Have you taken a close look at your workplace lately? Do you know where the hazards are? Identifying and investigating all potential hazards or dangerous situations that may occur in the workplace is critical to the prevention of work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths.

To help workplace parties accomplish this,the Workers Health & Safety Centre is proud to offer two new programs—Workplace Inspections and Workplace Investigations.

Three hours in length, the Workplace Inspections program will equip members of the joint  health and safety committee (JHSC), health and safety representatives, workers, supervisors and others who inspect the workplace, with the knowledge needed to conduct effective monthly inspections. Program participants will discuss the legal roles and responsibilities of workplace parties pertaining to workplace inspections. As well they will examine the definitions and categories of workplace hazards. Knowing what to look for and the reason why is key to any workplace inspection.

For ease of learning, the Workplace Inspections program breaks the inspection process into five stages as follows:

Participants examine each stage through group activities and will return to the workplace with practical tools and resources to enable them to conduct thorough workplace inspections.

While the Workplace Inspections program looks at the workplace before an incident occurs, the new Workplace Investigations program examines the workplace after an incident occurs. This new program provides workplace parties with the skills and knowledge needed to systematically examine an incident, or illness, to determine what happened and how it happened, including all of the underlying causes, so they can recommend appropriate controls to prevent a reoccurrence.

Three-hours in length, the program divides workplace investigations into two parts, ‘accident’ investigations and occupational illness/disease investigations. It begins by examining core beliefs about the root causes of workplace incidents. Using adult-centred learning techniques, participants quickly make the connection between workplace incidents, illnesses and diseases and workplace hazards.

They will also learn how to conduct a systematic step-by-step investigation which includes gathering and analyzing information; drawing conclusions; making recommendations and following up. Special emphasis is placed on the importance of collecting information on the symptoms experienced by the worker(s) who have contracted a work-related illness or disease to determine the cause of the disease; improve workplace health and safety; and to establish compensation for the victims or their survivors.

Both the Workplace Inspections and Workplace Investigations programs contain a case study and role play exercise giving participants the chance to practice their newly-acquired skills. 

For more information on the new Workplace Inspections and Workplace Investigations programs contact a training service representative at a WHSC office near you.

Want to review the law governing workplace inspections and investigations?