MIA Targets Canada Shop Safety

CLEVELAND – The Marble Institute of America (MIA) will broaden its work with stone-shop safety to head north of the border.

The industry group will develop a comprehensive Canadian-centric safety program, starting with efforts in Ontario, to leverage the success of its U.S. safety program.

The MIA will partner with Safe at Work Ontario, the program from the province’s Ministry of Labour to enhance compliance with Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act .

Safe at Work Ontario is designed to improve the health and safety culture of workplaces, reduce workplace injuries and illness, lessen the burden on the health care system, avoid costs for employers and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (the province’s worker’s-comp authority), and provide a level playing field for compliant companies.

This safety outreach is the latest in a series of outreach efforts by the MIA in Canada. Previously, the MIA replaced U.S. references with Canadian terms in the Safety in the Stone Business technical module;  translated Safety in the Stone Business into French Canadian; and, held MIA/Stone World education programs in Canada in 2011 and 2012.

MIA’s goal with the Canadian outreach is to tailor each of these programs to provincial needs.

The MIA’s safety program in the United States resulted in the creation, among a host of items, of an ongoing series of safety meetings (available in the Members’ area of the MIA website), a video and technical module on the dangers of silicosis and a video detailing proper procedures for safe slab handling.

Presently, the MIA safety committee is working to create an industry standard for container loading and to design and implement a safety certificate program for companies who demonstrate a base level of safety training at their facilities.

MIA Industry Research & Information Manager, Mike Loflin said, “None of these projects or programs would be possible without the time, energy and capital investment of the MIA Safety Committee,” says Mike Loflin, MIA industry research and information manager. “The committee is happy to welcome several new Canadian members to the team whose goal will be to help drive this initiative in Canada, ensuring the subtle differences in the US and Canadian markets are recognized.

“We’re hoping that a successful program in Ontario will lead to subsequent programs in each Canadian province.”

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