SERVICES

EXPERIENCE

Occupational Health and Safety Consultants, Inc. is a team of dedicated professionals whose practice is the structure and implementation of workplace safety, corporate loss control and regulatory compliance. Our staff of professionals includes Certified Safety Professionals, Certified Industrial Hygienists, Professional Engineers, Chemical Engineers and experienced field technicians and trainers who have years of experience practical “in-field safety”. We bring a reality of what works and what does not to every situation.

CONFIDENCE

As consultants, we think strategically to accomplish safety goals within the big picture of your business. We speak your language and understand the performance and budget constraints that affect your decision making. As specialists in our field, we’ll think through your safety and loss control issues with you.

SOLUTIONS

OHSC recognizes that clients not only require answers to their questions, but also seek direction on ways to anticipate problems before they arise. “Tell us what works” is what you want to know. OHSC delivers “how to”.

JOINT HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM-PART 1 AND 2

Certification Process
The purpose of certification program is to impart the knowledge necessary to enable Certified Members to perform effectively under the Act, with the goal of safer workplaces and significant reductions in the incidence of occupational illnesses, injuries and deaths in Ontario.

Certification of designated Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) members is a requirement under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act for most workplaces with 20 or more workers.

Every Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) must have at least two Certified members: one representing workers and one from management. One worker and one management designated JHSC member must complete Part One and Part Two of the Training to maintain active Certification status.

CERTIFICATION IS A TWO-PART PROCESS:

Part One: Basic Certification Training:
Occupational Health and Safety Consultants, Inc. Basic Health and Safety Training Program is approved under the Workers’ Compensation Board’s new “Certification Training Program Standards”. Part I Training, they will be required to complete a written evaluation where a minimum passing grade of 75% must be obtained. Evaluations are sent to the WSIB for grading where they will also inform participants of their evaluation status. An ID # is issued upon successful completion of the WSIB evaluation.

Part Two: Workplace-Specific Hazard Training:
After successful completion of the Basic Certification Training, you are required to complete Work-place-Specific Hazard Training. This Workplace –Specific Hazard Training will be determined by each work place based on the results of a workplace hazard assessment conducted by the employer.

Employers are encouraged to conduct this assessment in consultation with the Joint Health and Safety Committee, particularly those who have taken Basic Certification Training. Certification will be granted by the WSCB, upon completion of the workplace-specific hazard training.

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CONSULTING

With regulatory agency penalties ranging in the thousands of dollars per offence, you cannot afford to ignore safety and health regulations. Applicable government agency regulations and standards may be overlooked; even when they’re known, they are sometimes confusing to interpret. That’s why you need a veteran safety consultant that will work quickly to assess your needs and solve your problems, while working closely with you to provide feedback during every step of the process.

Occupational Health and Safety Consultants Inc. can help you maintain compliance by keeping you up-to-date with the latest regulatory requirements and technological innovations. Our experienced safety professionals can anticipate solutions before problems exist and save you time, money and most importantly, jail time. We can help your organization to be in compliance with the following guidelines and regulations.

Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations:

  • OSHA (USA)
  • CSA Standards
  • Fire Code
  • Canada Labour Code
  • Reg. 1101
  • Building Code
  • Applicable MOL Regulations
  • Ministry of Labor Guidelines
  • OHSAS 18001

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WORKWELL AUDITS

The Workwell program is an audit tool used by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario to implement section 82(1) of the Workplace Safety & Insurance Act.

The purpose of the auditing tool is to identify organizations that unfairly add to the assessment burden of their rate group through high claim costs or frequency and regain those costs through fines based on the organization’s audit score.

The maximum fines have been raised as of June 2000 from $100,000.00 to $500,000.00. We will assist you by conducting our own evaluation which will consist of a review of your health and safety programs, training and the physical condition of your organization. Our evaluation tool is comparable to the Workwell audit. The evaluation tool will allow us to determine the effectiveness of your occupational health and safety programs through a documentation review, and observations of practices and procedures in action. We will also conduct interviews with senior staff, middle management, supervisors and workers for verification. Key elements of the evaluation will include:

  • Health and safety policies and procedures
  • Health and safety program development
  • Health and safety program implementation
  • Health and safety program promotion/communication

We will then facilitate your activities to prepare you for the Workwell audit. We have assisted in over twenty Five Workwell audits in the past year and have a 100% pass rate. We have worked with businesses ranging from educational institutions to steel manufacturing plants. We have the capabilities to raise the level of safety in your organization on a long-term basis through in-depth evaluation and implementation techniques.

