Part 1: Research a Workplace Safety Incident.

Take some time to search through your local media to find a recent workplace-related accident/incident that occurred in your community. Suitable examples might be a fatality or serious injury that occurred at a workplace or an accident/incident that could have resulted in fatalities or serious injuries (even it did not in this particular instance). The availability of media reporting may limit your options, so make sure to choose an example for which you will be able to obtain enough information. Consult the course instructor if you are unsure about the suitability of an incident.

Part 2: Apply Legislation

Once you have identified and researched your case, use what you have learned in the course to determine what occupational health and legislation applies to the particular circumstances and issues surrounding the incident. This will involve reviewing legislative information from the relevant government's websites (federal and/or provincial). Note that, in addition to specific workplace health and safety legislation, other legislation might also be applicable, such as fire safety regulations or the criminal law code.

Once you have determined the applicable legislation, use this and the wider knowledge developed through your work in this course to respond to the following prompts.

Identify the legislation that you have determined to be applicable and explain how it applies to the incident/accident you have chosen.

For example: what provisions in the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act relate to the type of accident/incident you are discussing? Is there also potential criminal activity involved, which would implicate elements of the Criminal Code of Canada?

Based on the relevant legislative requirements and your own accumulated knowledge, develop a basic plan outlining what might have been done to prevent the incident. This should include appropriate references to the applicable legislation and how its provisions can/should be better fulfilled.

Consider the outcome of the accident/incident, including the effects on the worker(s) involved and/or their families as well as the consequences for the employer. Discuss whether and why the workers(s) and/or their families would be satisfied or not with the outcomes, and whether the outcome is just for the employer. If this information is not yet available, explain what you believe would be an appropriate and just outcome for the involved parties, and why.