OFL and NDP launch campaign to combat heat stress in Ontario workplaces
22 Mayo 2024 - 10:00AM
The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) and the Ontario New
Democratic Party (Ontario NDP) held a media conference at Queen’s
Park earlier today to launch The Heat is on! A campaign to combat
heat stress in Ontario workplaces.
“It’s the middle of May and we’re already seeing sweltering
temperatures in Ontario,” said OFL President Laura Walton. “The
dangers of heat stress at work are real–without meaningful
legislation, Ontario workers will continue to face the threat of
heat-related injuries, sickness, and even death.”
The Ministry of Labour conducted a 30-day consultation last year
about a heat stress regulation, but the government has yet to take
any action. The OFL made this submission, calling for heat stress
to be identified as a workplace hazard in the Occupational Health
and Safety Act.
“Working in extreme heat conditions is putting Ontario’s
workers’ health at risk,” said Ontario NDP MPP Peter Tabuns,
Official Opposition Critic for Climate Action. “Ontario’s summers
are getting hotter and hotter, leading to unsafe work conditions
for many workers in our province.
“We need better protections for workers from heat stress as
Ontario faces more climate change-driven extreme heat events. The
time for action is now.”
Tabuns announced that he will introduce a motion in the
Legislature next week to address the issue of heat stress in
Ontario workplaces.
Front-line workers from the public and private sectors also
shared their experiences facing heat stress at work, including
Ginette Poulin, a custodian at Nouvelle-Alliance Catholic Secondary
School in Barrie, and member of CUPE:
“As the first person to enter my school, I ensure the playground
is safe, rake leaves in the fall, blow snow in the winter, and
clean the entire school. It’s important work, and I’m proud to do
it.
“I’m fortunate to work in an air-conditioned school, but many
custodians aren’t. For them, heat drains their energy, making tasks
exhausting, and prolonged exposure can lead to dehydration, heat
exhaustion, and heat stroke. We deserve better–now. That’s why I’m
joining the call to recognize heat stress under the Occupational
Health and Safety Act.”
The OFL’s heat stress campaign is based on a legislative
petition that will be circulated in Ontario workplaces and
communities in the coming months, with the goal of winning
meaningful heat stress legislation in the fall.
“We need heat stress
legislation for everyone in Ontario, not just workers,” added
Walton. “Our working conditions are the living, learning, growing,
and participating conditions for us all. From sweltering and
overcrowded classrooms to poorly ventilated and overheated
long-term care rooms, from the stuffy and stifling shop floor to
the scorching sun of an outdoor job site–the heat is a hazard that
many workers simply cannot escape.”
During the media
conference, speakers promoted this Heat Stress Toolkit, prepared by
Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW), which
includes this Heat Stress Calculator.
More heat stress
resources, including additional quotes by front-line workers, are
available on the OFL’s campaign website.
The Ontario Federation of Labour represents 54 unions and one
million workers in Ontario. It is the largest provincial labour
federation in Canada. Visit OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
For more information, please contact:
Jenny SellathuraiInterim Director of CommunicationsOntario
Federation of Labour
jsellathurai@ofl.ca | 416-894-3456
cope 343