By Laurel Woodhouse, H&S Manager

The Canadian Labour Congress established April 28th as the National Day of Mourning in Canada in 1984. The day is to remember and honour those who have had workplace injuries or illnesses, or died while on the job.

The date was chosen in 1984 because it coincided with the 70th anniversary of the day the first Ontario Worker’s Compensation Act was approved by the government (1914). An Act of Parliament enshrined The Day of Mourning on February 1, 1991.

Also known as Workers’ Memorial Day, The Day of Mourning, is officially recognized in about 100 countries worldwide.

Marsela Mecaj, Rama Malkapuram, Rushmika Nadan, Lovleen Kaur, Parneet Kaur, Noman Butt Laurel Woodhouse and Karim Khamisa


By Sarah Miller, Operations Manager

Spring is here! The wind is warm, it’s sunny all the way into the evening, cute animals are waking up from their winter hibernation, and the first flowers are emerging from the ground. It’s a magical time of year. You are working outdoors as a security guard or canine handler and stop to admire a budding new plant. You pick it to take it home with you because it’s pretty, but it burns. You wash your hands, but it keeps burning. Your skin turns red. A rash spreads. Oozing blisters form. It creeps up your arm. You go to the hospital. It still gets worse.

You’ve just touched a toxic plant.

Did you know that Ontario is home to many species of plants like this that are dangerous to touch, and while working outdoors there is a chance that you may encounter them?

ASP is here to help by sharing a list of the top four toxic plants that you are most likely to find while working outdoors in Ontario and explaining what to do if you accidentally touch them.

This tall, yellow-flowered plant causes phyto-photodermititis. What this means is that when the sap of the plant gets on your skin and when exposed to ultraviolet light like the sun it causes a chemical reaction that creates burns and blisters. Pain from phyto-photodermitis can last for years and create life-long scarring.

First aid: Wash the affected area immediately with soap and water and avoid further exposure to sunlight. Do not pop the blisters. Keep the area clean and sterilized to avoid infection. Use a cool, wet cloth for relief of symptoms.

This ground-hugging plant has a distinctive three-leaf cluster pattern and is the top cause of plant-related allergic contact dermatitis (skin inflammation) in Canada. Poison ivy is an oily plant and the oil causes painful irritation, rashes, and blisters that can develop over several hours or days.

First aid: Wash the affected area with soap and cool water because hot water will spread the oil. Do not touch anything else because it will become contaminated with the oil. Keep the skin clean and dry to minimize irritation and chance of infection.

This leafy plant that tends to grow by water sources looks like it has very fine hairs on it. These hairs are delicate and hollow, and when touched they break and a toxic secretion from the plant travels up the core of the hair, entering the skin. It causes a painful stinging sensation. The sting is followed by redness, swelling, and itchiness that will last for several minutes.

First aid: Use a cool, wet cloth for relief. Aloe vera may also help. Avoid scratching and keep the area clean and sterilized to avoid infection. Wash the area well. of infection.

This white-flowered plant is a relative of the wild parsnip and can grow to several meters tall. Just like the wild parsnip, it causes phyto-photodermititis when its sap touches skin and the skin is then exposed to ultraviolet light. Pain and scarring can last for years after contact with the plant.

First aid: Wash the affected area immediately with soap and water and avoid further exposure to sunlight. Do not pop the blisters. Keep the area clean and sterilized to avoid infection. Use a cool, wet cloth for relief of symptoms.


By Shine Mathew, Service Delivery Manager

Laurel Woodhouse, our Health and Safety Manager at ASP, took the lead in conducting training sessions on Incident and Accident Investigation.

Thanks to these sessions, our management team gained valuable insights into thorough investigative techniques like James T Reason’s Swiss cheese model, which illustrates how analyses of major accidents and catastrophic systems failures tend to reveal multiple, smaller failures leading up to the actual hazard.

Health and safety initiatives like this go beyond just improving the team’s skills in dealing with immediate concerns, they also strengthen ASP Security’s dedication to providing a safer environment for both our workforce and clients.

Laurel Woodhouse
Laurel Woodhouse
Laurel Woodhouse

By Laurel Woodhouse, H&S Manager

At ASP, we prioritize the well-being and safety of our employees above all else. We believe that every individual deserves to work in an environment free from workplace violence, harassment, and sexual harassment. It is crucial that we all understand the importance of reporting such incidents, treating them as workplace hazards, and taking appropriate action to address them promptly.

Workplace violence, harassment, and sexual harassment are serious issues that can have a detrimental impact on individuals and the overall work environment. We want to emphasize that no one should ever feel afraid to come to work due to the fear of being harassed. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect, inclusivity, and support for all employees.

If you witness or experience any form of workplace violence, harassment, or sexual harassment, we strongly encourage you to report it immediately. Reporting can be done through various channels, depending on your comfort level. You may choose to report to your supervisor, Operations Manager, or directly to the Human Resources department. Rest assured that all reports will be handled with the utmost confidentiality and sensitivity to ensure your safety and well-being.

