features 300+ exhibitors and two interactive feature areas
• professional development courses, eligible for ABIH, CRBOH and BCRSP certification maintenance points, that start April 19 and conclude April 25.
• “Leadership Summit 2008,” an IAPA/Conference Board of Canada companion event in which guest speakers and “knowledge cafés” help senior executives improve their ability to transform their organization’s health and safety culture.

Starting with the official conference opening, keynote speakers appearing on all three days will energize delegates and open them up to the possibilities ahead of them:

• Christopher Kennedy Lawford. The first child of Peter and Pat Kennedy Lawford, Christopher will talk about his successes in politics, government, business, and entertainment, as well as his excesses with drugs and alcohol. His story is about moving forward and making a difference.
• Watts Wacker. This world-renowned futurist is considered one of the most celebrated and influential minds in modern business. He describes himself as a 21st century alchemist, as well as “a cross between James Brown and the Unknown Comic (the hardest-working nobody in the business).”
• Michael “Pinball” Clemons. The CFL legend and Toronto Argonauts CEO is a fan favourite across Canada. At only 5’ 6” and 170 pounds, he inspires his audiences by illustrating what’s possible and what it means to beat the odds.
• Joel Cohen. Writer and co-executive producer of “The Simpsons,” Cohen will speak on “Behind the Scenes on The Simpsons.” Over 13 seasons, The Simpsons has had an easily discernible impact on popular culture.

Each speaker, keynote and otherwise, will offer his or her own take on the theme for this year’s event, “Are you ready for the future.” Expect forecasts, insights, and direction.

For government perspectives, always a key area of interest, consider presentations on Ministry of Labour priorities and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s just-announced five-year “Road to Zero” strategy. Legal experts will also share their own legislative and enforcement prognostications on workplace violence, return to work, the convergence of human rights and OHS laws, and other topics.

At the trade show, IAPA’s largest ever, expect exhibitors to showcase current and upcoming product, service and equipment solutions. New for the 2008 trade show:

• a Machine Automation Safety Congress, featuring live robotics and automation demonstrations
• an expanded Health and Wellness Pavillion, sponsored by Health Canada, that brings all health and wellness exhibitors together at the heart of the trade show floor.
• three safety shoe mobile units. These suppliers on wheels are typically on the road visiting workplaces. Now they’re coming to you at Health & Safety Canada 2008.
• in Action Alley, a human motion simulator. Used by Ford, the simulator ensures that safety precautions are built into process design by capturing the way line employees work around vehicles. You’ll also find the Internet Café here, with free online access.

All conference sessions fall into one of four program streams:

• health and safety core practices
• healthy workplaces
• leadership and management breakthroughs
• evolving innovations through research.

For a taste of what’s to come, Accident Prevention spoke with speakers from two streams about their topics. Highlights appear below.

Achieving breakthrough performance

Hunter Douglas is a global entity with manufacturing and marketing operations that include two principal product lines (window coverings and architectural products) on five continents. It operates as a highly decentralized, global federation of small and medium sized companies, which allows regional operations the flexibility to make decisions that best meet the needs of local markets.

Two years ago, Andreas Graetsch, manager of training, quality and compliance for the Canadian operations, turned the health and safety program on its head. “Back then upper management didn’t really talk about injuries, and experiencing 180 days without a lost-time injury was considered a reasonable achievement. But once Graetsch’s responsibilities expanded to include safety in both Canadian locations (Edmonton and Brampton), the situation changed.

“There was no magic pill to turning it around,” says Graetsch. “We had the same kind of hurdles that most companies have: no time, resources or specialized expertise.” For example, Graetsch is a member of the joint health and safety committee. Back then, the minutes reflected the attitude of the health and safety culture at that time: the minutes were “thin,” and action items were more reactive than preventive.

However at the same time, Graetsch’s plant manager became general manager and gave him and the joint health and safety committee full support and buy-in. The tipping point for management came when Graetsch and the plant manager compared rising workers compensation premium costs with the number of product units they would have to build to cover the costs. “Helping management really understand how injuries affect the bottom line,” says Graetsch, “can change attitudes.”

Firing up the joint health and safety committee was central to revitalizing health and safety. Graetsch and the committee changed how it operated, building in objectives, processes and procedures, accountability, hands-on accident investigations, and measurement metrics.

Along the way Graetsch made a point of not re-inventing the wheel. “Get help,” he advises. “Don’t try to do it alone.” For example, Hunter Douglas joined IAPA’s Safety Group. The committee also implemented other cost-effective strategies to obtain resources and expertise that would help them advance health and safety.

Once it became apparent that management was taking health and safety more seriously, the union came on board and offered its support. “They were all willing to pitch in to improve our health and safety. Individuals became passionate and motivated to make the change.”

Today the Canadian operations are looking beyond its most recent milestone of 800 days without a loss time injury. “Health and safety is a continuous challenge,” says Graetsch.

