Monday June 1st - Injured Workers Day
Injury should not equal poverty! On June 1st every
year, injured workers and labour activists gather at Queen’s Park in Toronto
and at other locations in cities across the province to mark Injured
Workers’ Day more...
H1N1 Flu Watch
June 9, 2009 H1N1
Influenza Update As of June 5, Ontario has confirmed a total of
1078 cases of H1N1 influenza, with 184 of those occurring since June 3, 2009.
more...
May 27, 2009 H1N1
Influenza Update As of May 26, 2009, the total number of H1N1
flu cases in Ontario is 371
more...
May 20, 2009 H1N1
Influenza Update Ontario currently has 272 confirmed cases of
N1N1, only 57 of which have a travel historyto Mexico or other affected
regions. more...
May 15, 2009 H1N1 INFLUENZA UPDATE
As of May 14, 2009, the total number of H1N1flu cases in Ontario
is 155. All of the cases are mild; one person with H1N1 flu has been
hospitalized for other medical reasons.
more...
May 8, 2009 H1N1 INFLUENZA UPDATE
As of May 7, 2009, there were 56 lab-confirmed
cases of H1N1 Influenza A in Ontario. Travel to Mexico accounts for
37 of the cases and an additional 12 cases had close contact with a
confirmed case. Seven cases are still being investigated. All
cases are mild and no one in Ontario has been hospitalized.
more...
May 6, 2009
H1N1 INFLUENZA UPDATE As of May 6, there are 49 lab-confirmed
cases of H1N1 influenza in Ontario. Travel to Mexico or
contact with a person who has H1N1 and who traveled to
Mexico remains the most frequent source of the illness.
Because laboratory testing capacity has been increased,
cases of H1N1 are now being confirmed faster.
more...
May 4, 2009
H1N1 INFLUENZA UPDATE All but three of these cases have a
travel history to Mexico. The three cases without
Mexican travel history had close household contact with
someone who had a confirmed case.
more...
May 1, 2009
H1N1 INFLUENZA UPDATE OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas
yesterday communicated with OPSEU members in every
sector about the Swine Flu outbreak, now being called
Influenza H1N1
more...
April 30, 2009
UPDATE Ontario today is reporting eight cases of
swine flu in Ontario. All cases are considered mild and no
one has been hospitalized. Ontario remains at an enhanced
state of vigilance, but an emergency has not been declared.
more...
April 29, 2009 Update
Ontario is now reporting four laboratory confirmed cases of swine flu.
more...
April 28, 2009 Update
The World Health Organization (WHO) has moved the Mexican swine flu
outbreak to Phase 4 (of 6) to indicate human to human transmission,
however, no cases have been confirmed in Ontario
more...
April 27, 2009 Update
Cases of Mexican Swine flu have been identified in Mexico, the U.S. and
now Canada..
more...
Severe Respiratory Illness in Mexico
April 23, 2009 On April 21, 2009, Ontario's Chief
Medical Officer of Health announced an outbreak of Severe Respiratory Illness
(SRI) in Mexico. more...
OPSEU welcomes amendments to stem workplace violence
April 21, 2009 OPSEU president Smokey Thomas calls
proposed changes “a gust of fresh wind blowing through the workplaces of
Ontario,” more …
National
Day of Mourning
April 28, 2009
March 30, 2009 Join us on April 28, as we remember those
killed or injured at work and recommit to the challenge of preventing, reducing
and eliminating workplace deaths and injuries.
more...
Repetitive Stress Injuries: The toll keeps rising
February 27, 2009 Today is International RSI
Awareness Day and figures show how this physical illness is claiming more
victims and damaging the economy.
more...
RSI Awareness Day Workshops are being held in Toronto, Windsor and
Sudbury more...
OPSEU Responds to Ministry of Labour
Consultation on Workplace Violence
October 21, 2008 OPSEU calls on the Ministry of
Labour to introduce legislation to protect workers from all types of
workplace violence. more...
Ultrasound technologist/sonographer
ergonomic assessments project
May 26, 2008 The Joint Central Committee
on Health and Safety (JCCHS) project which
examined ergonomic conditions in ultrasound/sonographer
work areas across the province has been
completed. One of the ergonomic assessments
is now posted on our website to assist JHSCs
and members who are addressing ergonomic
issues in their sonography work areas.
Cover letter
Executive Summary
Grey Bruce Sonographer ergonomics report
Appendix
A Healthcare Worker’s Guide
to Pandemic Influenza
May 20, 2008 OPSEU launches its new
booklet to assist healthcare members, locals and health and
safety activists understand the impact of pandemic influenza
on their health and safety, and actions they can take.
