Arbitrator May Not Award Damages for Workplace Injury where Worker Entitled to WSIB Benefits
An employee who was entitled to Workplace Safety and Insurance Board benefits for a workplace injury could not also obtain […]
Safety – Risk Management
$750K Fine for “Extreme” Criminal Negligence: “More Serious” than OHSA Offences, says Appeal Court in Metron Construction Fatality Case
A $200,000.00 fine was “manifestly unfit”, the Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled, in raising Metron Construction’s fine to $750,000 […]
Employee did not have Duty to Intervene to Stop Fight: Court
Does an on-shift-employee have a duty to intervene to stop a fight between members of the public – or between […]
Mere Smell of Marijuana was not Enough: Employee was Entitled to Refuse Drug Test, says Court
An employee was entitled to refuse to submit to a reasonable-suspicion drug test where a supervisor smelled marijuana in the […]
E-mails Sink Employer in Safety-Retaliation Case: “Carefully Chosen Ruse” Found
An employer’s internal e-mails showed that a “professional standards investigation” conducted on an employee was actually a retaliation for the […]
Employers Should Prohibit Texting While Driving: U.S. OSHA
Distracted driving, and in particular texting while driving, are important occupational safety issues, and employers need to act, the U.S. […]
Angry Confrontation of Employee by a Manager Could be Safety Issue: OLRB
In what appears to be a departure from a growing line of cases, the Ontario Labour Relations Board has permitted […]
Worker Guilty of Obstructing MOL Inspector by Refusing to Answer Questions
A worker who refused to answer a Ministry of Labour inspector’s questions during an accident investigation has been found guilty […]
Bad-Faith Work Refusal Complaint to MOL Justified Discipline – Reinstatement Denied
The work refusal provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act should not be abused, an arbitrator has effectively held in […]
AODA’s Workplace Emergency Response Information Requirements Already in Force: Are you in Compliance?
Since January 1, 2012, Ontario employers have been obligated to provide “individualized workplace emergency response information to employees who have […]
“E-Learning” Safety Orientation Module Coming Soon in Ontario; Printed Copies of MOL Safety Orientation Materials Now Available
Worker safety orientation is expected to become mandatory in Ontario on January 1, 2014, as we have previously advised. The […]
Safety Violations Get 37-Year Employee Fired for Cause
We don’t often hear of 37-year employees being fired for just cause. An arbitrator has recently upheld the dismissal of […]