Blitz Results: New and Young Worker Safety On The Job

• Issued: September 2009
• Content last reviewed: June 2009

Note: Although workplace inspection blitzes by the ministry are announced to the appropriate sectors in advance, individual workplaces receive no prior warning.

Young workers face a greater-than-average risk of injury. And so do new workers of any age who have been on the job for less than six months.

In June 2009, Ontario Ministry of Labour (MOL) inspectors conducted a blitz to check on the health and safety of new and young workers at industrial sector workplaces.

The high number of orders issued shows that many improvements are required to reduce hazards for new and young workers.

On-the-job safety for new and young workers

The Institute for Work and Health has found that new workers (any age, permanent or temporary — including supervisors) are up to four times more likely to be injured during their first month on the job than at any other time while performing similar work. This is true even for newly assigned long-term workers.

According to Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), from 2003 to 2007, injuries to young workers resulted in 61,424 allowed lost-time claims. Workers aged 15-19 accounted for 30 per cent of these claims; those aged 20-24 accounted for the remainder. According to the WSIB, during this period 43 young workers died of job-related injuries sustained at provincially regulated workplaces.

Blitz focus

During an inspection blitz of service and manufacturing workplaces throughout Ontario in June, ministry health and safety inspectors checked that new and young workers were being properly trained and supervised, and that they were of a legal age to work.

Inspectors paid particular attention to firms about which MOL had recently received complaints and to workplaces that had experienced work refusals involving new and young workers.

Services and manufacturing workplaces have recently experienced the highest number of allowed claims for lost-time injuries within the industrial sector. Ministry statistics show that retail operations present the greatest risk for young workers and new older workers.

Inspectors examined personal protective equipment and machinery safeguards, and they looked for hazards that could cause falls or musculoskeletal disorders.

Inspectors also checked workplaces such as tree planting, landscaping and painting operations.

Blitz activity

During the month-long new and young workers safety inspection blitz, MOL inspectors visited 2,024 workplaces and issued 5,862 orders, including 105 stop work orders.

Of the total workplaces visited, the highest number of orders was produced in the retail sector where inspectors visited 773 retail workplaces and issued 2,224 orders, including 33 stop-work orders.

Results and order analysis

Of the 9,443 orders issued by inspectors in the industrial sector in June, just over 62 per cent (5,862) related to the safety blitz on behalf of new and young workers.

Ninety per cent of all orders issued in the services sub-sector were to employers in the following sectors:

• retail
• restaurant
• tourism
• recreational and hospitality, and
• vehicle sales and service.

There were no orders relating to underage workers.

Thirty-five per cent of orders (2,068) issued during the blitz pertained to employer duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA); these include requirements to inform, train and supervise workers, and to prepare and review (at least annually) a written occupational health and safety policy.

Almost 25 per cent of the orders (1,275) pertained to safe work environment and workplace environment issues such as:

• equipment guarding
• eyewash fountains
• material handling
• floors
• securing machinery from tipping or falling
• guardrails
• securing compressed gas cylinders
• lifting devices
• securing vehicles from accidental movement
• ladders
• fire protection
• electrical hazards
• ventilation and,
• lighting.

Of the orders issued during the blitz, nearly 21 per cent (1,239) concerned health and safety representatives and joint health and safety committees (JHSCs). Problems included improper committee structures or lack of JHSC meetings.

Workplace inspection blitzes

Inspection blitzes are part of the province's Safe At Work Ontario compliance strategy, launched in June 2008. In selecting workplaces for proactive inspections, the ministry uses predictive indicators such as inherent hazards and poor records of compliance with safety regulations.

Inspectors' findings determine the level of engagement and frequency of subsequent inspections of individual workplaces. Inspectors often refer employers to Health and Safety Associations for compliance assistance and training.

The ministry announces blitzes in advance, and results are posted on the ministry's website. The blitzes raise awareness of known workplace hazards and promote compliance with the OHSA and its safety regulations.

In June 2010, the ministry will conduct a similar blitz of industrial sector workplaces employing new and young workers. This blitz may target industrial sub sectors other than services and manufacturing.