Prevention Link

Disability Prevention at Work

Press release

“Too Many Workers are Losing their Lives!” Prevention Link Recognizes National Day of Mourning

As we recognize the 35th annual National Day of Mourning on April 28, a day first declared in 1984 by the Canadian Labour Congress, we remember the many Ontario and Canadian workers who have been killed, injured or suffered illness because of work-related incidents. Prevention Link honours and pays respect to the many families and friends who have been affected by these tragedies.

“Too many peers, colleagues and loved ones continue to lose their lives as a result of workplace injuries each year,” said Laurie Hardwick, Director of Prevention Link. “This must stop. We must be more diligent in our ongoing efforts to keep Ontario workers healthy and safe on the job and ensure every worker gets home safe from work at the end of each day.”

In 2018, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board recorded 228 workplace fatalities provincially and approximately 253,991 workers filed a claim as a result of being injured or made sick at work. Annually, thousands of injured workers suffer from resulting health complications, or undoubtedly, their injuries go unreported or are not attributed to their working conditions.

“It is increasingly important for every working Ontarian to be educated on their health and safety rights, responsibilities and prevention measures in the workplace,” said Hardwick. “Our Lighthouse Initiative aims to do just that by helping newcomers to Ontario’s workforce and long-time workers in any sector learn more about their rights and the laws that guide them as a worker in our province.”

The Lighthouse Initiative offers critical information, via downloadable interactive fact sheets available shortly in multiple languages – with tips, quizzes and links – to help guide workers on their rights and obligations in Ontario workplaces. Visit preventionlink.ca/lighthouse to access the fact sheets, which are also available in a pocket-sized z-card format by emailing info@preventionlink.ca.

Prevention Link and Ontario Federation of Labour staff will be attending National Day of Mourning events around the province. A comprehensive list of Ontario-wide events is available on the Workers Health & Safety Centre website.

Prevention Link, a Government of Ontario supported initiative governed by the Ontario Federation of Labour Executive Committee, is a leading provider of training and advisory support on secondary prevention of workplace injury in the province. For information, visit preventionlink.ca and follow @PreventionLink on Facebook and Twitter.

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OFL and Prevention Link Welcome Ontario’s New Chief Prevention Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                              

Statement from Rob Halpin, Executive Director of the Ontario Federation of Labour and Prevention Link

(TORONTO, ON) ─ The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) and Prevention Link warmly welcome Ron Kelusky, a veteran in the occupational health and safety sector, as the new Chief Prevention Officer for the province.

We are all responsible — employers, supervisors and workers — for preventing workplace illness and injury and the voice of Labour is a crucial ally and advocate in this effort. We look forward to working with Mr. Kelusky in placing increased emphasis on the links between primary and secondary prevention of occupational injury, illness and disease in workplaces throughout the province.

We applaud George Gritziotis, Ontario’s first Chief Prevention Officer, for assisting us in expanding and revitalizing the Prevention Link Program which builds on more than 25 years of success operating as the Occupational Disability Response Team as one of Ontario’s comprehensive prevention programs.

Collaboratively with Mr. Kelusky, we hope to diversify our holistic and comprehensive disability prevention program and continue to drive the vision, goals and priorities outlined in the Chief Prevention Officer’s strategic framework for building healthy and safe Ontario workplaces.

Prevention Link, a Government of Ontario supported initiative, governed by the Ontario Federation of Labour Executive Committee, is the leading provider of training and advisory support on secondary prevention of workplace injury in the province. For information visit preventionlink.ca and follow @PreventionLink on Facebook and Twitter.

The OFL represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter.

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For further information:

Ogho Ikhalo
Senior Communications & Outreach Specialist
Prevention Link
416-443-7654
oikhalo@preventionlink.ca

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Work Shouldn’t Hurt: Repetitive Strain Injuries Awareness Day 2018

Approximately 2.3 million Canadian adults are crippled, annually, by repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) or musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), seriously limiting their daily activities.

