Ontario workplaces will be 'blitzed' in the coming months as the Ministry of Labour works to prevent the province's top workplace injuries.
Musculo-skeletal injuries, better known as back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis, account for about one third of all lost time injury claims in Ontario.
Labour Minister Monte McNaughton spoke with AM800's Patty Handysides on the Afternoon News and said that even simple tasks can cause major damage.
I was surprised to hear about 420,000 lost time hours due to problems with how people sit at their desk and how they lift boxes," says McNaughton. "Any way that we can help as the Ministry of Labour to ease the pain of injured workers is important."
(Photo courtesy of istockphoto.com/monkeybusinessimages)
He says the blitz is all about getting employees to work smart.
"Our focus is in ensuring workplace safety for the men and women that go to work everyday. Our message is that everyone needs to be careful about the way they're working whether it's lifting, carrying or even sitting at a desk working on a computer everyday. This is going to be the focus of our blitz," says McNaughton.
The inspections will also look at ways to prevent breathing hazards including gases, dusts, vapours and fumes that can lead to illnesses.
In 2017, there were 19,000 musculo-skeletal injury claims to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, resulting in 462,000 lost work days costing about $72-million in wages.
The upcoming blitz will take place between now and the end of the year focusing on workplaces in the construction, health care, industrial and mining sectors.
With files from Patty Handysides