Workers Health & Safety Centre

Safe September reopening: Importance of COVID-19 workplace inspections

 


Does your workplace have a COVID-19 plan for a safe September reopening? Does it take into account the full range of protocols necessary for the prevention of virus transmission? Are workers properly trained to understand and help implement these protocols? Not sure? Effective workplace inspections can offer some answers.
 
Ontario employers must take every reasonable precaution to provide a safe and healthy workplace. This also includes a requirement to inspect the workplace at least monthly. Conducted by joint health and safety committees and worker health and safety representatives, workplace inspections are a central part of worker's legal right and responsibility to participate in efforts to safeguard worker health and safety.
 
As the pandemic evolves and with concerns for future waves of infection, workplaces may choose to conduct more frequent inspections to ensure necessary precautions are in place. To do this effectively, workplace inspections need to identify and assess the adequacy of infection prevention and control measures such as physical distancing, cleaning and disinfecting, personal protective equipment, ventilation and training on each of these.
 
WHSC’s webinar, which you can watch above, explains why knowledge and vigilance are needed to ensure workplace inspections are thorough and relevant. It also reviews WHSC’s recently developed COVID-19 workplace inspection checklist.
 
You can also download the PowerPoint presentation for the webinar.
 
With more workplaces and schools bringing workers into contact with each other, workplace health and safety committees and health and safety representatives have never been more important. Monthly inspections can help keep workers safeand keep the deadly coronavirus out of the workplace.

WHSC virtual training & COVID-19 docs

WHSC webinars, our virtual training classrooms and many COVID-19 resources are made available during these unprecedented and challenging times to help ensure workers, supervisors, joint health and safety committee members and others have access to a trusted source of training and information. Register today for any one of a growing list of WHSC virtual training classrooms. Follow us too on social media sites including TwitterFacebookYouTube and LinkedIn. There we share important news and insights.

WHSC role

As Ontario’s only designated health and safety training centre, WHSC supports workers, their representatives, supervisors, contractors and employers in every work sector with comprehensive training programs and information services. In all we do, we put workers first.  After all, it is their lives and livelihoods that are affected most when workplace hazards, including the COVID-19 virus go uncontrolled.
  
To learn more: 
Call: 1-888-869-7950
Email: contactus@whsc.on.ca