We envision a world in which workers’ health, safety, and well-being are protected through the elimination of workplace hazards and the accommodation of workers’ needs. The way we can achieve this ambitious goal it is through education, reaching every workplace, and every community in Ontario.
As a leader in prevention, workers’ compensation, and disability accommodation, Prevention Link offers comprehensive training programs that are beneficial to workers, union, and employer leadership.
Our Occupational Disability Response Training (ODRT) is building on the experience and success of a network of workplace-based occupational disability prevention champions. We spoke with four instructors to find out how the education provided through ODRT helps them to achieve optimal outcomes for injured workers and their workplaces, and what makes Prevention Link an indispensable educational program.
“The fact that it’s approved training, not only by the OFL, but also by WSIB and the Ministry of Labour makes it the training to be had by both the worker reps and the employer reps. It allows people to understand the system. And to understand it, through the education, makes a huge difference in the lives of the injured workers that you’re representing.”—Dan Bonnar, Ontario Professional Firefighters Association
“The great thing about Prevention Link is that they’ve revamped a bunch of things. I really find that’s important. There’s really current information, really up-to-date information, and the training is easy. It’s being delivered in small chunks, so people can really understand what they’re doing, and they can choose how involved they really want to be by either doing the topical courses or doing the longer version courses, depending on what they are going to be doing in their specific job roles or assisting members.” —Scott West, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation
“We’ve been able to negotiate some return-to-work language in a few of our collective agreements to ensure that somebody from our office is in those meetings at the workplace to make sure the members are properly represented and getting the proper return to work accommodations that they need.
It’s workers, training workers. So, there are people that are already helping injured workers. They’ve been on the shop floor. They’ve been in the positions that workers have. And you really get that connection between the instructors and with the people taking that course. That’s very, very important.” —Stephanie Gunson, United Steelworkers
“It’s a long work life. You need to be valued in, and every process whether it’s the beginning of it, within, or at the end. The worker can feel confident in representing, and the reps feel confident in representing their members – saying, I know where we’ve been; I know what we stand for; I know the principles; I know I can do this. The right amount of knowledge that Prevention Link offers in that education program.” —Tanya Williams, Canadian Union of Public Employees
Learn how to make workplaces safer for everyone with workplace-based occupational disability prevention champions at Prevention Link.
There are dates still available this spring. Register on our website and watch for registration deadlines and early bird discounts. Stay tuned for updates in the 2025 schedule coming out in the next few days!
Training is provided in communities across Ontario, at the Ontario Federation of Labour office located in Toronto, and virtually on one of the leading online educational platforms. Please note that Prevention Link can also schedule training for your members or workplaces. Contact us at info@preventionlink.ca to schedule a training, when and where it best suits your members or employees.