OHS Management Systems Consulting

This document contains highlights from the "Submission on the Discussion Paper to Develop an Integrated Occupational Health and Safety Strategy".

Ontario's occupational health and safety strategy is of great importance to the members and industries represented by WSPS, who collectively employ more than 3.8 million people. To that end, WSPS submitted its response to the Ministry of Labour’s Prevention Office Discussion Paper which was released to support the overall development of an Ontario Integrated Occupational Health and Safety Strategy.

See "Submission on the Discussion Paper to Develop an Integrated Occupational Health and Safety Strategy - Briefing" for highlights from this submission.

Employee health and safety are integral to productivity.  A management system that integrates health and safety activities into all aspects of the operations will help achieve positive results in productivity, quality, and the health and safety of employees.  This guideline highlights some critical health and safety program activities.

Bill 70, passed in December, instantly caught the attention of Ontario's business community by enabling an accreditation process for companies with a health and safety management system. But how do you know if implementing a management system is right for your business?

If your workplace introduces a recognized management system to prevent injuries and illness, you could receive accreditation for your efforts under new legislation passed in December. The goal is to encourage superior health and safety performance by applying business methods already proven to boost quality and productivity.

Researchers have identified six evidence-based leading indicators that can predict future health and safety performance - and help workplaces achieve maximum results. "Score well on these indicators and you should see it reflected in good performance in the future," explains Illia Tchernikov, WSPS program lead, OHS Research. "Score poorly and you should see an increase in injuries and illnesses."

Witnessing the aftermath of the death of a co-worker while working years ago as a summer student immediately drove home the value of safety for David Johnston, now an associate professor of operations management and information systems at York University's Schulich School of Business. As he puts it, "On a personal level I know what it means to workers when a really bad thing happens in the workplace." Through extensive research, Johnston has also learned what it can mean to a business: "companies that are really good at safety are usually really good at production, and companies that are really bad at safety are really bad at production."

As operations manager of BASF Canada's Windsor Paint Plant, Michael Helferty balances multiple management responsibilities all at the same time, but at WSPS' recent Partners in Prevention Health & Safety Conference & Tradeshow in Mississauga, he focused squarely on health and safety. In a fast-paced 90-minute session, Helferty shared a 6-step process for creating and sustaining a health and safety culture that helped BASF's Windsor plant achieve three years without even a recordable incident.