Harnessing Emerging Technologies for Occupational Health and Safety in Ontario

Author:?Ronald Kelusky

I read this great editorial from the National Library of Medicine titled “Emerging Technologies in Occupational Health and Safety” . As most people know, I have been a strong proponent of the use of technology and innovation, and the use of data and research to improve occupational health and safety outcomes in the workplace. ?

As Ontario’s Chief Prevention Officer, I crafted the 5-year Occupational Health and Safety Strategy (2021 – 2026) called “Prevention Works” . The primary focus of the strategy was to build and use the best evidence to target initiatives, measure performance and increase system oversight. In other words, we need to start applying the principles of the Public Health model to occupational health and safety. Currently “there are gaps and limitations in the timely, systematic collection and integration of evidence, that has impacted the ability to target, develop, implement, monitor and evaluate the activities meant to prevent occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities". READ MORE HERE?

As per the National Library of Medicine - “Occupational health and safety (OHS) is a field devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of environmental factors or stresses arising in or from the workplace”. Over the past decade the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) have invested well over $3.0 billion dollars into occupational health and safety prevention and enforcement programs. This figure does not include investments made by employers who purchase both mandatory and industry specific OHS training from the private and public sector safety training providers and internally through their own programs. It would be reasonable to assume that the total investment in OHS over the past decade could be over $6.0 billion dollars.?

Even with this level of investment our outcomes have largely remained flat!?

In 2023 WSIB reported 240,265 claims of which 70,930 claims resulted in lost time . Adjusting for COVID, lost time claims in 2023 were higher than 2019 and injury rates increased by 19.5% since 2013 . Given the level of investment from government, employers and labour why has Ontario’s OHS performance remained largely flat and in some sectors deteriorating? ?

Let’s examine the Ontario profile to fully understand the complexity of Ontario‘s workplaces.?

There are approximately 437,991 employers in Ontario (2022). The WSIB provides coverage for approximately 75% or 336,000 (2023) of the total number of employers. Employers not covered by the WSIB are assumed to have workplace coverage through a private insurance provider. While the WSIB collects data from the majority of employers it does not cover 100% of employers in Ontario. ??

When we examine the size of employers in Ontario, 97.7% of businesses employ between 1 and 99 employees, 2.0% employ 100-499 employees and 0.03% of businesses employ over 500 employees . Of the 97.7 % of businesses that employ between 1 – 99 employees 55% are considered micro business and employ between 1 – 4 employees, 19.5% employ 5 – 9 employees, 12% employ between 10 to 19 employees, 8.2% employ between 20 – 49 employees, and 2.7% employ between 50 to 99 employees.

As we see, the majority of employers in Ontario are considered small and medium businesses (SMEs) with the vast majority of businesses employing less than 19 people. ??

A 2021 Study titled “Intermediary Perspectives on Total Worker Health in Small Businesses” noted that a significant challenge to addressing occupational safety and health (OSH) in general is that a large proportion of employers lack necessary resources to effectively manage OSH, as well as promote worker health and well-being. Most businesses are small—90% of firms have fewer than 20 employees, and small businesses are more likely to have limited resources to address health and safety. As the business and workforce landscape evolves, average business size in terms of number of employees, is expected to continue on a downward trend. Given the greater alignment of business and public health goals related to workforce health, and the limited resources to address workforce health management in the ever-increasing number of small businesses, the need for novel ways to deliver workplace safety and health assistance to small employers is as critical as ever. I often said, “it is highly unlikely there will be another brewery built in Ontario that will employ a thousand workers, however it is more likely there will be 100 breweries built that will employ 10 workers”. ??

So, what are those innovations and technologies that can help reduce workplace injuries and illness in not only small and medium businesses but across all sectors of Ontario’s economy? ??

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Technology ?

Environmental Health and Safety Technology (EHS) is becoming increasingly important in the field of Occupational Health and Safety. This has become more apparent, as more businesses are using data and information to assist with their decision making. History has demonstrated that data can be used to identify trends and risks, ensure compliance, and improve safety procedures. As well, the use of data analytics has become ever so important in improving accident prevention, as it can enable businesses to identify potential hazards before they occur. ?

There are several advantages in using EHS technologies. There is the economics associated with streamlining workflow, measuring compliance, the prevention and reduction in workplace accidents, exposures and illnesses and an increase in employee productivity. Additionally, EHS technology can improve compliance and simplify the challenges of managing multi-site and multi-jurisdictional operations. ??

EHS technologies have application across the whole spectrum of business. The size of the business is irrelevant as the technology can benefit all businesses and can be tailored to ensure the best outcome. ??

I have reviewed a number of EHS Technologies on the market today and most offer similar attributes to ensure compliance and efficiency. One particular product known as 4SafeCom is a technology that I would suggest businesses take a look at. Not only is 4SafeCom a Canadian Company it has several features that will reduce risk and improve your health and safety performance/outcomes. More information can be found HERE! ??

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Learning Management Systems Technology ??

Learning Management Systems (LMS) can offer several?benefits?for both business and their employees. Depending on the type of business, an LMS can also benefit your customers as well.?

Like the EHS Technologies most LMS Technologies include a centralized repository for all learning materials, documents, videos and courses. Employees are able to access this information anywhere and at anytime. In addition, most LMS can handle a large number of users or multiple users from different locations. ??

One important feature of an LMS is ensuring that users receive the same content, the same training and the same information in a consistent manner. This ensures that knowledge transfer is applied universally across the organization. ??

A good LMS offers users access at anytime and from any location. This is particularly beneficial in today’s hybrid working environment. Most LMS also have an administrative feature that tracks user interaction thus reducing manual processes. ?

From a pure health and safety perspective an LMS can ensure compliance and certifications but also provide much needed safety information on demand. Micro learnings, and targeting specific high-risk tasks can be incorporated into the LMS enabling employees to refresh their knowledge prior to undertaking a difficult or complicated task. ??

Finally, most LMS are compatible with other enterprise software and can form part of an integrated system. What I find beneficial is that similar businesses that may not feel they are large enough to support their own LMS can subscribe to LMS at an economical cost. ??

The 4SafeCom platform supports its own proprietary LMS and the features available can be found HERE! ?

Additionally, the 4SafeCom system also supports Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). There are tens of thousands of chemicals and chemical compounds utilized by business. Ideally, the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) needs to be updated on a regular basis. In most businesses it is a manual process, involving paper and binders with the binders to be located in areas where the hazardous materials are being stored or utilized within the business. The immediate availability of the MSDS is critical to avoid improper use and unnecessary exposures. 4SafeCom is a low cost and effective software that can dramatically improve WHMIS compliance and worker safety.?

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Training ?

In Ontario there are several Health and Safety organizations providing both mandatory as well as non-mandatory safety training. Training programs cover a wide variety of topics ranging from ladder safety to handling hazardous materials . Many of these training programs are modified to reflect the uniqueness of industry e.g. manufacturing, mining, construction etc. ??

In a perfect world I would like to see the content and learning outcomes of all health and safety training programs be based on “the major causes of the injury or illness the training is hoping to address”. For example: ?

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• What are the top ten injuries associated with using a ladder??
• What are the circumstances where injuries become most prevalent when using a ladder?
• If the learning outcomes are tied to the science, we can then assess the effectiveness of training in the prevention of accidents.

We know this works because the Ontario Working at Heights training program was developed based on addressing the major causes of falls from heights and the effectiveness of the program was assessed in detail in a study completed by the Institute for Work and Health . If we apply the same rigor to all other types of training programs, we will likely see a significant reduction in injury. ??

Having all training providers report their training to a central location including the type of course and the occupation of participant would lead to a comprehensive data-base that would significantly enhance our data analytics and improve the study of OHS training effectiveness. ?

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Optimization of NAICS (North American Industry Classification System)?

In 2020 Ontario moved to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). ?NAICS is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy to the North American Industry Classification System or NAICS . ? ?

The collection of industry and occupational data utilizing the NAICS will help validate the effectiveness of training and other related occupational health and safety initiatives. The collection of occupation information e.g. how many workers are employed in a particular job can be cross referenced against the number of those same workers who have been given training. Knowing there are 25,000 workers in an occupation and knowing that 50% have received training and knowing the injury and illness rate for the occupation will enable the OHS system to determine if the training is effective. It can draw the correlation between injury rates amongst those who took the training verses those that have not. ??

Connecting these dots are critical in understanding why injuries occur and what actions can influence a reduction/elimination of those injuries.?

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Supports for Employers?

There are several supports available for small business in Ontario. These supports come in the form of free training courses, incentives, and rebate programs available through the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD), the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and for a fee through the Health and Safety Associations and private sector health and safety organizations. ?

While one might argue that training is important, taking a course does not automatically make the workplace safer. What has proven successful is the implementation of a systems approach to health and safety within the workplace. Health and Safety Management Systems (HSMS) provides a framework for businesses to manage risks and improve occupational health and safety outcomes. There are several examples of Health & Safety Management Systems such as:?

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• ISO 45001
• IHSA: COR2020 (Certificate of Recognition)
• Proprietary HSMS under the Supporting Ontario’s Safe Employer (SOSE) program .
• WSIB Health and Safety Excellence Program (HSEP) which offers small and medium sized employers with double the incentives to complete a structured health and safety program. Learn More Here

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Do HSMS work? There is a body of evidence that supports the effectiveness of a HSMS in reducing occupational illness and injury in the workplace. A University of British Columbia study found on average, participation in COR was associated with a 28-per-cent reduction in the lost-time injury rate and a 20-per-cent reduction in the high-impact injury rate, relative to the change in non-COR firms.?

Similarly, the implementation of HSMS among the top 100 construction companies in South Korea showed that the accident rate decreased by 67% and the fatal accident rate decreased by 10.3% during the period from 2006 to 2011. The study concluded: Both work-related accident and fatal accident rates were found to be significantly reduced by implementing HSMS in this study.?

Clearly an HSMS approach leads to positive outcomes through a reduction of workplace illness and injury. This applies not only to small and medium businesses but also to large employers as well. There are several models of implementation available to employers and I would suggest that you do your research to ensure both quality and value for dollar. ??

Employers are encouraged to visit wsib.ca and ontario.ca to learn more about these programs and incentives for business.