Between May 1st and August 31st of 2015 the Ministry of Labour conducted a workplace blitz targeting young and new workers.   These are workers between the ages of 14 and 24 and workers who had been working at a new job for less than 6 months.  In the first month on the job workers are three times more likely to suffer an injury.   During the blitz, the MoL visited 2700 workplaces.   11,470 orders were issued including over 200 stop work orders.

The top three issues identified during the visits are:

1) there was no copy of the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (the green book) posted

2) equipment was not maintained in good working condition

3) employers were not taking every reasonable precaution to protect their workers' health and safety

The Ministry says the blitz shows new and young workers, regardless of where the sector they work in, are still being exposed to workplace hazards.   

All new workers should receive a thorough orientation when starting a new job.   This should include any and all safety training required to do their jobs properly.  For example, WHMIS, material handling, workplace safety, working at height  if in construction, machine safety and handling.

Are you doing everything reasonable to protect your workers?