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AUDITING

Based on previous investigations, client specific audits will be conducted in areas such as:

  • Corporate policy compliance (Due diligence)
  • WSIB compliance
  • Occupational health and safety programs
  • Hazardous materials
  • Waste audits and waste reduction work-plans
  • Packaging audits
  • Recycling management
  • Construction
  • Health & safety compliance audits

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HAZARDS SPECIFIC CONTROL MODULES

  • Machine Guarding Principles
  • Emergency Preparedness
  • Chemical Hazards
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Noise Control/Hearing Conservation
  • Lockout Procedures
  • Safety Attitudes
  • Workplace Stress
  • Office Ergonomics
  • Manual Material Handling and Ergonomics
  • Slips and Falls
  • Ladders/Scaffolds
  • Indoor Air Quality
  • Traffic, Lifting devices and Pedestrians
  • Welding and Grinding
  • First Aid Training

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ERGONOMICS

More than 50% of all WSIB claims are from strains and sprains. The cost to the WSIB – and to the employers that fund the rehabilitation and accommodations – are reaching unmanageable levels.

Current and pending workplace legislation requires companies to make job tasks and equipment ergonomically sound. Companies that experience injuries must be able to demonstrate that the tasks and equipment were suited to the needs and capabilities of the workers assigned to do the work. We can assist you in meeting the legislation and your own specific requirements by:

  • Reviewing the ergonomic factors associated with all jobs,
  • Rating the overall effectiveness of your ergonomic program,
  • Providing a summary of your costs for back and repetitive strain injuries,
  • Conducting a loss source analysis on injury data related to back and repetitive strain injuries,
  • Identifying and prioritizing an action plan for the jobs with high back or repetitive strain injury costs or frequency.

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QUANTITATIVE/ ANALYTICAL SERVICES (AIR QUALITY TESTING, NOISE, ETC)

We have the technical expertise to identify measure, analyze and implement corrective actions for all of your workplace hazards. We conduct the following measurements and evaluations based on legislated standards and industry standards:

  • Occupational hygiene monitoring for noise, dust and solvents
  • Engineering and procedural controls analysis
  • Ergonomic evaluations of work area and job task
  • Accident/incident trend analysis
  • HAZOP and risk analysis
  • Indoor air quality evaluation

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ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Elements of the environment management system include:

  • Corporate environmental standards and procedures
  • ISO 14,000 environmental programs
  • Emergency response training
  • Site assessment

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HUMAN RESOURCES

Provide Human Resource Services such as:

  • Quality Management Systems
  • Implementation (ISO 9000) and training
  • Workplace Violence Programs
  • Accommodation Policy Development
  • Discipline Policies
  • New/Transfer Employee Orientation Program
  • Absenteeism Control Program
  • Recruiting Policies
  • Performance Appraisals/Management
  • Disaster Preparedness
  • Employee Perception Surveys
  • Out placement interviews
  • Incentive Programs
  • Position descriptions
  • Problem Solving Principles

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OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH MOBILE MEDICAL CLINIC

The Clinic operates to assist small industries in their endeavours to maintain compliance with the Ministry of Labour’s Occupational Health and Safety Act and to set up comprehensive Occupational Health and Safety Programs.

For employees who require testing as specified in the Provincial Regulations or your own Company’s H&S Program/Policy, we offer the following:

  • Mobile Chest Clinic services consist of pulmonary function testing and chest x-ray for employees exposed to Designated Substances such as Silica, Asbestos, Isocyanates. Tests are conducted on an annual or bi-annual basis
  • Mobile Audiometry services (hearing testing and noise sampling) are utilized as part of an Industrial Hearing Conservation Program, usually every one or two years
  • Biological Testing- both on-site and through satellite clinics- for workers who require testing (e.g. lead, cadmium, mercury, benzene, etc.).
  • On-site Consultation services such as Physician Consultation, Hepatitis B Shots, TB Testing, Ergonomic Assessments, Allergy Testing, Industrial Hygiene Sampling & Analysis, Respirator Fit Testing, Noise Assessments, etc.
    Enclosed are a few information sheets on these services.

Chest Clinic

The testing will consist of a pulmonary function test (pft) and a single view chest x-ray (cxr). The pulmonary function services are provided and reviewed by trained technicians and respiratory health specialists from our Department. The x-ray services are provided by our colleagues at Diagnostic Imaging, and read according to the I.L.O. standards by our Clinical Respirologist as specified in the Occupational Health and Safety Act Regulations Regarding Silica.

Each employee receives a confidential report. If employee consent is given, copies of the reports can be sent to a company physician. The Joint Health and Safety Committee or Health & Safety Representative receives a list of the employees tested for their records. All reports are stored for the required period of time set out in the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Pulmonary function records are stored at our office confidentially, and x-ray films are stored at WSIB.

