The Fleet Safety Council (FSC) is an association of driver trainers and safety professionals working to promote safety within the transportation, transport, bus, and coach industries. The Council encourages the improvement of driver behavior through increased awareness and training. Working with government agencies and private organizations, the Council strives for a uniform system of safety requirements for drivers in Ontario. The Fleet Safety Council, and it 8 chapters (Cambridge, Durham, Ottawa, Hamilton/Niagara, Sudbury, Windsor, London, and Toronto) across Ontario, is open to all individuals concerned with promoting safety in the transportation industry. To learn more visit - https://fleetsafetycouncil.com or contact the Fleet Safety Council at 1-800-263-5024 Ext 6040 or [email protected].

Whether you drive a commercial vehicle or a passenger vehicle, it’s always important to be fully aware of the hazardous road conditions created by winter weather. In this podcast, IHSA’s Ken Rayner and Michelle Roberts discuss winter driving tips and break them down into four basic principles: preparation, planning, patience, and practice.

Everyone has the right to return home healthy at the end of each day. In the same way that we need protection from hazards such as falls, we need protection from work-related illnesses such as lung cancer. These illnesses can range from acute to fatal. In some cases, symptoms can be reduced or reversed. But too often they become something people have to live with for the rest of their lives. The most important thing to know is that they are all preventable.

Host Ken Rayner and guest, Maren Gamble, IHSA’s Manager, Strategic Programs discuss WSIB’s “Health and Safety Excellence Program”, a performance-based rewards program. It integrates the strengths of the previous WSIB Small Business, Safety Groups, and Workwell programs into a new improved model. This new Excellence Program is designed to provide businesses with a clear road map to improving their health and safety processes and systems. Participants create safer workplaces and can earn both financial and non-financial rewards Learn more at IHSA's Health and Safety Excellence Program General email inquiries - [email protected]

Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, including oxycodone (OxyContin®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), codeine, and morphine. Opioid overdoses and deaths are a public health crisis affecting many working Canadians.

Everyone has mental health concerns from time to time. But what some may consider “normal” challenges can develop into a mental illness if left unaddressed. A mental illness is a medically diagnosed disorder that affects how a person thinks, behaves, and interacts with others. It can have a prolonged, negative effect on quality of life. • By age 40, about 50% of people will have—or will have had—a mental illness. • Approximately 11 Canadians die by suicide each day—about 4,000 people annually. Compare that to workplace-related fatalities, which are about three daily, or 1,017 per year Resources mentioned during the podcast can be located below, and within IHSA’s Assessing Your Mental Health Safety Talk.

Mental health and physical health are similar concepts: they both refer to states of well-being. Mental health includes your thoughts and emotions, feelings of connection to others, and ability to manage life’s highs and lows. We all have mental health challenges, just as we all have physical health challenges, from time to time. It’s important to monitor your mental health and seek help and support if you are concerned. Resources mentioned during the podcast can be located below, and within IHSA’s Assessing Your Mental Health Safety Talk.

Sam Pitaro, Lead COR™ Auditor, brings his experience with the external audit process to this episode as he outlines what to expect during the audit as well as how to achieve a smooth and successful experience. Sam and Stacey also talk about important timelines and administration associated with an external audit.

In this episode, Stacey Blea, HSMS Consultant, discusses what to expect during your internal audit results debrief. Sam Pitaro, Lead auditor, provides insight into this experience and how to maximize its benefits for the organization

The Occupational Health and Safety Act (Ontario) has been amended to require employers to provide naloxone kits and comply with related requirements if the employer becomes aware, or ought reasonably to be aware, that there may be a risk of a worker having an opioid overdose at a workplace where that worker performs work for the employer, or where the prescribed circumstances exist.