Review Of Workplace Safety System In Ontario
January 27, 2010 11:00 AM
McGuinty Government To Better Protect Workers From Workplace Hazards
Ontario will appoint Tony Dean as chair of an Expert Advisory Panel to conduct a comprehensive review of the province's occupational health and safety prevention and enforcement system.
Mr. Dean will lead a panel, comprised of safety experts from labour groups, employers and academic institutions to recommend options for structural, operational and policy improvements.
The panel will research best-in-class approaches to improving workplace safety in national and international jurisdictions and will look at a range of issues including:
- Continuum of safety practices in a workplace and entry-level safety training
- Impact of the underground economy on health and safety practices
- How existing legislation serves worker safety
Part of the review will be supported by the Institute for Work & Health, a globally renowned and independent research centre for occupational health and safety.
The Expert Advisory Panel
will report back to the Minister of Labour in Fall 2010.
QUICK FACTS
- The Ministry of Labour compliance program that ran from April 1, 2004, to March 31, 2008, helped to reduce the workplace annual injury rate by 20 per cent, or more than 57,000 incidents (as a result, employers have avoided about $5 billion in direct and indirect costs).
- Since 2005 Ontario has doubled the number of full-time occupational health and safety inspectors, bringing the total to 430.
- Tony Dean is a professor in the School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Toronto and a Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is a former Secretary of the Cabinet and has also served as Deputy Minister of Labour. Mr. Dean is a recipient of the Order of Ontario.
- The prevention of workplace injuries is a system-wide strategy, involving the Ministry of Labour, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and Health and Safety Associations.
LEARN MORE
CONTACTS
- Julie Garner
Minister's Office
416-326-7709
- Tom Zach
Ministry of Labour
416-326-7404
ontario.ca/labour
"Even one death or injury in a workplace is one too many. That's why we are putting together this panel of industry experts from all sectors. I look forward to receiving their advice and together we can work to ensure that all Ontario workers arrive home safely at the end of each day."
– Peter Fonseca
Minister of Labour
"I am honoured to lead this group of workplace safety experts. Our common goal is to bring forward improvements that will strengthen protections for every worker in Ontario."
– Tony Dean
Chair, Expert Advisory Panel
Communities