By reporting incidents, you play a crucial role in maintaining a safe and respectful workplace for yourself and your colleagues. It allows us to take appropriate measures to address the issue, provide support to those affected, and prevent future occurrences. Remember, your voice matters, and we are here to listen and support you.

To further emphasize the significance of reporting, we would like to remind everyone that workplace violence, harassment, and sexual harassment are considered workplace hazards. Just like any other hazard, they should be treated seriously and reported promptly. Our commitment to maintaining a safe work environment extends to addressing these issues promptly and effectively.

We understand that reporting such incidents can be challenging, but we assure you that your concerns will be handled with the utmost care and confidentiality. Our dedicated team is trained to handle these matters sensitively, ensuring that your rights and privacy are protected throughout the process.

Let us stand together as a united team, committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels safe, respected, and valued. Together, we can foster an environment that promotes dignity, equality, and professionalism. If you have any questions, concerns, or require further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Human Resources department. We are here to support you every step of the way.

Workplace Harassment

By Madison Griffin, Human Resources Coordinator

LifeSpeak is the leading platform for mental health and wellbeing, which offers whenever and wherever users need it specialized information and guidance on problems that affect their daily life.

LifeSpeak helps employees thrive so they can stay focused, healthy, and productive. For you to develop a stable, healthy mindset no matter what life throws at you, LifeSpeak has gathered its top mental health specialists to offer you useful resources, tactics, and tools.

Mobile

Access to all programming while also enabling users to download videos for offline viewing, stream podcasts, participate in live ‘Ask the Expert’ webchats and manage their account, right from their phone.

Computer

This web-based service offers anonymous access to hundreds of short videos. Our full range of formats includes videos, podcasts, tip sheets, quizzes, and more.

Tablet

LifeSpeak empowers people to take action before a life challenge or issue becomes critical. It’s a proactive approach to mental health and wellbeing. Download our app in the Appstore or GooglePlay.

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asp.lifespeak.com

lifespeak

Michael Ferdinand

We offer our deepest condolences to the family of Michael Ferdinand and the Pickering Casino Resort community. He was tragically killed on Thanksgiving Day while on duty. We mourn his loss and pay tribute to him for protecting the community he served. As this is the worst possible scenario, this is a reminder of the risks we, as security professionals, protect against every day. We remind our security services family to remain vigilant and to report any public safety risks accordingly.

You can support Michael’s family via Go Fund Me:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of-michael-mike-ferdinand


By Steven Scott, GEICO

Defensive driving starts before you leave home; check weather conditions, and if you know it’s going to be a wet, snowy or icy commute, make sure you leave yourself enough time to make that trip carefully instead of feeling rushed during your commute and driving too fast for the conditions.

1. Plan Ahead

Take extra time when it comes to making tight turns, like when you merge on and off of highways ramps. You should be mentally ready to make those turns extra slow. Try and stick to a lane with a shoulder next to it, so you have somewhere to move in an emergency.

2. Always Scan Your Surroundings

“That car came out of nowhere!” If you’ve ever heard someone talk about what happened during a motor vehicle accident, those words are uttered all too often. It’s impossible to see everything that’s around you all the time. That’s why it’s important to continuously check your mirrors and thoroughly scan intersections well before you pass through them. Defensive driving means getting in the habit of taking a quick peek down intersecting streets as you approach them so you can avoid being T-boned by a careless driver not paying attention to their red light. The ultimate goal is to always anticipate where vehicles will be a few seconds later so you can respond quickly.

3. Brake Early

Defensive driving means leaving a little more space between you and the cars in front you than you anticipate needing — and brake early. In fact, it’s always a good idea to slow down a little sooner, especially in slippery conditions. Expect that it will take two or three times as long to come to a complete stop after making the decision to apply the brakes. This gives you more room to stop if someone ahead of you brakes suddenly and gives people behind you even more of a heads up that you are stopping when they see your brake lights.

4. Never Go On the Offensive

Defensive driving is actually the opposite of “road rage.” Don’t let other drivers’ aggressive tendencies rub off on you. Road rage often starts with one person’s hostility and causes a ripple effect on nearby drivers. You’ll be surprised at how often things can get heated on the road simply because someone gets cut off and then goes out of their way to “get back at” the other driver. But there are several ways to avoid road rage. Just play it safe — play it cool. https://www.geico.com/living/driving/auto/car-safety- insurance/7-ways-to-avoid-road-rage/


5. Don’t Get Distracted

Defensive driving isn’t only about being reactive. It’s also about being proactive. One of the best ways you can avoid a collision on the road is by paying full attention at all times. Don’t engage in activities that take your eyes and attention off the road. Using your smartphone is a big one, and this distraction goes well beyond just texting — music, social media, and surfing the web all take your attention away from the road.


