On March 6, 2020 the OGCA in association
with the IHSA and League of Champions
sponsored the Annual Leadership Conference
at the Verdi Convention Centre. The event highlighted a number of industry initiatives including COR 2020 updates, Mental Health and Workplace Safety Awareness, Cannabis use in the workplace and recognized new League of Champion members.
The event began with the OGCA Safety Committee Chair Craig Lesurf introducing this year’s League of Champions new member recipients. The League of Champions is composed of companies that have excelled in health & safety initiatives, have given back to their community and are actively striving for improved safety standards across the industry. Harbridge + Cross were chief among the new members and was presented with a plaque, League of Champion’s jersey and Letter ‘C’ for achieving COR certification.
Mental Health and Workplace Safety Awareness:
Julian Toy a Substance Abuse Professional shares his story of overcoming substance dependency from an earlier age. During his youth, Julian was involved in extreme addiction and has experimented with a wide range of drugs and alcohol to cope with his challenges. As an adult he has overcome his substance dependency and is recognized as a leading Substance Abuse Professional. He actively sponsors members with extreme addiction and provides companies with the tools and training to recognize the signs and symptoms of substance abuse in the workplace, and to develop policies and procedures to meet legislative compliance.
IHSA COR 2020 Program:
The COR 2020 program is designed to align with the Ministry of Labour Accreditation standard and WSIB Excellence program. This means that companies that achieve COR 2020, will receive an Accreditation and WSIB rebates. COR 2020 has reduced its audit tool from 19 to 14 elements by blending existing program requirements and reducing redundancy. The transition between current COR and COR 2020 will take place over the next 4 years. However, companies can pursue COR 2020 status earlier and take advantage of early incentives.
Cannabis Use in the Workplace:
Dr. Nancy Carnide, Associate Scientist, IWH shares her research on the impact of cannabis use in the workplace. Her research, based on a series of surveys conducted pre and post legalization highlighted three areas of note:
1. Workers do not appear to use cannabis before
work and rates of use during work have dropped
from 27% to 21% from pre and post legalization.
2. Workers recognize that consuming cannabis two hours before work is as risky as consuming cannabis while at work.
3. Workers acknowledge that although companies have a Drug and Alcohol policy, they have not been adequately trained in its understanding, including steps to take if they suspect fellow workers
are under the influence.
To mitigate Cannabis use in the workplace, Dr. Carnide identifies education as a key tool to curb employee use and to improve understanding of workplace Drug & Alcohol policies. Dr. Carnide’s studies are ongoing with the next round of survey
scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020.