Communications

OHCOW's RSI Day Webinar Series 2024

The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) is pleased to announce the return of our free annual international event focussed on Repetitive Strain Injuries and their prevention. Now in its 25th year, OHCOW’s RSI Day program continues to translate the knowledge and experience of our professional staff and guest speakers to increase awareness and prevention of musculoskeletal disorders. Due its ever-expanding audience, this year’s event will again be held virtually, as a 4-week webinar series over the month of February.

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WHSC's Discounted Workplace Health & Safety Training

Need better access to quality occupational health and safety training in Ontario? Has cost been a barrier? Workers Health & Safety Centre (WHSC) is Ontario’s official government-designated health and safety training centre, and provides essential high-quality training to workers, their representatives, supervisors, and employers, in public and private sector workplaces in the province. Due to one-time funding from Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, the Workers Health and Safety Centre is providing deeply discounted - free or low-cost - Occupational health and safety training programs.

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Annual Report 2023

The Workers’ Health and Safety Legal Clinic’s Annual Report outlines the activities and initiatives that were made in pursuit of advocating for workers’ rights. It further details the Clinic’s efforts to continue providing consistently high quality services in a cost-effective, efficient and innovative manner. The Clinic provides such legal services as advice, representation, public legal education and law reform concerning occupational health and safety and related workplace laws. The following PDF documents are available for review: WHSLC Annual Report 2023

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30th Annual Christmas Demo --- December 14th @ 10AM.

On December 14th at 10am, join injured workers for the 30th anniversary of the Christmas Demonstration. The theme this year: Fighting back against more gifts to employers – nothing for injured and ill workers. This year, Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups (ONIWG) is holding a community forum at 10am to hear from injured workers. It’s time for the provincial government to listen to injured workers. At 11am, we will hear from allies fighting for injured workers in the Labour movement, and those battling for migrant workers’ rights, occupational disease coverage, and more.

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Law Reform - Submissions re: Bill 27 Working for Workers Act, 2021

The Workers’ Health and Safety Legal Clinic (“the Clinic”) is a community legal aid clinic funded by Legal Aid Ontario. Our mandate is to provide legal advice and representation to non-unionized low wage workers in Ontario who face health and safety problems at work. In response to the proposed Bill 27 - Working for Workers Act, 2021, the aim of our Clinic’s submissions is to speak to those specific parts of Bill 27 that we have expertise on, and, to wherever possible, not duplicate the helpful submissions of our colleagues in other legal clinics and in the injured workers community.

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AGM Notice --- October 27th, 2021 @ 6:00 pm

The Workers’ Health and Safety Legal Clinic will be hosting its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, October 27th, 2021 at 6:00 pm. Click here to access the Zoom meeting information as well as the AGM Agenda. To access .PDF versions of the following documents, please click on the links below: 2021 WHSLC Annual Report 2021 Audited Financial Statements 2020 AGM Meeting Minutes

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Injured Workers' Day - June 1st, 2021.

On June 1st every year, injured workers, labour activists and their allies gather and pay respect to the hundreds of workers who have lost their lives or been seriously injured as a result of hazardous workplaces. Injured Workers’ Day is an opportunity to recognize the individuals who have suffered injuries and fatalities as a result of their workplace conditions, but it is also a time to rally and celebrate the gains made through united action, raise current concerns and remind governments workers rights cannot be ignored.

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April 28 @ 11:00 AM - National Day of Mourning.

Marked annually in Canada on April 28th, the National Day of Mourning is dedicated to remembering those who have lost their lives, or suffered injury or illness on the job or due to a work-related tragedy. The observance of this day is meant to honour the lives of workers lost, but it is also a call to protect the living and make the world of work a safer place. We must continue to commit to safe and healthy conditions in the workplace to prevent further injuries, illnesses, and deaths.

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U of T Capstone Project: Airflow Prediction Simulation Software.

The Workers’ Health and Safety Legal Clinic continued its partnership with engineering students at the University of Toronto by participating in U of T Engineering Strategies & Practice Course, and the 2020-2021 Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Course. This year’s project looked to address one of the most pressing concerns faced by workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic - Indoor Air Quality. Undetected poor indoor air quality is a leading factor of respiratory health risks in workplaces in Ontario.

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OHCOW Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders.

At work, we can all suffer from occasional pain and discomfort, but in general work should not hurt. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common type of workplace injury in Ontario workplaces. “Musculoskeletal disorders” is an umbrella term for a number of injuries and disorders of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, bone and nerves. Studies have shown that physical factors in the workplace - how work is organized and the specific tools used as part of that work - can increase a person’s chance of developing a musculoskeletal disorder.

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