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JOINT HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE CERTIFICATION TRAINING
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Wilkens Health and Safety Solutions (WHSS) is the only Ministry of Labour (MOL) approved Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) Certification training provider located in Kingston.
As most workplaces with twenty (20) or more workers must have a JHSC established, we regularly hold training sessions. At least one (1) worker and one (1) management representative of this committee must be certified by completing the prescribed training standards set by the MOL.
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Part One
Basic Certification Training
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Part One B
asic Certification training
provides an overall knowledge of the Health and Safety Legislation that applies to most workplaces.
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Part Two Workplace Specific
Training
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Part Two Workplace Specific
Certification training focuses on the significant hazards in your workplace and how to assess, control and/or eliminate them.
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Royal Ottawa Health Group Fined $75,000 After Stabbing of Staff by Patient
August 16, 2017
BROCKVILLE, ON - The Royal Ottawa Health Group was fined $75,000 after a nurse was stabbed by a patient at the Brockville Mental Health Centre on October 10, 2014. The nurse had been critically injured while observing a patient at the centre's Forensic Treatment Unit. The incident occurred after the nurse had escorted the patient to the washroom and upon vacating, the patient stabbed the nurse multiple times with a pen; the nurse was taken to hospital for emergency treatment.
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Company Director Receives Jail Sentence, Fines for Failure to Pay Convenience Store Employees
August 17, 2017
NEWMARKET, ON - An employer, and the director of the company who operated convenience stores attached to Shell gas stations in Scarborough, ON, Luai Namo, has been given a jail sentence of 30 days and total fines of $40,000; the corporation, 67481 Ontario INC., has been fined $84,000 ($6,000 for each of the 14 counts) after being ordered to pay wages by a Ministry of Labour employment standards officer but failing to do so.
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Mental Health in the Workplace
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Most adults spend the majority of their waking hours at work. Given this information, addressing issues of mental health in the workplace is vitally important.
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Seventy per cent of Canadian employees are concerned about the psychological health and safety of their workplace, and 14% of those employees do not consider their workplace to be healthy or safe. These workplaces can have detrimental personal effects as well as contribute to staggering economic costs.
Approximately 30% of disability claims in Canada are attributed to mental health. The total cost from mental health issues to the Canadian economy exceeds $50 billion annually. In 2011, mental health claims submitted by working adults in Canada cost employers more than $6 billion in lost productivity from absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover.
Find out what the
Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) is doing to assist employers create and maintain mentally healthy workplaces
here
.
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Clarification of what defines a critical injury in Ontario
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Clause 1(d) of
Regulation 834 stipulates that an injury of a serious nature is a "critical injury" if it involves the fracture of a leg or arm but not a finger or toe. The Ministry of Labour interprets this provision as including the fracture of a wrist, hand, ankle or foot - i.e. any such fracture would constitute a critical injury if it is of a serious nature. While the fracture of a single finger or single toe does not constitute a critical injury, the ministry takes the position that the fracture of more than one finger or more than one toe does constitute a critical injury if it is an injury of a serious nature.
Learn more at the Ministry of Labour
website .
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What is workplace violence?
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Most people think of workplace violence as a physical assault. However, workplace violence does not only refer to a physical act; it is any attempt to exercise physical force against a worker, in a workplace, that causes or could cause physical injury, or any statement or behaviour that is reasonable for a worker to interpret as a threat to exercise physical force. The following are examples of behaviour that constitute workplace violence:
- Threatening behaviour - shaking fists, destroying property or throwing objects.
- Verbal or written threats - any expression of an intent to inflict harm.
- Physical attacks - hitting, shoving, pushing or kicking.
Learn more about workplace violence at the Ontario Ministry of Labour
website
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Employment Standards Reminder
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In March 2017, Ontario announced the increase of minimum wage rates. This increase will be in effect as of October 1, 2017.
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Most employe
es are eligible for minimum wage, whether they are full-time, part-time, casual employees, or are paid an hourly rate, commission, piece rate, flat rate or salary. Some employees have jobs that are exempt from the minimum wage provisions of the Employment Standards Act (ESA). To learn more about these job categories click
here
.
If a change to the minimum wage rate comes into effect partway through an employee's pay period, the pay period will be treated as if it were two separate pay periods. The employee will be entitled to at least the minimum wage that applies in each of those periods.
