Health & Safety Made Simple: Practical Tips for Every Workplace

Under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), both employers and workers have legal duties designed to keep workplaces safe. Two key requirements include:

1. The Employer’s Duty to Provide a Safe Workplace
   Employers must take every reasonable precaution to protect the health and safety of workers. This includes providing proper training, maintaining equipment, ensuring protective gear is available, and addressing hazards promptly.
2. The Worker’s Duty to Work Safely
   Workers must follow safe work practices and use the protective equipment provided. They are also required to report hazards or violations to their supervisor or employer so risks can be controlled.

Together, these duties create a shared responsibility between employers and employees to prevent injuries and promote a culture of safety.

There are three core reasons why businesses should actively manage health and safety in the workplace:

1. Legal Responsibility
   In Ontario, employers are legally required under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) to protect workers from hazards. Failing to comply can result in fines, penalties, or even prosecution.
2. Financial Benefits
   Workplace injuries and illnesses can be costly. Lost productivity, WSIB claims, equipment damage, and training replacement staff all add up. Managing health and safety helps reduce these costs and keeps operations running smoothly.
3. Moral Duty
   Every worker deserves to go home safe and healthy at the end of the day. Proactively managing health and safety shows respect for employees, builds trust, and strengthens workplace culture.

By focusing on these three areas—legal, financial, and moral—businesses not only stay compliant but also create safer, more productive workplaces..

Effective health and safety management follows five key steps:

1. Policy
   Develop a clear health and safety policy that outlines your company’s commitment to protecting workers and meeting legal obligations.
2. Organizing
   Assign roles and responsibilities so everyone—employers, supervisors, and workers—understands their duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
3. Planning and Implementing
   Identify hazards, assess risks, and put controls in place. Provide training, equipment, and safe work procedures to protect workers.
4. Measuring Performance
   Regularly inspect, audit, and track safety performance to ensure controls are working and standards are being met.
5. Reviewing and Improving
   Evaluate the overall system, learn from incidents or near misses, and make improvements to strengthen workplace safety.

Following these five steps creates a cycle of continuous improvement, helping Ontario businesses stay compliant, reduce costs, and keep workers safe.

In Ontario, a critical injury is defined under Regulation 834 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). It refers to a serious injury that results in one or more of the following:

• An injury of a serious nature that places life in jeopardy.
• Produces unconsciousness.
• Results in a substantial loss of blood.
• Involves the fracture of a leg or arm, but not a finger or toe.
• Involves the amputation of a leg, arm, hand, or foot, but not a finger or toe.
• Consists of burns to a major portion of the body.
• Causes the loss of sight in one eye.

When a critical injury occurs in the workplace, the employer must immediately report it to the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD), the Joint Health and Safety Committee (or health and safety representative), and the union (if applicable).

This definition ensures that the most serious incidents are reported quickly so they can be investigated, and corrective actions can be taken to prevent future harm.

A JSA, or Job Safety Analysis, is a step-by-step process used to identify hazards and determine safe work procedures for a specific job or task. It is sometimes called a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA).

The purpose of a JSA/JHA is to:

• Break down a job into tasks to understand how the work is done.
• Identify potential hazards associated with each step.
• Develop control measures such as training, protective equipment, or safer work methods to eliminate or reduce risks.

JSAs/JHAs are valuable because they:

• Help prevent workplace incidents by addressing hazards before work begins.
• Provide a training tool for new employees.
• Support compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) in Ontario by showing due diligence.

In short, a JSA/JHA is a proactive safety tool that improves awareness, reduces risk, and ensures safer work practices.

In Ontario, whether you need a health and safety program depends on the size of your workforce:

• 5 to 19 workers → You are required to have a written health and safety policy and to develop and maintain a program to implement that policy.
• 20 or more workers → In addition to a policy and program, you must also establish a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC).
• Fewer than 5 workers → A formal program is not legally required, but you still have a duty under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) to take every reasonable precaution to protect your workers.

A health and safety program typically includes:

• Safe work procedures
• Worker training and orientation
• Hazard identification and control
• Emergency preparedness
• Workplace inspections and incident reporting

Even if you are not legally required to have a program, many small businesses choose to create one. Doing so demonstrates due diligence, helps prevent injuries, and can reduce costs related to fines, lost time, or WSIB claims.