Many of us have Corporate
Responsibility Statements as part of our corporate philosophy, mantras, in our
vision, missions and value statements, but do we live up to our corporate
responsibilities when it comes to health and safety?
The provincial governments
across Canada have or are in the process of redesigning and evaluating their
health and safety legislations, compliance mandates and enforcement of
legislative requirements. Ontario has recruited
new health and safety inspectors with the hope of educating and enacting compliance,
reducing the number of injuries and deaths across the province and enforcing
corporate responsibility.
Do
you know what to do when a Health and Safety Inspector/Officer comes knocking
on their door?
Do
not:
ü send them away because they do not have an appointment,
ü tell them that you do not have time to see them, OR
ü get upset with them.
ü Politely
invite them in and ask if they would like a cup of coffee (do not panic);
ü Ask
to see their credentials – (Badge, Photo ID and Business Card). If they do not have proper ID (do not accept
a business card only – anyone can print business cards) ask them for a phone
number to phone and confirm who they are;
ü Contact
your company Health & Safety Representative to respond to the situation; and
ü Ask
the officer to state the purpose of the visit (employee complaint, targeted
inspection, accident, etc.) Oblige them
with the information they request in a timely manner;
In preparation
for an inspection, first ensure your Internal Responsibility System is up to
date, that you have conducted your required inspections of the facility and
documented them, and that all other health and safety requirements have been met
or exceeds the regulatory requirements.
What is the Internal Responsibility System or IRS as it is so
often called? No, it is not the US
Internal Revenue Service we so often here about in the news and in the movies; it
is Government Legislated, mandatory across the country with a Health and Safety
focus, it is everyone’s corporate responsibility in the workplace. The IRS is the very foundation of health and
safety in the workplace, establishing workers and employers responsibility for
his or her own safety, for the safety of their co-workers and for development
of your Health and Safety Management System for your organization.
The important question is
now that you’ve heard of it; do you understand your obligations and are you in
compliance?
In developing
your IRS processes, procedures and overall Management System, we have provided
a few tips to ease the burden using the PDRC Method (Plan, Do, Check &
Review):
1.
The Planning
Stage:
This
is the most critical stage in the process. Document all steps in the process
development of your Internal Responsibility System (IRS), Processes and
Procedures; always getting the approval of senior management (owner, president
or CEO of the company).
2.
The
Do Stage:
a)
During this stage in the process you
will establish policy, procedures, protocols and training; establishing
timelines, strategy and performance measures.
b)
Establish your management system processes, procedures and check
systems.
By establishing your IRS philosophy in everything you do, you will
increase productivity, reduce costs and build a sustainable, reliable and
cohesive workplace and above all a healthy safe workplace.
3.
The
Check Stage:
During
this stage in the process you will audit/check the system to ensure it is
functioning properly: efficiently and effectively.
4.
The
Review and Change Stage:
The
review and change stage creates the cyclical nature of the IRS System. It is critical that you review and update
procedures, policies, and training; establishing new system procedures with
additions and changes to the operations of your business minimally annually but
more frequently as changes occur in the organization.
Lynne Bard, BA (Honours), C.H.R.P., CES
Human Resources, Safety & Risk Management Experts
Taking the Complexity out of Compliance
President
Beyond Rewards Inc.
Phone: 519-821-7440
Cell: 519-830-7480
mail: lbard@beyondrewards.ca
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