December 16, 2013 – Ontario’s Ministry of Labour has developed what it calls the province’s first integrated strategy to prevent injuries and improve the delivery of workplace health and safety. It aims to guide the ministry in setting priorities to prevent injuries and create a culture where health & safety are at the centre of every workplace. The strategy includes actions to:

• Support small businesses with new resources to keep workers safe.
• Ensure that all workers, especially those most at risk, receive the help they need.
• Make the delivery of health & safety services more effective and efficient.
• Raise awareness among Ontarians about ways to stay safe and healthy at work.
• Foster compliance with workplace health & safety regulations.

This is the province’s first integrated health & safety strategy, says the government, and builds on recent Ministry of Labour initiatives to protect workers and keep them safe at work, including:

• introducing mandatory health & safety training for workers and supervisors
• creating task groups for small businesses and for vulnerable workers to address occupational health & safety issues
• weekend and after-hours workplace inspections

The government says it heard from more than 1250 consultation participants and received 220 responses to the consultation paper it released back in March 2013.