If it sounds like an ultimatum, that’s because it sort of is.
Not to fear monger, but there’s a lot at risk if you don’t have a proper safety protocol in place. Though, it’s not simply having the paperwork in place or including a safety slide in your orientation for new staff.
Your colleagues become your family, so what would happen if they broke a bone, were sexually harassed, or died because of a workplace accident?
You can’t go back and mend the situation, but you can work to prevent it so your staff makes it home safely to their families every day.
Let’s look at a situation first to see how CEEDA can help you with early intervention to protect you, your employees, and your business.
A Workplace Injury
A new employee starts at your dealership. They’re keen and ready to work so you take them through your onboarding process. You show them around, introduce them to their coworkers, and give them a brief health and safety talk.
Then a couple of years go by and one day, they take a nasty fall or are struck by a forklift. Thankfully, they survive but not without injury.
What do you do? Do you call:
A) An ambulance
B) The police
C) Bev at CEEDA
D) WSIB
E) The Ministry of Labour
If you’re not sure who to call, and in what order (and your staff doesn’t either), then you are required to find out.
The tricky part is: the traumatic impact of a significant accident or injury in the workplace can negatively impact the brain’s normal thinking and processing behaviours.
If you get it wrong, it’s not that big of a deal though, right? You tried your best and you meant well.
Wrong.
There’s a lot at risk.
The Risks
Let’s say you call A) an ambulance first. Good, you’re off on the right track. Alongside the paramedics, the police show up, record the scene, and tell you that you can clean it up.
Well, that could put you on the hook with the Ministry of Labour. Now, your business is at risk of fines, you’re potentially at risk of imprisonment and to top it all off, your supervisor could also be fined along with the employee that got hurt.
Yes, you read that right. The employee that was hurt could also be fined.
Why are they getting fined and what’s the solution?
Find out when you,
Register for safety training with CEEDA.
CEEDA’S Health & Safety Training
CEEDA has put together two programs that help you comply with Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.
We’ve translated the legalese into plain English with step-by-step instructions on how to comply. We know that your legislated responsibilities as an employer can be difficult to comprehend when the language in the legislation is deliberately vague—so we help you understand, develop, and implement a compliant health and safety program and procedures.
Tip: An ongoing commitment to health and safety as well as providing regular training to your employees is a mandatory requirement. CEEDA’s health and safety training programs check both off those boxes!
5Plus Program
As a participating sponsor of WSIB’s Safety Groups Program since 2005, CEEDA has independently developed the 5Plus Program specifically for CEEDA dealer members to eliminate concerns regarding WSIB management and reporting requirements.
Monthly webinars and one-on-one individual dealership coaching provide an opportunity for you to develop your health and safety program at your own pace with the professional support, resources, and accountability you require.
Registrants of CEEDA’s 5Plus Program can choose from three options to determine the best fit for their dealership:
- the full annual 5Plus Program (March to December — includes monthly one-on-one coaching and 10 webinars)
- the Complete Webinar Package only
- or the Select Webinar Package (pay per webinar)
On our dealership visits, we will review your policies and consult on any issues that you’re dealing with while you learn how to protect your employees and set your business up with a successful and compliant health and safety program. And, as always, we’re available to answer your questions by email or phone in between.
*Due to COVID-19 all in-person seminars have been moved online and in-person visits have been modified.
Safety Talks
Part of your employer OHSA compliance requires regular and on-going employee training. To facilitate and simplify this process CEEDA offers semi-monthly online calls with four timeslots available so your staff can obtain their health and safety training in shifts instead of pulling everyone off the floor at one time.
Subscribe to the 12-month program (at any time) to train yourself and your team on relevant health and safety topics. It is equally important for employers as well as staff to regularly participate in health and safety training.
The Benefits
By investing in education for you and your staff, you set your business up for success. In case of an emergency, you’ll know who to call, in what order, and save yourself and your staff from the risks of fines and/or imprisonment.
The most beneficial piece is that you will have the knowledge to prevent accidents and create a safer workplace. Your team will know how to spot risks, how to prevent them, and how to hold their coworkers accountable so you can avoid the incident from the beginning.
Ready to commit to a better health and safety policy?
Learn more about the programs today.