An injury can happen at any time and to anyone, whether it’s at home, at school or at the workplace. Many times, it is the more harmless actions that one doesn’t think twice about that could lead to some of the most serious injuries.

This is why organizations such as the St. John Ambulance, Peel, work hard to both inform about and promote occupational health and safety in communities across the region.

On October 3rd, 2013 Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with St. John Ambulance, Peel, and the CCOHS and the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada, hosted an interactive, free seminar in Mississauga to educate community members about health and safety requirements for businesses in Ontario.

Up-to-date with changing regulations, well-known and educated figures such as Steve Mahoney (President, Radiation Safety Institute of Canada) and Steve Horvath (President, CCOHS) spoke at the seminar to communicate:

• What measures should be taken to ensure safety in the workplace
• How to identify various workplace injuries
• What measures should be taken if a workplace related injury were to occur

This is what they had to say:

Steve Mahoney: “It’s not about blame, it’s about responsibility. There is no excuse for occupational injuries. The key is prevention: preventing the wrong use of nuclear devices in the workplace through proper training. If you’re a CEO, think about safety and about prevention. SO your employees can go home safe every night.”

William Sterritt: “Don’t be complacent and don’t be afraid. You can’t be afraid of everything. Be proactive. Safety is a behavior and safety should be part of your life every single day.”Today’s program is also aimed at our small business members

Speaking on the occasion, Naval Bajaj, President, ICCC, said, “I am a small business owner, and as a small business owners, we have little choice but to do everything that is required to be done to firstly to survive, then to grow and finally to prosper. Sacrifice and change are the two constants in a small business. We can sacrifice as much as we can on most aspects of our business, there is one aspect that we cannot and should not compromise at all. And that is health and safety.

Expanding on this theme, Naval emphasized, “Awareness about Health and Safety is a must for everyone who works in any capacity. In our province of Ontario it is also a legal requirement. Your workplace should meet with the health and safety regulations that taken into account issues such as a health and safety policy, fire safety plan, first aid, use and management of hazardous substance on the business premise. I must add here that we need to look at the stipulations of the regulation not merely from a compliance angle, but also because adhering to these provisions make for eminent business sense.”