Latest focus in safety blitz inspections will be placement of concrete at construction sites
The Ontario government is continuing its efforts to reduce workplace injuries by focusing on hazards related to the design, erection and dismantling of forms used in the placement of concrete on building sites.
Throughout the month of August, occupational health and safety inspectors from the Ontario Ministry of Labour will concentrate on a wide range of hazards related to formwork. These include conditions that could cause workers to fall, be electrocuted, sustain injuries in trenches and excavations, or be struck or crushed by vehicles and equipment. Inspectors will also monitor ergonomic issues.
There will be a zero-tolerance approach to contraventions of health and safety regulations related to fall-protection, trench shoring and work near high-voltage power lines.
The focus on concrete work at construction sites is part of the province’s Safe At Work Ontario blitz strategy announced in June 2008. The goal of the program is to increase productivity in Ontario’s economy and reduce strain on its health care system by reducing workplace injuries.