RSIs are one of the most common types of injuries in the workplace. RSIs or MSDs painfully effect muscles, nerves, and joints in the neck, back, chest, shoulders, arms, and hands.

As we recognize Repetitive Strain Injuries Awareness Day, on February 28, the Ontario Federation of Labour’s Prevention Link encourages every Ontarian to support the many workers who fall victim to one of the most common types of injuries in the workplace.

Work shouldn’t hurt! The majority of RSIs or MSDs are preventable There are crucial steps you can take to help build awareness around RSIs, including:

  • Early reporting of symptoms and hazards to supervisors
  • Implementation of ergonomic prevention solutions
  • Worker involvement in suggestions and implementation
  • Timely reporting to the WSIB of work-related MSD
  • Quality training to address these issues and more

Through our work, Prevention Link aims to prevent more MSDs workplace injuries. Our Lighthouse Initiative serves several categories of vulnerable workers: those returning to work after an injury; and those who may not have been injured but have limited knowledge of occupational health and safety laws and available resources.

Together, We Can Prevent Occupational Injuries, Illnesses and Deaths

On this 33rd annual National Day of Mourning, Prevention Link remembers and pays respect to the many Ontario and Canadian workers who have been killed, injured or suffered illness because of work-related incidents. We also honour the many families and friends who have been deeply affected by these tragedies.

“Every worker has the right to return home safe and sound at the end of each work day,” said Rob Halpin, Executive Director of Prevention Link. “Our team remains boldly committed to working with employers, workers and our health and safety partners to improve health and safety in the workplace and prevent further injuries, illnesses and deaths.”

Approximately 230,000 Ontario workers are injured or made sick at work every year, thousands of others pass away years later due to resulting health complications and still other cases, undoubtedly, go unreported or unacknowledged.

“It is additionally crucial to recognize that mental health and illness is increasingly claiming the lives of more workers in many occupations across the province each year due to lack of conversation and acknowledgement of the disease as a significant health complication,” said Halpin.

Beginning May 6, Prevention Link will launch its new Occupational Mental Health and Illness 101 workshops. The half-day workshop, guided by Dr. Wendy Stanyon – a mental health nurse and academic – aims to open the conversation around mental health challenges in workplaces across Ontario.

“Occupational injuries and illnesses are a preventable workplace epidemic that continues to cost tens of thousands of lives and impact many working families in Ontario. We must continue to work collaboratively to ensure every working Ontarian gets home safe.”

Prevention Link staff will be attending National Day of Mourning events around the province.

Click here to read Prevention Link’s article in the Toronto Star’s “The Vicious Circle Of Workplace Injuries” insert.

Prevention Link, a Government of Ontario supported initiative governed by the Ontario Federation of Labour Executive Committee, is a leading provider of training and advisory support on secondary prevention of workplace injury in the province. For information, visit preventionlink.ca and follow @PreventionLink on Facebook and Twitter.

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For further information:

Ogho Ikhalo,
Senior Communications & Outreach Specialist
Prevention Link
416-443-7654
oikhalo@preventionlink.ca
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Prevention Link Rolls-out Mental Health Workshops for Ontario Workers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                              

Statement from Rob Halpin, Executive Director of Prevention Link

(TORONTO, ON) ─ “As Canadians recognize Bell Let’s Talk Day, on January 25, Prevention Link is pleased to announce the launch of a series of mental health workshops, aimed at opening the conversation around mental health challenges in workplaces across Ontario, beginning this Spring.

“Mental illness is a leading cause of disability in Canada.  In fact, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) notes that the burden of mental illness and addiction in Ontario is 1.5 times higher than all cancers put together and more than seven times that of all infectious diseases.

“We have long recognized that mental illness is a leading cause of workplace disability in Ontario. The hope with our upcoming mental health workshops is to educate Ontario workers on the basics, including the language used to describe mental illnesses in the workplace and current facts of mental illness that will enable participants to better dismantle stigma in their respective workplaces.