Our fee for on-site pulmonary function testing and chest x-ray:

  • PFT $25.00 each $70.00/hour travel & testing + $.60/km travelled (from the Hamilton Region)
  • CXR $45.00 each $70.00/hour travel & testing + $.60/km travelled (from the GTA Region)
    *4 hour minimum per site visit – *10 employee charge per site visit

The PFT and X-ray units travel separately from the Hamilton Region.

The Portable X-Ray Unit requires two rooms inside your building. One room at least 10ft by 15ft with a thick, concrete, or outward facing wall to x-ray in; and a second small room that is light tight for changing films which can be the same as the x-ray room as long as it can be completely darkened. The machine is approximately 150 lbs., on wheels, and is moveable laterally, but can only be moved vertically by elevator. The unit requires a standard 110 volt (3 prong) electrical outlet, an outside wall or very thick (concrete) interior wall to shoot towards. The Pulmonary Function Testing will require a private room with a table and two chairs.

If conducting the Chest Clinic without any of our other services, we can test approximately 12-15 employees per hour; therefore, 3 employees per 15 minutes would be a good rate for scheduling.

Audiometry

Utilizing audiometry as a part of your Industrial Hearing Conservation Program can identify hearing loss in individuals before they notice it themselves. Early diagnosis and intervention is the key to prevention of occupationally related hearing loss.

Using the services of Occupational Health Care-A-Van Inc. we will test each worker individually using the GSI-17 Audiometer. The results of the test [normal, noise-induced hearing loss (nihl), or non-noise-induced hearing loss (non-nihl)] are confidentially discussed with the worker following completion of their test. The audiograms are reviewed and compared to previous reports (if available) by our Occupational Health Nurse and Industrial Audiometry Consultant.

A copy of the reviewed audiogram is sent to the employees upon request. A list of employees tested along with the resulting category (nihl, non-nihl, or normal) is sent to the Joint Health and Safety Committee for their records.

The cost of testing:

  • AUD $22.00 each
  • $70.00/hour
  • $0.90/km traveled (From the Hamilton Region)
    *4 hour minimum per site visit

Discounts are available for over 100 employees or if it is not necessary to bring our mobile unit (your company already has a hearing booth). There are no set-up or cancellation fees, no contracts to sign, no minimum charges, and you do not have to guarantee the number of people to be tested.

Our rate of testing is approximately 6-8 employees per hour*, unless patient history has not been taken. Although some hearing conservation companies test up to six employees at a time, we prefer to have our trained technician testing employees in a one-on-one setting to ensure: an immediate, comprehensive and complete personal consultation about their test; less patient confusion; decreased ‘down-time’ for smaller companies.
**if you are conducting Chest Clinic services and Audiometry the same day, our rate of testing is 4/hour (1 every 15 minutes)

All that is required is a quiet** area outside your workplace to park. All workers must wear hearing protection prior to their hearing test. Any employee working in an environment of over 85 decibels must be tested within 4 hours of the start of his/her shift.
**if you are unsure of the noise levels outside your site, we may have to make an extra visit to measure dB.

Biological Testing and Consultation Services

  • Physician Consultation
  • Hepatitis Vaccinations
  • TB Testing
  • Allergy Testing
  • Ergonomic Assessments
  • Industrial Hygiene Sampling & Analysis (noise, dust, gases)
  • Respirator Fit Testing

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FIRST AID & CPR

Ontario First Aid regulation (Reg. 1101) states that at least one worker per shift must be a qualified in delivery of first aid who works in vicinity of a first aid station with a first aid box. Organizations must ‘be prepared’ by having trained employees to deal with emergencies.

KeyBenefits

  • Compliance to relevant legislation
  • Reduced insurance costs and liability
  • Immediate first aid save lives, reduces severity of injuries and promotes speedy recovery
  • Skills to administer life saving first aid to injured

Learning Outcome

  • Provide employees with the knowledge and ability to take charge and react at an emergency scene
  • Identify and deal with life-threatening emergencies
  • Understand the methods to protect one self from disease transmission

First Aid Course Description
The following courses are offered to help you schedule your next first aid course. We will be pleased to schedule first aid course(s) at your location. Course(s) can be arranged to address your specific concerns and workplaces specific hazards

Standard First Aid
This two-day course focuses on teaching the most up-to-date techniques in prevention, primary & secondary assessment and handling of life threatening emergencies. It addresses first aid for common injuries that may occur in the workplace, or anywhere else. It gives participants the confidence and basic skills needed to reduce shock, manage injuries and save lives. The core topics are supplemented with electives to round off the training.

Emergency First Aid
This is a one day course which focuses on same practical, hands-on lesson format as in the Standard level course, but with a narrower selection of elective topics and is designed to address selective emergency situations. This program is also offered as a refresher on expiration of the standard certificate.

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