Find out more about the firm’s progress during Hunter Douglas: “Health and Safety Future Is Up to You” (April 21, 11:15 a.m.). Please note that session date and time may change. Delegates will receive notice of any changes when they register.

Preventing low risk, routine injuries

Don’t be fooled into thinking that low risk means no risk, warns Cathy Catton, manager, safety strategy, for OPG. The nature of OPG’s core business, supplying electricity, necessitates an aggressive, proactive and integrated approach to employee health and safety.

Although OPG has achieved excellent safety performance, “When you are striving for zero injuries, good is not good enough. Twenty-five percent of our injuries result from low risk routine activities,” says Catton. Injuries can occur from such low risk routine activities as slips, trips, and falls down stairs, bumps into equipment, scrapes, cuts and bruising when using small tools, or minor sprains when lifting small objects. “Companies can have great safety performance but still be plagued by injuries from low risk routine activities.”

OPG’s motto is “Zero Injuries. Believe it. Achieve It.” Catton says, “If you believe that zero injuries are achievable, then that’s where you have to look [at all injuries]. We’ve always recognized that these types of injuries occur, but for the most part they have not been overtly addressed by supervisors or employees,” mainly because we have always considered them to fall into the “common sense” category.

Catton’s conference session, Low Risk Does Not Equal No Risk — Preventing Injuries from Routine Activities (April. 21, 11:15 a.m.), will offer a practical approach to conference delegates. “These low risk injuries don’t have to be the sludge at the bottom of your safety pile. Many companies tend to think they will never get to zero injuries because these minor injuries will always be there.” Please note that session date and time may change. Delegates will receive notice of any changes when they register.

OPG offers up a good case study on how to tackle these injuries. Learn more about its Low Risk Does Not Equal No Risk” campaign during Catton’s session.

Focus on youth

You’ve heard it before: young workers are not like the rest of us. Among other differences, they’re the workplace’s most vulnerable age segment. Learn more about how they think and how you can better protect them in the following sessions:

• A Conversation with Today’s Youth - Tomorrow’s Leaders, April 21, 1:45 p.m.* CBC Television broadcaster, journalist and author Evan Solomon will moderate a panel of young workers. What are their expectations? What do they believe in? What don’t they believe in? How can your workplace encourage their contributions?
• Connecting to Young Canadians, April 22, 9:30 a.m.* Speaker: youth culture expert Max Valiquette. This youth culture strategist has had a number of creative job titles, including Culture Probe and Consumer Navigator. Valiquette is currently president and founder of Youthography, and host of TVO’s youth panel show, “Vox Talk. Find out what he’s learned, and how to put it to work.
• Youth Forum. On April 21 and 22,* up to 2,000 high school students will attend LINK Youth Health & Safety Forum. You’re invited too. On stage: fast-paced, multi-media stage shows, created with the assistance of high school drama classes fresh from regional LINK drama competitions. The forum provides young people with an opportunity to develop leadership, teamwork and communication skills, making them potential OHS ambassadors. While watching these original productions, you’ll also hear an injured worker share his or her story. Moving and illuminating. One show on April 21; two on April 22.*

* Please note that session dates and times may change. Delegates will receive notice of any changes when they register.

• Learn more about opportunities at Health & Safety Canada 2008.

Suzan Butyn is a regular contributor to Accident Prevention magazine. Scott Williams is the magazine’s editor.

In the News

WSIB launches ambitious 5-year injury, fatality reduction plan

Achieving zero workplace fatalities by 2012 and reducing injury rates by 7% annually from now until then are the objectives of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s recently released Road to Zero: A Prevention Strategy for Workplace Health and Safety in Ontario 2008–2012.

The board intends for these near-term goals to help it realize a longer-term goal: developing a platform to eliminate all injuries, illnesses, and fatalities in Ontario workplaces. Achieving these results, says the document, will involve efforts led by the board and the core partners of the province’s health and safety system: the Ministry of Labour and the health and safety associations, including IAPA. The rationale:

1. the cost of the status quo is unacceptable. “On average,” says the document, “two people die each week from a workplace incident, another five succumb to occupational disease, and a further 1,600 worker injuries cause lost time from work.”
2. expending efforts and resources to improve the situation offers tangible benefits. “For organizations and businesses, prevention benefits include more profitable enterprises, reduced disruption to operations, increased productivity and competitiveness, retention of valued staff, and reduced exposure to economic penalties and levies.”
3. there are clear areas in which to drive system improvement. “Maximizing the value of prevention efforts,” says the document, “requires the coordination and cooperation of a large number of players… the system’s core partners—Ontario’s Health and Safety Associations (HSAs), the Ministry of Labour (MoL), and WSIB—as well as provincial/municipal governments, non-governmental agencies, business owners, employer and labour associations, educators, community groups and professional/trade associations.”

