Health, Safety & Environmental Consulting
403-809-5725
  • Home
  • Training
  • OHS MS
  • Audit
  • Root Cause Analysis
  • Clients
  • Contact
  • About
  • Blog

Time for changes to 'Gas & Dash' legislation?

6/17/2015

0 Comments

 
While Calgary is still reeling after the tragic death of Maryam Ashtiani, a victim of a 'gas and dash' at a local gas station, many are pushing for legislation to require mandatory pay before you pump.  

But will this new legislation address the root cause of this incident? I am not convinced. I believe changes need to made to prohibit retail and restaurant employers from docking workers pay when there is a theft under the employee's watch, or they make a mistake.

Since 2012, there have been 2128 Gas and Dash incidents in Calgary.  None of these resulted in injury.  In 2005 in BC, a young gas station attendant was killed in an eerily similar incident. Since then, his father has worked tirelessly on Grants Law in BC, and encouraging other provinces to adopt the same.

According to Maryam's husband and friends, the fact that she confronted the accused in a nearby Home Depot parking lot was not part of her nature. Her husband has surmised that she may have thought that she would have to pay for the stolen gas out of her paycheck. The Iranian trained engineer had only been working at the gas station for a few days, having recently been laid off from her job. 

The practice of deducting the cost of 'mistakes' from workers needs to be addressed. Employers may believe workers are more diligent if they know if is going to cost them some cash, but In my opinion it is a form of workplace bullying. Rarely does the worker have control over who pays and who doesn't. There is nothing this woman could have done differently to prevent the theft. There was no mistake here.  

This reminded me of a story my daughter told me.  While waitressing at a nearby pub, a group of men 'dined and dashed', leaving her with the $160 bill. The restaurant took the money out of her wages, and this was more than her nights wages and tips combined. She was devastated when she realized that she would have to work 2 nights for free because of these thieves. Flash forward to the next Saturday and another group leave without paying. She decides there is no way she is paying for these guys dinner and drinks, so she hauls her little 19 year old self down the street after these guys, confronts them and drags them back into the bar! Fortunately, they were just intoxicated, and were happy to pay up. When she told this story to us, I envisioned many different outcomes.  It is not ok for a young woman to put herself at risk for fear of being disciplined, fired or paying out of pocket. This practice of paying out of pocket for mistakes is  commonplace in the retail and service industry. 

I believe it comes down to creating a safe work culture in a workplace. A safe work culture is one with common beliefs, dedicated management commitment, and a functioning and effective management system. This would take the fear out of the equation about losing a job when someone steals $113 of gas, or $160 for a dinner, or a till is short $40. Workers would feel they could approach management to report the incident without fear of losing a job or being personally out of pocket. 

This is a common practice in the retail and restaurant industries... And it needs to change. Now. 
0 Comments

Follow the Common Steps to Hire Professionals for Health and Safety Training

6/8/2015

0 Comments

 
It is a legal duty for employers to provide information, training and supervision to workers to enable them to carry out their work safely. This training is not only important for front-line workers, but also to directors, managers and those in other key roles. With effective training, you will ensure workers are aware of the health and safety risk at the workplace, and demonstrate due diligence.

You just need to approach the professionals in Calgary or some other parts of the world for effective health and safety training. A few steps are described here that you need to follow when approaching the experts for the best training: -  

Step 1: - Decide the Needs of Your Organization in Terms of Training
You should know the training needs prior to approaching the experts. This will help you to get in touch with the professionals and provider the workers and employees of your organization with the best training sessions.

Step 2: - Know Your Training Priorities
You must not forget to consider the priorities of the training that the employees of your organization need. Check for the laws in your area and train the employees with the best trainings for their proper growth and awareness.

Step 3: - Choose the Best Training Methods and Resources
Selecting the effective training methods and resources will be beneficial for the employees of your organization. By doing this, the employees of your company will be aware of different aspects and complete their needed work with ease.

By following these common steps, you will surely be able to get professional assistance and train the employees of your company in an easier way. You just need to hire the experts and train the employees for the needed purpose. Search for the best companies and hire the professionals to train the workers of your company in an easier way. 
0 Comments

Benefits of Environmental, Health & Safety Management System in an Organization

6/8/2015

1 Comment

 
Compliance with provincial and federal Occupational Health & Safety legislation plays an important role in the success of any business and contributes in worker productivity and morale.

Here are a few reasons why a Legislative Compliance Management System is good for the organization:

  • Legislative compliance offers peace of mind while meeting regulatory compliance in a stress-free environment
  • By using tools to manage compliance requirements and risk assessment, the system allows the company to meet the benchmarks on time and in an easy manner
  • Empower the organization to allocate resources while ensuring that OH&S compliance is met

Other reasons to get Legislative Compliance Management System installed in your business:

  • Reduces the time and resources that are involved in meeting the compliance requirements
  • Generates awareness regarding regulatory requirements within an organization
  • Allows the users to view, assign and track compliance necessities
  • Keeps the authorities informed regarding progress and completion status
  • Maintains a complete audit history of all activities


With all these benefits, now it has become possible for the organizations to manage the compliance system on easy and instant clicks.
So, if you want to get an advantage of the compliance management system, you can approach the safety and health management consultants to establish it in your organization.


1 Comment

    Author

    Sheila Bailey, P. Eng., CRSP is passionate about issues relating to Occupational Health & Safety.

    Archives

    March 2018
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed