HR Professional - February/March 2009 - (Page 18) UPFRONT S A F E T Y | A C C O M M O D AT I O N | W S I B REGULATORY NO WSIB REBATES FOR DEATH COMPANIES WITH A WORKPLACE DEATH CAN FORGET ABOUT REBATES FROM THE WORKPLACE SAFETY & INSURANCE BOARD (WSIB). THE NEW POLICY MEANS THAT IF A WORKER IS KILLED—REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT THE FIRM BROKE SAFETY LAWS IN THE ACCIDENT—THE EMPLOYER WILL NOT RECEIVE A REBATE IN THE YEAR OF THE FATAL ACCIDENT. “EMPLOYERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SAFETY,” WSIB’S JOHN SLINGER TOLD THE TORONTO STAR. “THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH UNLESS THEY CAN DEMONSTRATE WHERE EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES EXIST.” THE COMPANY COULD ALSO BE SUBJECT TO A WSIB WORKPLACE AUDIT AND, IF THE COMPANY FAILS TO ADDRESS PROBLEMS UNCOVERED IN THE AUDIT, UP TO $500,000 IN FINES. Source: Toronto Star HEALTH Managing episodic disabilities course To promote better understanding into the challenges faced by workers with episodic disabilities, the Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation (CWGHR) has introduced “Managing Episodic Disabilities”—a 15-hour online course geared specifically for HR professionals. Episodic disabilities are chronic illnesses—HIV, lupus, MS, arthritis and some cancers and mental illnesses—that are unpredictable. Sufferers may have long periods of good health followed by unpredicted episodes of poor health. The course provides a better understanding of episodic disabilities and how they differ from “traditional”disabilities; workplace and income support issues faced by employees; and labour and employment law around episodic disabilities. “As medical advances mean more people with episodic disabilities are entering the workforce, and as an aging workforce means more people being diagnosed with episodic illnesses, it’s crucial that HR professionals gain a better understanding of the issue,” says CWGHR’s Eileen McKee. For more information, check out www.hivandrehab.ca. Training Preventing musculoskeletal disorders 41 per cent of lost-time injury claims at the WSIB? These repetitive strain and ergonomic injuries (including carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, thoracic outlet syndrome and tension neck syndrome) ) represent a significant and avoidable cost to businesses, both in terms of employee health and increased premiums. The Ontario Service Safety Alliance has launched a new MSD prevention course that helps health and safety professionals to identify risk factors that could cause MSDs; assess the risk of injury to employees; select methods to control MSD risk factors; and promote and communicate a safety culture in their workplace. The half-day (four hour) training session involves a series of exercises that help participants relate MSD prevention to their own situations. Priced at $169 per person, the course includes a CD that employers and managers can take back to their workplace to provide employee training. For more: www.ossa.ca 18 F e b r u a r y / M a r c h 2 0 0 9 HR P ROF ES SI O N AL http://www.hivandrehab.ca http://www.ossa.ca
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