Cannabis Legalization and Workplace Rules

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Cannabis Legalization and Workplace Rules

With Canada Legalizing Marijuana, is Cannabis legal at work in Ontario? Not exactly!

Recreational cannabis in the workplace is still illegal after the October 17 legalization change, however there are some rules around medical cannabis in the workplace.

If you’re an employer, you also are required to address workplace hazards under Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) as well as know the rules for medical cannabis.

Employees and workers who can’t safely perform their jobs may present a hazard to themselves or to others in the workplace, and workers also have a duty to perform work safely and report any hazards they are aware of to their supervisor or employer.

There are additional rules, including those around commercial driving and where recreational usage is allowable.

We provide carefully crafted policies you can adopt or adapt to help your business quickly comply with the new requirements and avoid pitfalls of not being properly prepared.

Contact us to learn more.

 

Working towards COR™?

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Working towards COR™?

COR™ (Certificate of Recognition) is an accreditation supported by the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations (CFCSA). This program requires construction organizations to develop safe workplaces and consistent practices. The program not only will save your company money by reducing your injury rate, worker compensation premiums, legal risks, property damage and lost productivity, but will also give you access to clients who are increasingly requiring their suppliers have COR™ certification.

F.A.S.T. Rescue can assist you in achieving COR™ accreditation from setup to final qualification. Contact us for more information.

Ontario rewards Employers with a Health & Safety Management System

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Ontario rewards Employers with a Health & Safety Management System

Organized, systematic approaches to health & safety have been shown to increase worker awareness and participation in safe practices. This in turn, has reduced workplace injuries and illness. Similar programs in Europe and Japan have resulted in a decline in workplace accidents.

On November 22, 2019, the Ontario government announced a pro-active initiative, Supporting Ontario’s Safe Employers. This initiative recognizes and financially rewards employers who have successfully implemented an occupational health & safety management system in their workplace. The incentives, estimated at $140 million, are open to all employers in Ontario, regardless of size or sector and will come in the form of WSIB rebates over a three year period.

Building on the provincial program, WSIB is launching their own Health & Safety Excellence program. The provincial program will target those employers who have already implemented a health & safety program while the WSIB program is aimed at encouraging employers without an existing program to adopt one.

Jump start your Safety Management System by contacting us.

Workplace First Aid Kit Changes

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Workplace First Aid Kit Changes

Workplace First Aid Kit requirements in Canada presently differ by province and territory.  The CSA Group has been reviewing these requirements with the aim to standardize First Aid Kit requirements across Canada.  These new kits will be designed to “scale up” depending on the number of workers.  F.A.S.T. Rescue will inform our clients when this change is in effect and will offer add-ons for any kits that will require an upgrade.

Click here for the present first aid kit requirements for your province.

FAST Rescue President/CEO Honors Black History Month Mentoring Youth

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FAST Rescue President/CEO Honors Black History Month Mentoring Youth

BMMP Mentorship Workshop Group Photo FEb 20 2019

Dean Turner, F.A.S.T. Rescue President/CEO and veteran of the Canadian Forces, proudly represented the company this week at the York Region District School Board Black Male Mentorship Program 2019 — an elite mentoring workshop for young African Canadian men, hosted at Vaughan Secondary School in Vaughan, ON.
 
“It was difficult growing up but what made a difference in my life was the people around me that I respected and loved – people who made me believe in myself.  If I can be that person to even young man, I will have achieved so much!”
 
Turner, and 27 other area professionals helped recognize this Black History Month with the start of the mentorship program that will run for 15 months.   The students were matched with a mentor one-on-one, and also split into workgroups named after African countries to honor their contributions and history.
 
Teams Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, Ghana and Egypt were composed of bright African-Canadian youth from widely varied backgrounds, together with entrepreneurs, professional athletes and olympians, business executives and other top-of-class professional African Canadians.
 
The YRDSB Black Male Mentorship Program was organized by Charlotte Reid, Sean McCormack, Justin Jones, Nigel Escoffery, Sharrief Sims and Anton Skerritt.  Learn more at https://twitter.com/Skerro2/status/1098353096307011585.

What You Need To Know About Staying Safe While Working In Extreme Heat

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What You Need To Know About Staying Safe While Working In Extreme Heat

When you think of dangerous jobs, you might think of firefighting. You might think of being a pilot. Maybe you think of something more technical, like welding.

Those are all dangerous jobs, and all of them involve heat in some way or another. And it’s very likely your job can involve heat, especially if you work outside and the climate changes unexpectedly.

You might think it’s tornados. Fires. Hurricanes. But the biggest weather-related danger to people in the United States is actually extreme heat. Every single year, hundreds of people sustain injuries from working in extreme heat, or even die.

