Prevention Program

We've heard about it for a while. Awaited since 1985 and expected soon, the reform of Bill 59 of the Act respecting industrial accidents and occupational diseases (AIAOD) and the Act respecting occupational health and safety (AOHS) will bring significant changes for employers and workers.

Under the new amendments, the development and implementation of a prevention program will be mandatory for all companies with 20 employees or more.

What is a health and safety prevention program?

It's much more than just paperwork! A prevention program is the primary prevention tool provided by the ROHS. Therefore, it is the planning tool favored by the latter to eliminate dangers at the source for the health, safety, and physical and psychological integrity of workers.

Adapted to your organization's reality and your daily life, it helps reduce your accident risks and allows the implementation of a health and safety culture in your company.

Think of it as the first step in a global approach to continuous improvement in health and safety. This program allows you to:

• Eliminate or control hazards to make your work environment safer
• Structure and organize the prevention process
• Choose the means of prevention and control adapted to the work environment
• Prioritize prevention actions
• Encourage the occupational health and safety committee, promote worker participation and especially commitment
• Meet legal or contractual obligations

 

What should a prevention program include?

The guidelines issued by the CNESST highlight a few key ingredients for creating a complete prevention program:

• The main sources of risk in the organization or on-site
• The measures to be taken to eliminate or, if not possible, to reduce and control the hazards
• The steps to take to ensure that the corrections are sustainable and effective so that the risks are permanently eliminated or controlled
• The timeline for completion of the corrective action and the names of the responsible persons

Where to start?

Step 1: Identify and prioritize risks

An overview and identification of your risks are a great place to start. We take care of identifying the hazards related to tasks, the environment, and equipment. This can be based on:

• Inspections and audits
• Incident records, comments, suggestions, or complaints made by employees or by the health and safety committee
• Experience of organizations in the same field or other members of the prevention mutual group

 

Step 2: Define objectives and responsibilities

For OHS advisors, senior management or health and safety officers within your organization, roles, expectations, and responsibilities need to be explicitly defined to establish specific objectives, policies, and strategic directions.

For employees, involvement and participation in activities such as the health and safety committee are encouraged, especially to commit to your workplace health and safety culture. The collaboration of all is crucial to the success of a management program.

Step 3: Correct

Once the hazards have been identified and everyone's roles defined, the next step is to minimize the risks. This is done by:

• Selecting the OHS solutions adapted to your reality
• Set a clear timetable
• Evaluate the results
• Apply corrections if necessary

 

Step 4: Monitoring

We must ensure that the solutions are applied and stay effective. It is then determined what actions need to be taken to ensure that the corrections are sustainable to reduce and control your risks permanently.

Impact of Bill 59 reform

As mentioned above, the reform of Bill 59 of the AIAOD (Act respecting industrial accidents and occupational diseases) and the AOHS (Act respecting occupational health and safety) will lead to significant changes.

The construction industry is not forgotten since a prevention program will also have to be implemented for all construction sites with at least ten workers working simultaneously.

Before the amendments presented on March 10, the obligation to have a prevention program extended to priority groups 1, 2, and 3.

What are the priority groups? They are divided according to their sector of activity.

Please refer to this table to obtain the description from the CNESST website (CNESST priority group) and their respective obligations:

Group	Business sector	Prevention program	Facility-specific health program	Occupational health and safety committee	Prevention representative
1	Construction and public works Metal products manufacturing Forestry and sawmills Chemical industry Mining, quarrying and oil wells	Mandatory	Mandatory	Provided by law (Except for establishments with less than 20 workers)	Provided by law
2	Transportation equipment manufacturing Manufacture of non-metallic mineral products Wood industry (without sawmills) Rubber and plastic products industry Primary metal processing	Mandatory	Mandatory	Provided by law (Except for establishments with less than 20 workers)	Provided by la
3	Public administration Food and beverage industry Furniture and furnishings industry Paper industry and miscellaneous activities Transportation and warehousing	Mandatory	Mandatory	N/A	N/A
4	Trade Manufacture of machinery (except electrical machinery) Leather industry Tobacco industry Textile industry	Recommended	N/A	N/A	N/A
5	Other commercial and personal services Communications, energy transportation and other utilities Petroleum and coal products manufacturing Electrical product manufacturing Printing, publishing and related activities	Recommended	N/A	N/A	N/A
6	Agriculture Hosiery and clothing Hunting and fishing Non-coded files Education and related services Finance, insurance and real estate Miscellaneous manufacturing industries Medical and social services	Recommended	N/A	N/A	N/A

Take action!

Do you need to implement a prevention program but don't know where to start? Do you know your company's risks?

Building a compliant prevention management program involves many complexities. Good news! Our experts are here to support you in every step of the creation and implementation of a compliant and reliable OHS plan.

Whatever your needs. No matter what your reality. Our experts in the fields of health, environment, and occupational safety will support you throughout the process until the final delivery of your programs, whether they are general or specific to a risk (lockout, confined space management, work at height).

Speak directly with one of our specialists by calling 1-877-544-0911 or fill out our form to schedule a meeting.