Read Guide
Injured
Workers Day
Sunday June 1, 2008 2008 will mark
the 25th anniversary of the day when over 3,000 workers
gathered at the Legislative Assembly to participate in
public hearings on workers' compensation and highlight the
principle that injury should not mean poverty. Check with
Labour Councils for an event near you. In Toronto, join
injured workers and their supporters and their
families at 11:00 am to rally at Ontario's Legislature at
Queen's Park to make it clear to the Minister of Labour that
having a disability should not equal poverty and to
celebrate their work as a community.
Read flyer
OPSEU input on MOL “Safe at Work” enforcement plan
April 30, 2008 OPSEU provides a submission to
Ontario's Ministry of Labour to give input on the government’s 2008/2009
health and safety enforcement strategy, "Safe at Work Ontario."
Read OPSEU's submission
Day of Mourning is April 28
April 22, 2008 OPSEU members join
workers, other unions, families and friends to remember and mourn for
workers who have been killed, suffer illness or have been injured as a
result of work, on Monday April 28. More…
For a full list of
Day of Mourning events across Ontario,
click here
Historic decision after workplace fatality in
Quebec
March 18, 2008 A judge has fined a Quebec company
$110,000 for criminal negligence in the death of an employee in a
decision believed to be a first in Canada, as Bill C-45 is finally
enforced.
Steve L'Ecuyer, 23, was killed in October 2005 when he
was crushed by a machine with an unplugged safety device. Transpave, a
paving-stone manufacturer based north of Montreal, pleaded guilty in
December to a count of criminal negligence.
Police and union officials have said it is the first
time a company has been charged with criminal negligence in the death of
an employee.
"Thanks are due to the United Steelworkers, the Ontario
Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress, who fought long
and hard for health and safety violations to be treated as criminal
prosecutions following the Westray Mining fatalities." said Ron Elliot,
OPSEU Executive Board Member, Region 1. "These organizations spent years
fighting for Bill C 45. Congratulations! May this only be the beginning
of holding corporations criminally responsible for workplace
fatalities."
The Criminal Code was amended to allow such charges
after the 1992 explosion that killed twenty-six miners at the Westray
mine in Nova Scotia.
Please forward to your worker members on Joint Health
and Safety Committees or worker representatives
See pdf for more details…
An Evening with Dr. Devra Davis
March 4, 2008 Dr Devra Davis (Environmental
Oncology at University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute) is speaking in
Toronto April 7 about how exposures in the workplace and in the broader
environment are contributing to the cancer epidemic. She will also
discuss how we can take individual and collective action to do something
about it. Dr. Davis is also author of the book, "The Secret History of
the War on Cancer."
Admission is free
When: Monday April 7, 2008, 7:00-9:00 pm
Where: OISE Auditorium, 252 Bloor Street West
(between St. George St and Bedford)
How to get tickets: call 416-510-8713
extension 0 or email
info@ohcow.on.ca
The evening is sponsored by Occupational Health Clinics
for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) and the OFL.
Click to view
flyer.
Feb. 29 is International Repetitive Strain Injury Day
February 13, 2008 The ninth annual Repetitive Strain
Injury (RSI) Awareness Day will be Friday Feb. 29, 2008, with events in
Toronto and Windsor. more...
September 5, 2007 Needle safety regulation of August
2007 more..
Big victory on health and safety for OPSEU
August 23, 2007 The announcement of mandatory
respirators and safe sharps in hospitals today is a major health and safety win
for health care workers who have campaigned hard on these issues,
representatives for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union said today.
More..
January 22, 2006
Joint letter on SARS: Leaders of four major health
care unions urge Premier McGuinty to implement Campbell health and safety
recommendations now
December 18, 2006 Summary of Ontario health plan for an influenza pandemic
November 16, 2006 News flash!
Shelley
Martel’s Bill 30, Martel's that calls for the mandatory use of
safety-engineered "sharps" passed second reading today in the
Ontario Legislature. Visit www.saferneedles.ca
for more details.
October 31, 2006 News Release
(OPSEU, ONA, SEIU) Unions say it's time for safety-engineered "sharps" to be law
Three unions support legislation proposed by Shelley Martel, MPP on safe sharps
August 2, 2006 Heat stress
alert for OPSEU
members
October 24, 2005 Changes to the
asbestos regulation start Nov. 1, 2005.
