RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES AS A WORKER COOPERATIVE EDUCATION MS. WILSON-CLARK C. 2014

EXPLORING TERMINOLOGY Rights  That which is due to anyone by legal guarantees Responsibilities  the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or account able for something within one's power, control, or management. Source: dictionary.reference.com

WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS WHEN IT COMES TO BEING A WORKER? Your RIGHTS as a worker are guaranteed to you by the Ontario Ministry of Labour and the Employment Standards Act (ESA) The Employment Standards Acts guarantees workers the following general rights….  the right to know...  the right to participate…  the right to refuse unsafe work….

WORKER’S RIGHTS The RIGHT to know… “Workers have the right to know about any potential hazards to which they may be exposed in the workplace. The primary way that workers may become aware of the hazards in the workplace is to be informed and instructed on how to protect their health and safety related to the use of machinery, equipment, working conditions, processes and hazardous substances.” (OHSA Guide)

WORKER’S RIGHTS The RIGHT to participate… “Workers have the right to be part of the process of identifying and resolving workplace health and safety concerns. This right is expressed through worker membership on joint health and safety committees or through worker health and safety representatives.” (OHSA Guide)

WORKER’S RIGHTS The RIGHT to refuse unsafe work… “Workers have the right to refuse work that they believe is dangerous to either their own health and safety or that of another worker in the workplace. For example, workers may refuse work if they believe their health and safety is endangered by any equipment they are to use or by the physical conditions of the workplace.” (OHSA Guide)

WORKER’S RIGHTS Workers also have the right….  to be treated fairly at work  to work in a safe and healthy workplace  to be trained to deal with workplace hazards, and  to join a trade union

WHAT ARE MY RESPONSIBILITIES AS A WORKER? You also have responsibilities as a worker under the Occupational Health and Safety Act of Ontario (OHSA) Your RESPONSIBILITIES include..  Work smart, work safe  Dress for the job  Report unsafe conditions

WORKER’S RESPONSIBILITIES The RESPONSIBILITY to work smart, work safe…  You have a responsibility to work in compliance with OH&S acts and regulations  You have a responsibility to work in a manner as required by the employer and use the prescribed safety equipment. Source: OHSA Guide

WORKER’S RESPONSIBILITIES The RESPONSIBILITY to dress for the job… You have a responsibility to use personal protective equipment and clothing as directed by the employer The RESPONSILBITY to report unsafe conditions…  You have a responsibility to report workplace hazards and dangers Source: OHSA Guide

RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES CASE STUDIES CASE STUDY: Jim Jim the supervisor gives Mary, a worker, a container of a chemical to use for cleaning grease off the stove. The container is not marked. It does not have a WHMIS label. Mary asks Jim what kind of chemical it is and if he has a Material Safety Data Sheet for it. Jim replies that he will examine the supplier label for this product that is on another container, read the Material Safety Data Sheet and provide the information to her. He also arranges to get the label put on the container immediately. How does this situation pertain to an employees RIGHT TO KNOW? Source: Ontario Ministry of Education Live Safe! Work Smart! Resources for Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

CASE STUDY: Jim & Mary THE RIGHT TO KNOW Mary could have refused to use the chemical right away, but she chose to communicate her concerns to her supervisor first. She recognized that there is a hazard in not knowing exactly what she would be using, assessed the situation and found that she did not have the information that should be provided to her. Jim listened to Mary, and noticed that the container was missing the required label. He found the necessary information so that Mary could work safely, using the proper safety precautions, and by doing so, corrected a situation that could have endangered Mary. Source: Ontario Ministry of Education Live Safe! Work Smart! Resources for Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario. RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES CASE STUDIES

CASE STUDY: Paul & Julie Paul notices that shelves at the store are too high, and stacked with heavy items that could fall on him or customers. When Julie, his supervisor, asks him to stack more items on top of the items already on the shelf, Paul is concerned. Everything looks wobbly and someone could easily push it the wrong way and everything would come crashing down. He tells Julie that there is a hazard because items could tip and fall off the shelf. Julie agrees, and they safely remove the items and store them back in the stockroom. When the health and safety committee members are conducting a workplace inspection Paul suggests that additional shelves could be installed for safer stacking. How does this situation pertain to an employees RIGHT TO PARTCIPATE? Source: Ontario Ministry of Education Live Safe! Work Smart! Resources for Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES CASE STUDIES CASE STUDY: Paul & Julie Paul exercised his right to participate and informed his supervisor of a hazard that could hurt workers or the public. His supervisor followed her duties to ensure that the workplace is safe by removing the items from the shelf. Paul also participated by informing the health and safety committee member of the situation. The safety committee can make the recommendation to management about additional shelves. Source: Ontario Ministry of Education Live Safe! Work Smart! Resources for Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES CASE STUDIES CASE STUDY: Alex & Julie & Paul A different supervisor, Alex, is covering for Julie, Alex tells Paul to restock the shelves, this time with heavier items. Alex wants all the stock to be up on the shelves, including each of the new fifty pound items. Paul tells Alex that he and Julie discussed the danger of stacking items too high, especially heavy items. Paul also tells Alex that he now only has a foot stool since another department is borrowing his ladder, and, without a ladder, he would have to climb on the shelves to reach the top. Alex dismisses this, and curtly tells Paul to get the merchandise off the floor since customers will be coming in soon. The problem will be examined later. Paul refuses to do the work under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Alex and the health and safety committee member that represents workers examine the situation, and conclude that the shelves cannot be stacked with any more items. They tell Paul, who is standing nearby, of their decision. Alex promises the committee member that he will write a memo to management to ask for more shelving. How does this situation pertain to an employees RIGHT TO REFUSE UNSAFE WORK? Source: Ontario Ministry of Education Live Safe! Work Smart! Resources for Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES CASE STUDIES CASE STUDY: Alex & Julie & Paul Whether too busy or not, Paul was aware that the shelves were not adequate to hold the material, that it was too high, and that he could be hurt by falling items or fall himself by attempting to climb onto shelves to stack them. He told his supervisor, but the situation was not addressed and he was asked to perform a task that he felt was unsafe. By refusing to work, Paul exercised his right to be safe. Source: Ontario Ministry of Education Live Safe! Work Smart! Resources for Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

REVIEW QUIZ Complete the following quiz on Worker’s Responsibilities for review of this lesson Worker’s Responsibilities Student Quiz