Athletes, too, particularly need to watch out for heat-related illnesses. Before they can even realize it’s happening, they can become dizzy and faint. That’s all due to exertional heat stroke, or EHS.

Heat Related Illnesses

Heat stroke and exertional heat stroke are both very serious illnesses that can occur when working in extreme heat.

Heat Stroke

Heat stroke is what happens when your body’s core temperature goes about 40°C. This extreme rise in temperature of the body makes it so your body is no longer capable of regulating itself. The signs start to show when a person acts disoriented or confused. They can also faint. Heat stroke can put someone at risk for permanent damage. It could result in brain, heart, or kidney damage. Sometimes, it can even be fatal.

Exertional Heat Stroke

When someone is experiencing exertional heat stroke, it doesn’t necessarily need to be extremely warm outside. Athletes are the people who most frequently deal with exertional heat stroke. The high temperatures in their body is caused by their own physical exertion. People who work in labor outside can also be very susceptible to this type of heat stroke.

Heat Exhaustion

This is generally what someone will experience before it leads to full heat stroke. The person will sweat excessively, which means their body is still able to cool itself down from the heat. They can still experience confusion and exhaustion, and if not treated immediately, can result in heat stroke.

Heat Cramps

When your body is lacking in electrolytes, it can result in cramping of the arms, legs, or stomach. A person experiencing heat cramps needs to rest and hydrate, which will alleviate the symptoms.

How to Stay Safe in Extreme Heat

All heat related illnesses are preventable. The more informed you are about heat illnesses when you’re working in extreme heat, the safer you’ll be. Awareness is the number one thing that’s going to prevent people from getting heat stroke, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or any other type of illness from exposing the body to too much heat.

Obviously, the best way to avoid heat illnesses is to stay out of the heat. But if you’re working in a hot environment, it can’t be avoided. If you can, increase your exposure to working in heat gradually. Instead of working the full eight hours of the day in the sun, spend some time getting used to the heat and ramping it up until you can safely work the entire day. Many cases of on the job illness occur because workers haven’t taken the time to acclimatize themselves to their conditions.

You might know exactly what we’re going to say, but hydrating your body is of the utmost importance. Drink water every fifteen minutes when working in extreme heat. Even if you’re not thirsty, it’s important to drink to keep your body hydrated before you start feeling that thirst, which means you’re on your way to being dangerously dehydrated.When you’re working somewhere hot, always plan ahead.

If you and your company need a plan, F.A.S.T. Rescue can help teach you the ropes and provide a safety course that will allow you to work in the heat without contracting any of these illnesses.

Ways To Make Workplace Safety Training More Exciting

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Ways To Make Workplace Safety Training More Exciting

When you hear the phrase “Workplace Safety Training,” do you jump for joy? The answer is probably not. In fact, it’s probably more of the opposite of that reaction. Workplace safety training can often be a very boring topic, and seem like just another chore for you to have to go through in your business as an employee or an employer.

Yet you know the importance of getting your employees trained effectively, efficiently, and comprehensively. But everyone knows that information is easier to retain when it’s presented in an easily digestible manner that people will actually enjoy.

Here’s how to get the most of your employee’s workplace safety training.

Have a Conversation

If you’re doing a presentation about workplace training or simply guiding your employees through a safety lecture, don’t do so without allowing a place for feedback. Most studies report that the education that attendees yield from lectures is relatively low. On the other hand, when you incorporate room for interaction into your presentation, retention of the topic is increased.

When you’re preparing to train your employees on safety, structure the event so you’re having a conversation with your workers. Instead of talking at them, you can talk with them, and they will feel more engaged.

A Little Incentive Never Hurt

If you used a rewards-based program as an incentive for employees to complete their training, they’ll have a whole new level of motivation associated with their task.

You can turn the training into a friendly competition, based on who can complete it in the shortest amount of time, who can score the highest on the tests, or who can answer the most questions.

You can use a gift card as a reward, or just bragging rights that they did the best. You can even offer an extended break to the person who performs the best.

Use Roleplay

Getting your head into the game with roleplay is a great way to increase retention of materials and allow the training to make a lasting impact. When you assign roles to your workers, you can act out real-life scenarios that may arise on the job. This way, your employees can engage in kinetic learning and have already been walked through a potential dangerous situation. That way, if the dangerous situation did actually arise, they’ve already experienced a similar scenario and will remember how to react.

Use Multimedia

Wherever possible, incorporate ways for your employees to interact with the information that you’re giving to them. Depending on your work situation, you can make video games that simulate situations that they might encounter, or use quizzes to keep them paying attention to the presentation at hand.

The closest you can get to simulation a real-life situation that you’re describing, the better. Not only does this make your presentation more fun, it gives workers some experience dealing with potential situations.

Get it at F.A.S.T.