The report notes that successes have already taken place. For instance:

• lower injury rates. “Since 1999, the lost-time injury rate has declined by 27%, and the no lost-time injury rate has decreased by 15%. Young worker fatalities have decreased by almost 40%.
• positive awareness. Surveys show that 93% of employers indicate that they place a high priority on health and safety in their daily work; 84% of employers have made an improvement in safety procedures in the last six months; and 81% of workers say they personally place a high priority on health and safety.
• collaborative partnerships. The High-Risk Firms and Last Chance initiatives, for example, “are estimated to have resulted in 14,649 fewer lost-time injuries, with an estimated cost avoidance of $960 million.”

Despite these successes, the document identifies concerns and opportunities:

• to reach zero, the rate of [injury] reduction needs to be substantially larger than the growth of insured workers.”
• workplace attitudes and experiences are hindering progress. According to survey results, “51% of workers and 36% of employers state that employees in their organization don’t report accidents to their supervisor; 26% of both workers and employers claim that employees in their organization show very little interest in workplace safety issues, and, correspondingly, 24% of workers and 26% of employers are not convinced that workplace health and safety programs actually reduce workplace accidents.”
• the health and safety system’s prevention efforts are fragmented. Partners “work largely independently, and a need exists to align efforts and clarify roles.”
• insufficient coordination of efforts and evidence-based support for decision-making has resulted in lost opportunities for significant improvement in many areas, “including occupational disease prevention, proactive data analysis, and risk mitigation for new employers and vulnerable workers.”
• capacity limits must be overcome. “The provincial workforce is diverse, multi-faceted, and widespread, driving the need for enhanced capabilities and coordination (for example, new information and communications technology, and simple workplace-geared tools and protocols).”

Four-point strategy

Road to Zero: A Prevention Strategy identifies four “thrusts”:

1. Creating a national habit of safety by driving a transformation in values and behaviours. This will take the form of

• influencing employer and worker behaviours through increased societal expectation
• integrating into every public service procurement selection process a commitment to actively manage OHS throughout a project’s life cycle
• conducting outreach to vulnerable workers, young workers, new employers, and small business
• ensuring every student leaving school has achieved a recognized level of proficiency in OHS and first aid
• creating targeted social marketing campaigns.

2. Providing leadership to align prevention partner efforts and improve outcomes. For example:

• strengthening core partnerships to enhance prevention system effectiveness
• engaging community health and safety leaders to motivate change in new ways
• promoting employer engagement in the prevention system through an agreed process
• requiring an annual self-assessment statement from each employer, setting out their commitment to continuous OHS improvement in their enterprise.

3. Instilling an evidence-based, priority-focused and outcome measurement mindset in the prevention system, by

• developing an integrated model to identify areas of greatest need and examining the benefit of a prevention-focused occupational disease surveillance system
• creating outcome-focused “best practice” tools
• pioneering innovative approaches using pictograms and colour codes for risk assessments
• considering sector-specific supervisory training in OHS
• aligning partners to deliver and manage the occupational disease surveillance system through agreed targets and outcome measures
• continuously improving performance through a cycle of learning, improvement and execution.

4. Developing WSIB and prevention partner capabilities, information management tools, and communications technology. For example:

• improving core capabilities of the system by understanding how safe and profitable enterprises operate, and by investing in marketing the message to the hard-to-reach
• Investing in information communications technology to enable the creation of a virtual advisory centre
• creating new tools to capture and share critical prevention knowledge
• assessing incentive programs and creating a plan for their renewal and alignment, capped by an industry-endorsed accreditation program.

How IAPA can help

Find out more by attending the following session at Health & Safety Canada 2008, IAPA’s national conference and trade show:

• A Prevention Strategy for Workplace Health and Safety in Ontario—The Road to Zero, Tom Beegan, WSIB, April 21, 9:30 a.m. Please note that session date and time may change. Delegates will receive notice of any changes when they register.

Critical Dates

WSIB Chair’s Health and Safety Excellence Award for Young Entrepreneurs

Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is offering prizes totalling $10,000 to young entrepreneurs who demonstrate a commitment to workplace safety. This award is open to current and past recipients of Canadian Youth Business Foundation loans in Ontario. Deadline for submitting an application: March 20.

One award will go to a new business (operating for at least 12 months) that has incorporated a meaningful health and safety program into its business planning process. The second award will go to an established business (operating for at least 24 months) that has developed and is implementing a detailed workplace health and safety plan as part of its ongoing business growth strategy. Each winner will also receive 16 hours of free health and safety consultation from the board.

Applicants will be evaluated based on their submission of a health and safety self-assessment (award application form), the firm’s health and safety performance, and a letter of reference from a third party. Award finalists will receive an on-site workplace evaluation by a WSIB evaluator. Full details and criteria are outlined on the award application form. Further information is available at http://www.wsib.on.ca/wsib/wsibsite.nsf/public/YoungEntrepreneurAward