Municipal Health and Safety Conference

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• Municipal Health and Safety Conference
• October 2008
• Carol Sackville-Duyvelshoff
• Associate Director
• Occupational Health and Safety Branch
• Operations Division

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Purpose

• Provide
• Outcome of the 2004 2008 High Risk Initiative
• Information on the foundation of the new vision

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Targeted Enforcement 2004-08

• In 2004, the Ministry of Labour began a 4-year
  strategy to reduce lost time injuries (LTIs) in
  Ontario by 20 through risk-based targeted
  enforcement.
• The goals of risk strategy were
• To protect workers who are at greatest risk of
  being injured
• To benefit employers by reducing the costs of
  injuries and
• To reduce the overall social and economic impact
  of workplace injuries.
• System activity was focused, in an objective
  manner, to where the data suggests that
  improvements in workplace conditions were needed
  most.

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The High Risk Strategy

• The targeting approach prioritized companies for
  proactive inspection using a risk-based
  assessment based on the past performance
  (injuries) of a firm compared to its peers.
• 10 of companies assessed as having the worst
  injury records were targeted for further
  engagement
• The 2 with the worst record were identified as
  high risk and were subject to quarterly
  ministry inspections, and
• The next highest 8 were contacted by either MOL
  or the Health and Safety Associations (HSAs)

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2004-08 Program Achievements

• High Risk/Last Chance program ended March 31,
  2008
• The LTI rate in Ontario decreased from 2.2. LTIs
  per 100 workers in 2003/04 (the baseline year) to
  1.8 LTIs per 100 workers by March 2008
• This is a 20 decrease, and represents a
  cumulative total of over 57,000 fewer LTIs over
  the 4-year program than would have occurred had
  the injury rate stayed the same as in 2003/04
• 5 Billion in total (direct and indirect) injury
  costs have been avoided over the 4 years of the
  program

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Figure 1 Lost-time injury rate per 100 workers
for all Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
(WSIB) covered workplaces
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A New Strategy

• The ministry received feedback from staff and
  external stakeholders during the implementation
  of the high risk program.
• This feedback, as well as lessons learned, drove
  the direction of Safe At Work Ontario.
• Safe At Work Ontario builds on the ministrys
  2004-2008 strategy, and represents an evolution
  from an enforcement-based program towards a
  compliance-focused program

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Safe At Work Ontario

• The primary goal is to reduce fatalities,
  critical and lost time injuries.
• The new vision will lead to continued reduction
  in LTIs and NLTIs contributing to system targets
  (WSIB Road to Zero), reduced burden on the health
  care system, cost avoidance for employers and the
  Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, and a level
  playing field for safe companies.
• We want to enhance our partnerships leading to a
  more comprehensive framework that will result in
  less injuries.

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Safe at Work Ontario

• Under this new direction, the ministry will
  identify and engage workplaces based on a variety
  of factors such as
• their health and safety record,
• history of non-compliance,
• the presence of health and safety hazards
  inherent to the activities of the business.
• We will be into workplaces that have not had an
  injury.
• Our new vision focuses on improving the health
  and safety culture of our workplaces.

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Figure 2 Safe At Work Ontario - Program Design
Sector Strategy Components
Health and Safety Record (LTIs, NLTIs)
Sector Specific (Hazard Focus)
Partnerships

• High hazards in sector
• - blitzes, zero tolerance
• MOL enforcement history
• Complaints received by MOL
• High potential for injuries

• Integrated delivery
• Prevention Focus
• Educational focus by SWAs
• SWA referral of firms to MOL
• WSIB WorkWell audits
• Working with workplace parties

• - Use of WSIB data to identify worst firms in
  sector based on LTIs, NLTIs, cost
• Firms identified for proactive inspection from
  MOL

Firm Identification
Inspection Focus
Internal Responsibility System (IRS)
Increased Compliance

• Decrease in LTIs
• Solid functioning IRS
• Decrease in critical injuries/fatalities
• Health and Safety Leadership in the workplace

Safer Workplaces
Results
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Safe At Work Ontario Inspection Focus

• Inspectors focus will be on assessing strength
  and functionality of the IRS. If the IRS is
  working it is an indication of a strong health
  and safety culture.
• Competence
• Knowledge of OHSA
• Training
• Dealing with issues
• JHSC with certified members, frequent meetings,
  minutes
• Commitment
• Leadership to make workplace safe
• Policies and Procedures in place and implemented
• Zero Tolerance
• Capacity
• Resources to address issues in workplace
• Have a Health and Safety program
• Referrals to HSAs and WSIB
• Firms will be identified and proactive
  inspections carried out and results of first
  inspection will determine the degree of
  intervention by MOL.

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Safe At Work Ontario Sector Strategies

• Sector Strategies focusing on
• Hazards
• Development of strategies to reduce injuries
  related to specific hazards
• Proactive inspections in firms, regardless of
  injuries, based on the hazardous nature of the
  operation
• Use of field intelligence and compliance history
• Provides flexibility to address specific issues
• Health and Safety Record
• WSIB firms ranked according to the number and
  frequency of LTIs and NLTIs, and claim costs

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The Municipal Sector

• Municipal sector
• Large proportion of Schedule 2 firms
• Municipalities have dispersed operations working
  in a somewhat autonomous manner
• Municipalities also have a great variance from
  one operation to the next in terms of injury
  rates and severity
• Within a 4 visit framework, it is difficult to
  target the locations that need change in a
  meaningful way
• The worker count within municipalities has been
  completed and the municipalities have been ranked
  using the 2007/08 risk assessment criteria

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Municipalities and Municipal Entities

• Municipalities are grouped into the government
  sector for the purpose of MOL risk assessment
• The government sector also includes
  municipally-owned and/or operated entities such
  as transit commissions, economic development
  corporations, fire and police services, utilities
  and libraries
• There are 442 organized municipalities registered
  as active firms in WSIB data set, of which 104
  (24) are Schedule 2.

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Municipal Firms For Proactive Inspection

• As with OPS entities, Schedule 1 and Schedule 2
  firms are assessed equally within the assessment
  methodology, where FTE information can be
  obtained for Schedule 2 firms.
• Municipal engagement that began at the beginning
  of the 2008 calendar year continues through to
  the end of the MOLs 2008/09 fiscal year.

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Municipal Sector Approach

• The CAO or COO be contacted during the first
  visit
• Single-tier municipalities and Regions to be
  contacted by an MOL Regional Director or MOL
  manager.
• Inspectors/RPCs/Managers to contact all other
  employers in the municipal sector (e.g. Counties
  and Districts)
• Association of Municipalities of Ontario lists
  and categorizes each municipality
• Consistent with the approach taken by several
  SWAs in dealing with large employers

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Municipal Sector Approach

• MOL has also uses a hazard based approach to
  targeting
• 1) Sector plan for the Municipal sector
• http//www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/sawo/sector
  plans/industrial15.html
• 2 ) Blitzes
• New and Young Workers June 2008
• Falls September 2008
• Electrical November 2008
• Forklifts February 2009
• 3) Regional Initiatives

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Safe At Work Ontario

• We will be working with you and our system
  partners to achieve
• Significant injury reductions
• Better compliance
• Improved health and safety culture within Ontario
  workplaces
• http//www.ontario.ca/SafeAtWorkOntario