Workplace Health and Safety: It's Everyone's Responsibility

Safety is no accident. Every worker has the right to a safe working environment. Every worker has the right to be properly trained. Every worker has the right to refuse unsafe work. It is everyone’s responsibility to assure that any work undertaken meets minimum safety requirements. There is no work that is worth risking life and limb.

Safety can be achieved through a systematic approach to evaluating risks and seeking solutions to eliminating them. This begins with all members of an organization that wish to create a safe and productive work environment.

Although it may seem that increasing safety on the job will cost more, in the long run it is financially worse if someone becomes injured or killed, especially if there are legal repercussions, which many times there are. All employers, managers, etc., are responsible for what happens to their workers.

Quite simply put, every employer has a legal responsibility to make sure all their employers, even contractors, are taken care of. This means that they need to receive on-going adequate training, all their equipment is in safe and good working condition, first aid is readily available, reasonable steps have been taken to minimize hazards, etc. Employers can't hide behind an attitude of, “I didn’t know,” or, “someone else was looking after that.”

This site is intended to offer information on how to improve Workplace Health and Safety (H&S). It is important to understand however, that every job is different, and modifications may be needed. It is also important to seek professional advice on the work site, e.g. an engineer, on how to make the environment safer.

The information here is intended for general knowledge, it is not meant to replace proper training and it is not designed to replace professional advice.

As a youngster I started working as a lifeguard during the summers. From there I developed a strong interest in lifeguarding and teaching first aid, which then led to becoming a certified instructor and examiner with the Canadian Red Cross and the Canadian Lifesaving Society. After graduating from York University, with a B.A. in Kinesiology, I took a position with the Canadian Red Cross in Toronto as their Safety Services manager. After a few years I started a first aid and CPR training company, offering courses throughout the greater Toronto area. Because I wanted to share all that I've learned,…