Infrastructure Health & Safety Association (IHSA)

Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) is Ontario’s trusted health and safety resource. Our goal is to improve the lives of Ontario workers in the construction, transportation, and electrical utilities sectors. We provide the resources and training that control and eliminate safety hazards in high-risk work environments to help you Work Safe for Life. You can be sure that the training you get from IHSA meets regulatory requirements and compliance standards. As part of Ontario's health and safety system, we are recognized as designated trainers and consultants by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, the Ministry of Transportation, and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. We are proud of our role in making Ontario one of the safest places in the world to work. Watch the video to learn more.

Is there a downed powerline on the jobsite? Always assume downed powerlines are live and deadly. Keep everyone, including yourself and your equipment, at least 10 metres away. Learn more powerline safety tips from the Electrical Safety Authority: ESAsafe.com/construction.

True or false? You can experience #heatstress at both indoor and outdoor locations. It’s TRUE. Heat stress can occur wherever operations involve heavy physical work in hot, humid environments. The locations may be indoors or outdoors. Asbestos removal and other operations that require workers to wear semi-permeable or impermeable protective clothing can also contribute significantly to heat stress. Heat stress causes the body's core temperature to rise. Check out our heat stress FAQs to learn more about protecting workers from heat stress: https://ow.ly/mtyB50T2XSt

It’s National Trucking Week! At IHSA, we thank the transportation industry for moving freight across the province to supply our industries, essential services, and communities. We also thank the industry for its ongoing commitment to health and safety. To celebrate this week, we encourage you to share an IHSA safety talk with your crew: ✔️ Slip and fall hazards for truck drivers: https://ow.ly/h27v50TaahR ✔️ Securing loads: https://ow.ly/AiR850TaahS ✔️ Mental health and wellness—Professional truck drivers: https://ow.ly/hWxC50TaahQ

Happy #LabourDay! Stay healthy and safe this #longweekend with our expert tips on improving safety while driving, participating in recreational activities, spending time at home, or navigating an emergency: https://ow.ly/WWp250T91Cj All IHSA locations will be closed on Monday September 2, 2024. We will reopen our locations on the following day.

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day. This campaign aims to end overdose, remember those who have died, and acknowledge the impact on loved ones left behind. This year’s theme is #TogetherWeCan, which points to the power we have to make a difference when we stand together. In 2020, at least 2,500 Ontarians died of drug overdoses—up from 1,500 in 2019. Of the victims who were employed, 30% worked in construction, making it by far the most impacted industry. At IHSA, we believe that mental health and wellness should be part of our everyday health and safety practice: ✔️ Learn more about workplace mental health, substance use, and overdoses in the construction industry by visiting IHSA’s workplace mental health topic page: https://ow.ly/hojB50SZxne ✔️ Sign up for IHSA’s Naloxone eLearning course to learn how to recognize an overdose and safely administer naloxone. This course is free for a limited time: https://ow.ly/Pmll50SZxn9 ✔️ Register your workers in IHSA’s The Working Mind for the Trades – Worker virtual training to create a culture of mental health awareness and support at your workplace: https://lnkd.in/gJUsTJYM #EndOverdose #IOAD2024

In effort to allow sufficient time to transition, IHSA will continue to grant COR® equivalency to IAF accredited ISO 45001:2018 certified firms until March 3, 2025. IHSA is extending this deadline to provide IHSA members with ample opportunity to complete the required transition. To learn more about this change to the COR® program, please visit https://ow.ly/l6jm50T7Ysf For any other questions or further clarification, please contact our COR® team: [email protected]

IHSA is proud to work with Indigenous communities throughout Ontario to support their transition to renewable, sustainable, and affordable energy sources. We do this through our Line Crew Ground Support (LCGS) program, which recently kicked off a new 15-week session in Fort William, Ontario—in partnership with First Nations-owned organization Chi Mino Ozhitoowin LP. The LCGS training course helps prepare Indigenous youth for job opportunities in the powerline and construction industries, where skilled, safety conscious workers are in high demand. It also fosters greater knowledge of health and safety practices in the wider community. Upon completion of the LCGS program, participants are ready to work and recognized for doing it safely. They complete the program with a long list of training certificates, including WHMIS, Traffic Control, Defensive Driving, Mobile Crane Operator, Working at Heights, Ladder Handling, and Rescue Practices. To learn more about IHSA’s Line Crew Ground Support program, visit ihsa.ca/lcgs.

Since its introduction in Ontario, IHSA’s COR® program has helped hundreds of companies to develop, implement, assess, and continually improve their occupational health and safety management systems based on a rigorous national standard. We have also provided equivalency certificates to organizations that meet particular international health and safety management system standards. IHSA is committed to maintaining the integrity and comprehensive standards of the COR® program. To ensure all firms holding COR® certification have met the same specific requirements and have been evaluated using the COR® standard, IHSA will no longer issue COR® 2020 equivalency to firms that have achieved ISO 45001:2018 certification. This change is effective March 3, 2025. Companies that are currently certified to ISO 45001:2018 will no longer be eligible to apply for COR® 2020 equivalency—and all currently issued COR® 2020 equivalency certifications will expire on the date specified on the equivalency certificate. Any company seeking COR® 2020 certification will need to successfully complete the COR® 2020 audit process. IHSA thanks all of our stakeholders for their understanding and commitment to achieving health and safety excellence in Ontario. To learn more about this change to the COR® program, please visit https://ow.ly/l6jm50T7Ysf

True or false? Your physical condition can affect your ability to work in hot and humid conditions. It’s TRUE. Age, weight, fitness level, health conditions (e.g., heart disease or high blood pressure), recent illness, or medications can affect your ability to withstand high temperatures. Keep these #tips in mind for preventing #heatstress on the jobsite: ✔️ When temperatures start to increase, allow workers to gradually adjust to working in the heat over time. Workers may also need to adjust after a short period away from work. ✔️ Try to do any heavy, physical work earlier in the day, before it gets too hot. Seek shade and reduce time in the sun during peak temperatures. ✔️ Be alert to the symptoms of heat stress in your workers. Check out our safety talk on heat stress for more tips on protecting outdoor workers: https://ow.ly/wmSf50T2Xum