BY THE INDUSTRY, FOR THE INDUSTRY PAGE | 5
RISK ASSESSMENT WORKSHOP
In October 2022, Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) engaged industry experts in a risk
assessment workshop for Ontario's massive food manufacturing industry, the third largest in North America
representing $34 billion in annual sales.*
Hamish Morgan, a consulting services manager at WSPS and workshop facilitator, said it was important to
work with this industry because, as a critical part of the food supply chain, these essential workers suffered
higher than average lost-time injuries (LTIs) in 2020. "These workers were exceptionally hard hit during the
pandemic, and continue to face many challenges," shared Morgan.
The working group consisted of more than 10 participants from medium to large-sized businesses
supported by Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, Food and Beverage
Ontario, Meat & Poultry Ontario, and WSPS. "The aim was to bring broad insights to the table. To ensure
multiple perspectives were presented, companies of various sizes from both unionized and non-unionized
environments were included, and diverse topics, such as the use of temporary workers, were explored."
according to Morgan.
"The goal of the risk assessment workshop was to develop a solid understanding of health and safety
risks to workers in the food manufacturing industry, as determined by the industry." he noted. "Prior to the
workshop, each industry expert completed a worksheet to document situations or conditions in the industry
that can cause harm, and to capture current known controls."
Collectively, participants identified a total of 60 hazardous events. The group then engaged in a detailed
discussion of each event, and the industry representatives voted on the level of risks, which resulted in the
top 10 list.
"The Ministry and industry associations were present at the workshop to contribute to discussions." said
Morgan. "But only employer and worker representatives voted in the risk evaluation."
Michael Pesce of FGF Brands said a big part of the value in participating as a worker in the risk assessment
was hearing outside perspectives.
"There are different hazards associated with different jobs," he said. "But the good thing was we were able
to look at all these different hazards through a lens that was outside of the scope of what we're used to
day-to-day."
Rizwan Arshad, at MARS Petcare, said while he heard plenty of different perspectives in the room, a lot of
the answers were similar.
"There definitely was a consensus," noted Arshad. "We definitely are experiencing the same sort of issues in
our workplaces."
*Source: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs – Last modified March 2023 Food and beverage manufacturing
in Ontario (gov.on.ca)
