Small Business Week 2022

October 16-22, 2022, marks Small Business Week across Ontario. Huron Shores is pleased to support small businesses by promoting new and existing resources that help prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities from occurring in the workplaces. In alignment with the provincial occupational health and safety strategy, Prevention Works; below you will find a collection of resources from across the system that help make occupational health and safety easier for small businesses. 

Get started with employment standards

Small business: Your guide to the Employment Standards Act: A summary of important employment standards to be aware of.

Educational resources: Your guide to the Employment Standards Act: Tools, calculators, videos and information sessions to explain employee rights and employer obligations as they relate to employment standards.

Mandatory poster and information sheets for employers: In certain circumstances, employers and recruiters are legally required to give employees one or more mandatory, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development posters and documents.

Get started with health and safety

The risk of fatality and critical injury for small businesses is higher than for medium and large businesses.

Health and safety for small business: Learn about your responsibilities as a small business employer and how to get help keeping your workplace safe.

WSIB Safety Check: Compare your safety statistics with other similarly sized businesses in your industry.

Small business advisory service: Get free, personalized support by a health and safety expert.

Create a health and safety policy

The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires all companies to prepare a written occupational health and safety policy. Businesses must review the policy annually and develop and maintain a program to implement that policy.

Small Business Health and Safety Resource Manual: Step-by-step process with an easy to follow action checklist.

Protect new and young workers

Studies show that new and young workers in Ontario are four times more likely to get hurt during their first month on the job than at any other time. 

New and young worker checklists: Guidance for employers, supervisors and workers through their initial orientations to a workplace.

Protect against workplace violence and harassment and improve workplace mental health

The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires employers to prepare policies with respect to workplace violence and workplace harassment, and develop and maintain a program to implement the policy. 

Workplace violence and risk-assessment tools: Help with assessing workplace violence and planning for your health and safety program.

Workplace Harassment Investigations in Small Businesses: Useful tips for employers to help with the workplace harassment complaint investigation process.

Webinar: Building Capacity in Psychological Safety: Practical tools to develop simple strategies that will impact psychological health and safety in your workplace.

StressAssess: Help identifying psychosocial hazards that can lead to stress and mental injury, and suggestions and pathways to address them, preventing harm.

Reduce transmission of respiratory illness

It’s important that employers have a plan for how they will protect against transmission of COVID-19, and other respiratory illnesses, in their workplace. This will help all businesses across Ontario to stay open and safe.

Workplace safety plan builder: Help developing a customized plan for protecting against COVID-19 transmission in your workplace.

Apply for reimbursement for health and safety representative training

Small Business Health and Safety Training Program: Reimbursement for eligible employers for health and safety representative training for a selected employee in an Ontario workplace.

Assess hazards and workplace exposures

AirAssess App: Assesses the air quality in your workplace and provides you with ideas for taking action on any air quality issues.

HazardAssess App: Audit your health and safety conditions, identify concerns, save and share results for action and follow-up.

Humidex-Based Heat Stress Calculator: Uses temperature and humidity percentage to calculate humidex and provide recommended actions (for indoor workers).

Occupational Exposure Limits (OEL) Adjust Tool: Calculates adjusted workplace exposure limits for an unusual or extended work shift.

Healthy worker healthy workplace initiative: Silica Exposure: Free webinar with information on how to protect workers from exposure to silica and prevent occupational illnesses in industrial workplaces.

Get sector-specific support

Infrastructure Health & Safety Association (IHSA): serves construction, electrical, utilities, aggregates, natural gas, ready-mix concrete and transportation sectors.

Public Services Health & Safety Association (PSHSA): works with Ontario’s Public and Broader Public Sector employers.

Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS): serves the manufacturing, agricultural and service sectors.

Workplace Safety North (WSN): serves the mining and forest products industries, as well as businesses across northern Ontario.