“Stigma is notably among the leading reasons that discourages many Ontarians from talking about mental illness in the workplace. In fact, the most recent statistics reveal:

  • 64 per cent of Ontario workers would be concerned about how work would be affected if a colleague had a mental illness.
  • 39 per cent of Ontario workers indicate that they would not tell their managers if they were experiencing a mental health problem.
  • 40 per cent of respondents to a 2016 survey agreed they have experienced feelings of anxiety or depression but never sought medical help for it.

“It is alarming that approximately 90 per cent of adults with serious mental illness are unemployed because the prevalence of discrimination prevents them from finding meaningful employment or returning to work. Prevention Link stands in solidarity with working Ontarians in bringing awareness about mental health in the workplace.

“Prevention Link’s first round of mental health workshops will be held in Toronto, Ottawa, London and Sudbury.

“If you or a co-worker are challenged with a mental health concern at work, visit The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) for more information and help today!”

Prevention Link, which is supported by the Ontario Ministry of Labour’s Prevention Office and governed by the Ontario Federation of Labour’s Executive Committee, is the leading provider of training and advisory support on secondary prevention of workplace injury in the province. For information, visit preventionlink.ca and follow @PreventionLink on Facebook and Twitter.

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For further information:

Ogho Ikhalo & Anastasia Kemp
Prevention Link
Communications
416-443-7654
oikhalo@preventionlink.ca

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Ontario Federation of Labour Launches Prevention Program for Injured Workers

(TORONTO, ON) ─ The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is pleased to launch Prevention Link, a program promoting a culture of safety and improved return-to-work outcomes throughout Ontario. This holistic and comprehensive disability prevention program supports the vision, goals and priorities outlined in the Chief Prevention Officer’s strategic framework for building healthy and safe Ontario workplaces.

Building on the more than 25 years of success of the Occupational Disability Response Team (ODRT), Prevention Link will use the latest industry and sector data available to better understand the areas of greatest need to focus and direct its outreach and intervention efforts.

“Ontario’s labour movement made it clear to the Federation that secondary prevention services are crucial to ensuring safe and healthy workplaces for all workers,” said Chris Buckley, OFL President. “It has been a diligent, collaborative and persistent effort to secure support for Prevention Link and we are proud to once again have a tangible disability prevention program at work.”

There are approximately 5.3 million working Ontarians across 16 industries and each year thousands of those workers are injured on the job or die from work-related diseases. The most recent provincial statistics identify that in 2015, 212 fatality claims were attributed to workers who lost their lives due to an occupational disease. Additionally, there were 229,000 registered claims in Ontario for lost time due to a work-related injury or disease. We know, however, that the numbers are higher because official figures only capture those who received workers’ compensation benefits. Hundreds more die from under-reported illnesses and occupational diseases that go unrecognized in the compensation system.

“It’s a thrill to deliver a program that will place increased emphasis on the links between primary and secondary prevention of occupational injury, illness and disease in workplaces throughout the province,” said Prevention Link Executive Director Rob Halpin. “Through Prevention Link, Ontarians can be confident that the reputable and effective training and injury prevention resources we’ve long offered have been enhanced by the ODRT redesign.”

With the support of Ontario’s Ministry of Labour Prevention Office, Prevention Link has been improved to better represent its renewed ‘secondary prevention’ focus. It will build on the experience and success of a network of workplace-based volunteers to enhance primary and secondary prevention of workplace injury and illness. Initial prevention of injury and illness as well as preventing re-injury after return to work benefits both workers and employers.

While several external workshops featuring Prevention Link courses are already available, the program team will begin offering in-house Disability Response Training, including six core certification courses and more than 20 topical courses, in November 2016.

Prevention Link, which is supported by the Ontario Ministry of Labour’s Prevention Office and governed by the Ontario Federation of Labour’s Executive Committee, is the leading provider of training and advisory support on secondary prevention of workplace injury in the province. For information, visit preventionlink.ca and follow @PreventionLink on Facebook and Twitter.

The OFL represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter.

For further information:

Ogho Ikhalo
Senior Communications & Outreach Specialist
Prevention Link
416-443-7654
oikhalo@preventionlink.ca