WSPS launches multilingual safety resources: Empowering newcomers in Ontario’s workforce
By Agility PR Solutions
GeneralWorkplace Safety & Prevention Services offers safety resources in six languages
For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 18, 2024: Language barriers could put new Canadians and temporary foreign workers at risk on the job, as Ontario fill gaps in its labour market by welcoming newcomers to the province at historic levels.
To ensure tens of thousands of new Canadians entering our workforce have a clear understanding of health and safety rights, responsibilities, and workplace hazards, Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) has developed multilingual learning resources to support the manufacturing sector in six languages. The materials aim to reduce injuries and fatalities by raising worker-safety awareness and providing simple instructions for staying safe on the job.
Optimized for viewing on mobile devices, these tips and short, animated videos target hazards that can cause serious harm and were developed in languages identified as an area of need by industry stakeholders.
The new multilingual resources are available in Mandarin, French, Punjabi, Tagalog, Spanish and English and include:
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- Loading and unloading trailers safely
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- Lockout/tagout: Staying safe with hazardous energy
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- Machine and conveyor safety
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- Racking
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- Pedestrian safety: Safety around cars, vans and trucks
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- Safe lifting
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- Slips, trips and falls
Access the manufacturing worker-safety resources.
Employers are encouraged to share these resources to help their workers better understand how to protect themselves on the job and make workplaces safer.
They may also wish to download and display the following QR code poster in their workplace, so workers can scan the code and quickly access the resources they need in their language of choice.
With knowledge of their rights and responsibilities, new Canadians, temporary foreign workers and others who identify English as their second language can become advocates for health and safety and a resource to coworkers and their community.
Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) is a not-for-profit organization committed to protecting Ontario’s workers and businesses. It serves more than 171,000 member firms and 4.2 million workers across the agricultural, manufacturing and service sectors. A proud partner in the province’s occupational health and safety system and a trusted safety advisor since 1917, WSPS has a rich history of making workplaces safer.
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