Toolkit teaches newcomers about health and safety in the workplace

Ontario resource will help settlement agencies teach new immigrants about OHS

A new resource from the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) has been created to help settlement agencies and others teach newcomers to Ontario about their health and safety rights and duties in the workplace.

The free kit, Prevention is the Best Medicine, contains 11 items needed to deliver instructional sessions on occupational health and safety and workers’ compensation. The toolkit is designed to be delivered to recent immigrants who are preparing to enter the labour force, according to the IWH.

The teaching resource was developed in the wake of IWH evidence showing that newcomers are not getting this information.

“(It) fills an important void,” said Agnieszka Kosny, the lead researcher of the team that developed the toolkit. “Research indicates that Ontario’s newcomers are more likely than Canadian-born workers to be employed in jobs with a higher risk of work injuries. Yet they receive little information in language-training classes or job-search workshops about their job health and safety rights and responsibilities, or what to do if they get hurt on the job.”

The IWH research team worked in partnership with the following organizations:

•Injured Workers' Consultants

•Skills for Change

•Workers Health and Safety Centre

•Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board

•Ontario Ministry of Labour

•Workplace Safety and Prevention Services

•Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers

The IWH piloted the toolkit at a settlement agency in Toronto, with the aim of integrating the modules into existing job-search programs, according to the IWH.

“We don’t think there’s anything comparable,” said Marni Lifshen, IWH research associate. “This tool is written in accessible language, with an approachable tone, informal information and practical true-to-life examples. It’s the first package of its kind.”

The toolkit includes handouts for learners, sample lesson plans, slide show presentations and more. It is free for download from www.iwh.on.ca/pbm.



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