Toronto, ON -- Ontario will appoint Tony Dean as chair of an expert advisory panel to conduct a comprehensive review of the province's occupational health and safety prevention and enforcement system.
Dean will lead a panel, comprising safety experts from labour groups, employers and academic institutions to recommend options for structural, operational and policy improvements.
The panel will research best-in-class approaches to improving workplace safety in national and international jurisdictions and will look at a range of issues including:
- Continuum of safety practices in a workplace and entry-level safety training
- Impact of the underground economy on health and safety practices
- How existing legislation serves worker safety.
Part of the review will be supported by the Institute for Work & Health, an independent research centre for occupational health and safety.
The expert advisory panel will report back to the Minister of Labour in Fall 2010.
"Even one death or injury in a workplace is one too many," said Peter Fonseca, the provinces Minister of Labour. "That's why we are putting together this panel of industry experts from all sectors. I look forward to receiving their advice and together we can work to ensure that all Ontario workers arrive home safely at the end of each day."