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Minimum Wage Rate
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Rates from October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017
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Rates as of October 1, 2017
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General Minimum Wage
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$11.40 per hour
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$11.60 per hour
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Student Minimum Wage
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$10.70 per hour
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$10.90 per hour
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Liquor Servers Minimum Wage
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$9.90 per hour
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$10.10 per hour
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Still Need Updated Working at Heights Training?
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Don't wait, enroll your employees in our approved training program now
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As of October 1, 2017, all applicable construction workers must have completed CPO-approved Working At Heights (WAH) training. The extension granted by the Ministry of Labour also requires those workers who have not completed the training as of now to be registered for an upcoming WAH course. As the deadline for full compliance is just over a month away, we strongly advise you to beat the rush and register for an upcoming course today.
If you currently employ workers who use fall protection on a construction project, that have not yet received updated training, please view our up coming courses
here
.
For more information visit our website.
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Labour Day is a Public Holiday
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Reminder to all employers: the first Monday in September, which falls on the 4
th, is Labour Day. All employees who normally work on this day must be properly compensated as per the Public Holiday Pay requirements.
For more information, visit the Ministry of Labour website
here or
contact Patti directly.
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Join us for the "10 Minute Talks"- Fall 2017 Edition
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"Bringing local businesses together to talk about what matters"
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On October 25, 2017, we are holding our third "10 Minute Talks" event at Toast & Jam from 5:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m.  Employment standards and health and safety can be overwhelming for occupied business owners; We know the ins and outs of both! The casual setting will allow for you to have one-on-one time with our consultants and network with other business owners from the Kingston area.
Save the Date and bring a friend along! Non-Safety Group members pay $10.00 registration fee at the door.
R.S.V.P. to Holly by October 12, 2017, to save your spot.
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Safety Groups Recruitment 2018 |
Interested in joining a WSIB Safety Groups Program?
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Safety Groups is a performance-based rebate program developed by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). The program is a great resource to help organizations establish a comprehensive health and safety program. It provides businesses with structure and results, giving employers the knowledge and tools to implement occupational health and safety measures.
Improve your workplace's health and safety program today!
Applications for the 2018 WSIB Safety Groups program can be submitted as of October 1, 2017.
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Ministry of Labour Blitzes
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Upcoming Provincial / Eastern Ontario Blitzes
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The 2017 - 2018 workplace inspection blitz schedule has been announced. Ensure your workplace is prepared for upcoming focuses:
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Program
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Focus
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Sector / Business
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Date
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Health & Safety
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Residential Projects
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Construction
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Sept. 1 - Nov. 30, 2017
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Health & Safety
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Falls- Ladder Safety
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Construction |
Oct. 2 - Nov. 24, 2017
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Health & Safety
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Falls- Including Slips & Trips |
Health care; Industrial |
Oct. 2 - Nov. 24, 2017
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View the full schedule
here.
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Register your employees today
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Course
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Date
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Time
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ESA - Discipline & Termination
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Sept. 19, 2017 |
8:30 am - 10:00 am
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| Working at Heights |
Sept. 13, 2017 |
8:00 am - 4:00 pm |
Working at Heights
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Sept. 14, 2017 |
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
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Working at Heights
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Sept. 27, 2017 |
8:00 am - 4:00 pm |
| JHSC Certification Part 1 |
Sept. 27 - 29, 2017 |
8:00 am - 4:00 pm |
ESA- Leaves
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Oct. 3, 2017 |
8:30 am - 10:00 am
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| JHSC Certification Part 1 |
Oct. 11 - 13, 2017 |
8:30 am - 4:30 pm |
JHSC Certification Part 2
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Oct. 19 - 20, 2017 |
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
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| Working at Heights |
Oct. 26, 2017 |
8:00 am - 4:00 pm |
| JHSC Certification Part 1 |
Nov. 6 - 8, 2017 |
8:30 am - 4:30 pm |
| ESA - Essential Needs to Know |
Nov. 14, 2017
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8:00 am - 11:00 am
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Working at Heights
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Nov. 23, 2017 |
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
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| JHSC Certification Part 2 |
Nov. 30 - Dec. 1, 2017 |
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
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Working at Heights
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Dec. 7, 2017 |
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
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JHSC Certification Part 1
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Dec. 13 - 15, 2017
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8:30 am - 4:30 pm
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