BUSINESS IN MOTION: MANAGING MATERIAL HANDLING HAZARDS
WSPS.CA
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The Occupational Health & Safety Act (OHSA) is the governing legislation for Health &
Safety in Ontario. In essence, the OHSA emphasizes the following key points:
Employers have a legal obligation to establish a safe working environment and take all
reasonable measures to ensure the safety of their workers.
Supervisors are responsible for familiarizing themselves with workplace hazards,
effectively communicating safe work procedures to employees, and monitoring workers
to ensure they adhere to safety practices and work safely.
Workers are expected to comply with all safety protocols and conduct their work in a
safe manner.
To provide further guidance and detailed instructions to workplaces, Ontario Regulations
complement the OHSA. Specifically, Ontario Regulation 851, Section 45 defines Material
Handling and offers additional guidance in this area.
Material, articles or things,
(a) required to be lifted, carried or moved, shall be lifted, carried or moved in such a way
and with such precautions and safeguards, including protective clothing, guards or other
precautions as will ensure that the lifting, carrying or moving of the material, articles or
things does not endanger the safety of any worker;
(b) shall be transported, placed or stored so that the material, articles or things,
(i) will not tip, collapse or fall, and
(ii) can be removed or withdrawn without endangering the safety of any worker;
and
(c) to be removed from a storage area, pile or rack, shall be removed in a manner that will
not endanger the safety of any worker.
The broad term materials is used throughout this document to capture the definition of
Material Handling in Regulation 851, section 45 which is defined as materials, articles,
and things.
