The panel has recommended 46 sweeping reforms, including a new enforcement agency and mandatory education for both workers and supervisors. While the recommendations are encouraging, there is no indication when, or if, they will be implemented.

While this particular tragic event has received a fair amount of media attention over the last year, it is far from an isolated incident.

Over the last decade 5,245 workers have died as a result of work-related injuries or disease, with 478 deaths in 2009 alone. Over the same period of time more than 3.4 million workers have filed claims with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario for injuries or illness caused by their workplaces.

While these numbers are staggering in their own right, they only represent those incidents that have been brought to the attention of the authorities, and do not account for those that go unreported each year.

Know Your Rights – Protect Yourself at Work

In Ontario your right to a safe and healthy workplace is laid out in the Occupational Health & Safety Act. The Act makes it very clear that it is the duty of the employer to create a workplace that is free of hazards. While workers are involved through Health & Safety Committees, it is not a joint responsibility. The final and ultimate accountability rests with the boss.

You Have the Right to Refuse Unsafe Work

Connect with Workers United, a direct action solidarity group for precarious workers, by emailing us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .