Should Public Health officials look to CRSPs to help the Safe Reopening of Workplaces?
On May 1, 2020, the government of Ontario announced the loosening of the public health shutdown of some workplaces arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. A list of business that may begin operations as of today, Monday, May 4 are listed below. However, the importance of conducting hazard assessments and appropriate elimination/mitigation strategies was apparently cannot be overstated. The government's direction that such businesses need to "operate safely" during the reopening from the COVID-19 shutdown, "in accordance with health and safety guidelines", ignores the need for a workplace specific hazard assessment. Such hazard assessments are the stock and trade of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals ("CRSPs").
Some Canadian jurisdictions, such as Alberta, have established a legal requirement for written hazard assessment for new or reopened workplaces. Ontario and many others have no such legal requirement. OHS Best Practices always include a written hazard assessment to deal with serious risks, such as COVID-19. But who is best qualified to conduct such a workplace hazard assessment: public health or occupational health & safety professionals?
The Ontario announcement comes on the heels of the announcement on April 30, 2020 that the government, in partnership with Ontario’s health and safety associations, has developed health and safety guidelines for workplaces to be reopened safely. A good and necessary, but not sufficient, condition; these non-legally binding guidelines need to be implemented after a workplace hazard assessment has been made. CRSPs, unlike human resource professionals and/or members of JHSCs, are trained how to conduct a workplace hazard assessment.
The list of Ontario businesses permitted to open are as follows:
- Garden centers and nurseries with curbside pick-up and delivery only
- Lawn care and landscaping
- Additional essential construction projects that include:
- shipping and logistics
- broadband, telecommunications, and digital infrastructure
- any other project that supports the improved delivery of goods and services
- municipal projects
- colleges and universities
- child care centers
- schools, and
- site preparation, excavation, and servicing for institutional, commercial, industrial and residential development
- Automatic and self-serve car washes
- Auto dealerships, open by appointment only
- Golf courses, which may prepare their courses for the upcoming season but not open to the public, and
- Marinas, which may begin preparations for the recreational boating season by servicing boats and other watercraft and placing boats in the water but not open to the public. Boats and watercraft must be secured to a dock in the marina until public access is allowed.
It is respectfully suggested that Public Health officials need to co-ordinate with OHS professionals to ensure written workplace hazard assessments are conducted as part of the reopening or workplaces after a COVID-19 shutdown. CRSPs are the best professionals, in the writers opinion, to conduct such a hazard assessment to help safely reopen the workplace after a COVID-19 shutdown.
For more information please contact: Norm Keith, LL.M., CRSP, [email protected] or 416-868-7824
NCSO/ CHSC All opinions are mine and not necessarily shared by my employers or clients
4 年I think we would all be flattered if at some point they looked to our training, knowledge and expertise for advice. We spend every hour of our work days and many more unpaid hours on our time, gaining what we need in reducing loss, liability and prosecution on behalf of the companies we represent. We are the experts in safety, we identify risks and hazards in our workplaces and know better than most. It's kind of depressing that we are not more involved in decisions relating to the reopening of the economy.
Strategic Safety Professional
4 年Thank you for this - our expertise via training and experience is sometimes overlooked in favour of the opinion of higher ranking though less educated Personnel - it’s frustrating - why hire a CRSP if you don’t listen to their counsel and recommendations?
Director at Canadian Safety Group Inc.
4 年My PhD is in epidemiology (a branch of public health) with a specialty in occupational health and safety. I do not have a CRSP. I also have years of mud on my boots. Some of the best and brightest people I’ve worked with have no letters after their names at all.? Placing too much emphasis on a degree or certification may keep you from getting the best information for your particular situation. In terms of reopening and staying open, the more minds involved the better. This includes public health, staff, safety, management, etc., regardless of the certification koolaid they drank.?
Director HSE-Q at Allteck LP & Canadian Utility Construction LP
4 年Don’t hang your hat on any specific credential. If you understand your business needs, assemble a team that understand the controls you need. There are plenty of professionals I know that are good at these methods without being a CRSP. I also know a lot of CRSPs that are good at this. But their skill set stems from experience and genuine interest in operations.