Ontario has created an advisory group to assist in implementing the province’s Construction Health and Safety Action Plan. Announced on May 21, the Construction Health and Safety Advisory Group, which consists of four labour and four employer representatives, will work with Parliamentary Assistant Mike Colle and Chief Prevention Officer George Gritziotis to provide advice on how to best implement the action plan.

“While we have made great strides in reducing workplace injuries, the number of fatalities in our construction sector is still far too high,” Ontario Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn said in a statement on May 21. “This advisory group will provide important advice on the occupational health and safety needs of the construction sector and will help us create safer workplaces.”

Ontario’s construction industry has traditionally experienced higher rates of workplace injuries and fatalities compared to other sectors. In 2013, the construction sector represented seven per cent of employment in Ontario but 26 per cent of fatalities, the Ministry of Labour said.

Preventable workplace accidents continue to be a problem in the construction sector, Gritziotis noted in the statement. “I am confident that together, we can enhance safety in the sector,” he said. “The work of the advisory group will build on the stakeholder engagement we have conducted to date.”

The action plan, as set out in Premier Kathleen Wynne’s mandate letter on September 25, 2014, aims to protect workers’ health and safety by strengthening accident prevention in the construction sector.

The advisory group will make suggestions to the government on how to: increase the commitment to health and safety in construction workplaces; enhance training for workers in the sector; work with other enforcement authorities and municipalities to improve safety; build awareness about construction health and safety among young people; encourage effective supervision of construction workers; ensure that legislation and regulations are better understood; and ensure effective consumer outreach strategies.

The group is comprised of labour representatives, including Joe Dowdall of the International Union of Operating Engineers, James Hogarth of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, Cosmo Mannella of LiUNA Ontario Provincial District Council and Mike Yorke of the Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario. Employer representatives on the group include Mike Wieninger of PCL Constructors Inc., Steve Riddell of Ellis Don Corporation, Tom McLaughlin of Thomasfield Homes Ltd. and Dave McLean of Mattamy Homes.

The action plan would require government, labour, workers, owners, supervisors and consumers to work together, Colle said in the statement. “We all have a role and responsibility in preventing workplace injuries and fatalities.”

There were 69 fatalities and 4,752 time-loss injuries in Ontario’s construction sector in 2013, based on Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada statistics. Recently, one worker died and another was seriously injured after a crane collapsed north of Toronto on May 21. A 40-year-old construction worker from Aurora, Ont. also died after a crane tipped over and fell onto him at a worksite in Brampton in April (COHSN, April 28).

CSA Group is in the process of developing what would be Canada’s first voluntary national standard on first aid in the workplace. The standards organization is now calling for participants from employer, employee, regulator, training-provider and general-interest stakeholders to volunteer on the Technical Committee (TC) on Workplace First Aid to create the new consensus-based standard, CSA Group said in a statement on May 8.

“I think it’s a really exciting project, and I think that it’s very timely,” said Jeanne Bank, health and safety standards manager with CSA Group in Toronto. “What we’re hearing from a lot of the regulatory bodies is that they were going to be having to update their programs anyway, so to be able to do it under our umbrella makes a lot more sense.”

The Canadian Red Cross and regulators approached CSA Group about exploring the feasibility of a national standard due to the differences that exist across jurisdictions for workplace first-aid requirements, Bank said. In October 2014, CSA Group and the Canadian Red Cross held their first stakeholder consultation to discuss the idea.

“There’s been quite a positive response so far. So we’re hoping to be able to establish a good technical committee that has that balance of representation,” Bank said. There is a strong interest from employees, employers, training providers, regulators and people involved in prevention, she added.

“Any of the meetings or conferences that we’ve been at, people have been anxiously asking, ‘When is this going to be started?’ and ‘How can we get involved in it?’”

The final standard should be completed within 18 months of the first TC meeting, according to Bank. Once the committee has reached a consensus on the draft document, there will be a 60-day public review period. After reviewing the public’s comments, the standard will be revised and voted on by the committee. Provincial regulators will then decide whether to endorse or implement that standard within their jurisdictions.

The application process for the TC on Workplace First Aid will be open until June 30, and the first TC meeting is planned for the fall. Those who are interested in sitting on the TC are being asked to submit a bio or CV along with a statement of interest to CSA Group.