You knew we were going to go there. Yes, when you do your workplace safety training with F.A.S.T., you’re getting all that exciting workplace safety training. You might have thought that the word “exciting” and “workplace safety training” couldn’t be used together in the same sentence, but we’ve got your back for engaging safety seminars of all types.

We make safety a way of life, not just a one-time training session that your employees are going to be likely to forget. We offer all measure of safety and training solutions for your business, and can consult with you to create the most effective training session possible.

What’s Hot Work Training and Why Do You Need It?

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What’s Hot Work Training and Why Do You Need It?

Hot work. That sounds like work that you do that’s a little bit spicy, right? Things get a little heated? That may be what it sounds like, but it’s not exactly right.

What Is It?

Hot work is work that produces a flame, spark, or any heat. It’s work that is often seen around construction or demolition sites. Hot work often involves cutting, welding, using arc welding equipment, portable gas, soldering, or grinding.

What’s the Danger?

Hot work can introduce fire hazards into the scenarios and areas where it is being conducted, so a high level of safety training and skill is required for the job.

With hot work, you’re frequently around gas when you’re working with flames. That means leaks could occur, and release flammable gas into the area.

Often, additional personnel are assigned to fire watch with hot work is being conducted to make sure that there is no possibility that anything greater than a minor fire could develop.

Gas detectors are also commonly put into place. If a flammable or combustible gas in the atmosphere gets to ten percent or higher of the lower explosive level, the hot work must be stopped until the source of the leak is found and repaired.

Another possible danger is flash fires. These happen when gasses like Hydrogen Sulfide or Methane build up around the wellhead area where the hot work is being performed. These gases are able to be monitored by gas detectors as well.

Work with grinding produces sparks that can cause considerable damage if the proper protective gear is not worn. Face shields are required, and fire protection equipment. Besides fire danger, fingers can also get stuck in the grinding wheel, which, needless to say, is something you wouldn’t want to happen.

Why Do You Need a Certification?

Because you’re literally playing with fire, a permit is important. A certification allows your employer to know that you’re qualified for the job you’re applying for, and you know the safety measures required of you.

When you’re safe and the area you’re working in is safe, everyone can rest assured that the job will be done well and be done securely. Besides that, every site and every employer you work for will require that you have your certification. Otherwise, you’ll be some random person wielding fire, and they won’t be able to trust you.

The Course

At F.A.S.T, creating a safe work environment is highly emphasized.

The class is four hours long, and the certification lasts for three years. You’ll learn how to identify hazards that arise with hot work. Atmospheric testing, setting up a permit system, and safeguarding areas is all also covered. You’ll be able to follow safe work policies, and not have to take another course for three more years.

Get the most comprehensive hot work training out there, because you don’t want to risk it when it comes to your safety.

Private Workplace Training

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Private Workplace Training

If you run a business, you’re well aware of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. You know, the labor law that says each employer needs to furnish their employees with a workplace that’s safe from physical hazards. And that employees must go through a workplace safety training program.

So you know you’ve got to train your employees on their safety. But are you doing the best that you can?

What Does OHSA Require?

OHSA was enacted to cover workers and protect them from safety and health hazards that might arise on the job.

It puts procedures into place for employers to be required to have a plan in case of workplace hazards. It enforces these laws, which helps create a safe workplace for employees, because employers may not have done so voluntarily in the past.

It details what to do in case of harassment, toxic substances, how to follow codes of practice, the duties of employers, and more.

You can read about the requirements of OHSA in their entirety.

So What Do You Do?

You’re aware of OHSA. So you know you need to provide your workers with safety training. There’s a lot of options out there for you to choose from. Many people might want to turn to an online training program to get the work out of the way, but online training has been proven to be much less successful than working with someone face to face.

E-learning can provide employees with the bare minimum of what they need to learn. But the information doesn’t stick in their heads as well as it does with in-person training.

Learning the safety elements in the actual field instead of learning them online provides a hands-on experience your employees wouldn’t get otherwise. It makes your program more credible, your employees even safer, and your company reputation more reputable.

In-person training sessions also eliminate the ability of your employees to slack off and miss vital information that will help keep them safe. They can ask questions specific to your business and be prepared for incidents particular to your work environment.

Private Workplace Training

F.A.S.T. private workplace training offers you any possible type of training you could need. We cover every element of the workplace safety world. Forklift training, First Aid & CPR, Fall Arrest, Spill Response, Event Coverage – there’s workplace training program for it all. Learning these safety measures effectively is critical to an employees safety and success, and it’s not something to be taken lightly.

Online Training

If you absolutely can’t work with in-person training, we’ve still got options for you with online programs. We cover everything from chainsaw safety to trenching and shoring with our online safety videos.

Whatever your need is, F.A.S.T. Rescue has just the thing to cover all the safety information out there.