An 18-year old man died Monday after falling from a building in the Barrel Yards development in Waterloo.  Police say the man was working on a balcony outside one of the top floors of the 23 story building.  The Ministry of Labour and police are continuing to investigate. 

An tragedy like this incident highlights the risk to young workers and those working at heights.  

From now until October 26th the Ministry will be visiting plants, factories and other industrial sector workplaces ensuring employers are taking appropriate actions to assess and address possible hazards.  The focus will be on material handling involving activities related to loading, unloading, storage and movement of goods and supplies in workplaces.

Inspectors are checking workplaces for compliance with the Ontario Health and Safety Act and it's regulations.  Inspectors will be focusing on if employers have:

The Ontario government is about to release new standards  for Working at Heights & Fall Prevention.  Is it really that important to make sure you are 100% tied off at all times?  How about these facts and stats from the province.  

The Ministry continues to fine companies in Ontario for not protecting their workers.

 Excavation company's due diligence defence  rejected and they are convicted of  OHS violations.  The court observed that there appeared to have been a presumption that once oral instructions were conveyed, they would be understood and complied with by workers.  But there was no evidence whether any steps were made to ensure that anyone working for the company understood the instructions.  Although the company was small, it required a system and process for establishing appropriate written OHS policies and procedures, communicating them, monitoring them and enforcing them.

The Ministry of Labour is currently doing a blitz focusing on the training of new and young workers.  The goal is to prevent injuries and deaths.  Young and new workers are four times more likely to be injured in their first month of work than any other time and twice as likely in the first year.  The blitz is focusing on workers aged 14-24.

Ministry of Labour issued over 4000 orders in their latest blitz of small businesses.   Small businesses have all responsibilities to keep their workers safe as large businesses.  

Of those orders over 900 were for businesses not having workplace harassment and violence policies.  Another 800 were for not having the proper worker postings and 300 for not having and supporting a worker health and safety rep.