By Laurel Woodhouse, Health and Safety Manager

As a worker, did you know that you have three important rights? These include:

  1. The right to know about hazards at work and the right to get information, supervision and instruction to protect your health and safety on the job.
  2. The right to participate in identifying and solving workplace health and safety problems either through a health and safety representative or a worker member of a joint health and safety committee.
  3. The right to refuse work that you believe is dangerous to your health and safety or that of any other worker in the workplace.

The Right to Know:

Workers have the right to know about any potential hazards to which they may be exposed in the workplace. The primary way that workers can become aware of hazards in the workplace is to be informed and instructed on how to protect their health and safety, including health and safety related to the use of machinery, equipment, working conditions, processes and hazardous substances.

The employer can enable the worker’s right to know in various ways, such as making sure they get:

  • Information about the hazards in the work they are doing
  • Training to do the work in a healthy and safe way
  • Competent supervision to stay healthy and safe

The Right to Participate:

Workers have the right to be part of the process of identifying and resolving workplace health and safety concerns. This right is expressed through direct worker participation in health and safety in the workplace and/ or through worker membership on joint health and safety committees or through worker health and safety representatives.

Workers have the right to refuse work that they believe is dangerous to either their own health and safety or that of another worker in the workplace. For example, workers may refuse work if they believe their health and safety is endangered by any equipment they are to use or by the physical conditions of the workplace. The worker should explain to their employer why they believe the work is unsafe. Although they cannot not leave the work site, they can ensure they are in a safe place. If the worker and employer disagree, the Safety Worker Representative is called to assist with determining controls. All parties must agree that the work is safe to continue. The jurisdiction of the work will determine how the right to refuse is applied. All jurisdictions in Canada have adopted the philosophy of the Internal Responsibility System (IRS) where everyone in the workplace is responsible for their own safety and for the safety of co-workers. The IRS puts in place an employee-employer partnership in ensuring a safe and disease-free workplace.


By Laurel Woodhouse, Health and Safety Manager

Who We Are?

LifeSpeak is a leading platform for mental health and wellbeing, available whenever and wherever users need specialized information and guidance on problems that affect their daily life.

What We Do?

LifeSpeak helps employees thrive so they can stay focused, healthy, and productive.

For you to develop a stable, healthy mindset no matter what life throws at you, LifeSpeak has gathered its top mental health specialists to offer you useful resources, tactics, and tools.

Mobile

Access to all programming while also enabling users to download videos for offline viewing, stream podcasts, participate in live ‘Ask the Expert’ webchats and manage their account, right from their phone.

Computer

This web-based service offers anonymous access to hundreds of short videos. Our full range of formats includes videos, podcasts, tip sheets, quizzes, and more.

Tablet

LifeSpeak empowers people to take action before a life challenge or issue becomes critical. It’s a proactive approach to mental health and wellbeing.

Download our app in the appstore or googleplay: https://asp.lifespeak.com/


By Laurel Woodhouse, Manager, Health and Safety

ASP Employees! Our final participation rate for the 2022 Health & Safety Perception Survey was 40%. We thank you for both your participation and your honesty. Your feedback is an invaluable tool for this organization’s success.

Thank you to all those employees who participated in our 2022 ASP Health & Safety Perception Survey which closed on March 30, 2022.

What’s Next?

1. Results Overview:
Within the next month, our leadership will be following up with their employees and sharing their department specific results.

2. Detailed Results:
Within the next two months, our leadership team will create focus groups made up of employees from each department. The goal of these focus groups will be to brainstorm an action plan focused on improving the two lowest scores in each department. We hope to see these areas improve when we conduct this survey again in 2023.

Interpreting your scoreChecking your score below along with the suggestions for next steps. The
levels in the visual above will guide you in interpreting your final score on a
0 4 scale.
Level 1Final score is less than 2.
Your work in health & safety needs attention and improvement. Contact H&S team for guidance on developing an action plan.
Level 2Final score is less than 3.
Specific health and safety practices at your site need some improvement. The lower scored items should be a focus area for you. Review your practices and consult with H&S team for guidance in developing an action plan.
Level 3Final score is equal to or greater than 3 but less than 4.
You are performing well overall. The lower scored items should be a focus area for you. Continue to strive for excellence with continuous collaboration work.
Level 4Final score is 4.
A score of 4 indicates that your safety culture is currently functioning at an optimal level. This is the result of continuous, collaborative work. Well done keep doing what you are doing.

Thanks again for your participation! Your feedback will help make our organization a great place to work.

Safety Culture Assessment Survey Results

The table below shows a detailed report of your Safety Assessment Survey results.

The percentage column indicates the percentage of employees who chose “ Most or all of the time” as their answer.

At my site, employees work safely even when the manager or supervisor is not around?87%
At my site, incident investigations are focused on fixing the problem, not laying blame?80%
At my site, safety is as important as the clients’ needs?86%
At my site, do all employees have the information needed to work safely?84%
At my site, the ASP employees responsible for safety (managers and supervisors) have the authority to
make changes they deem necessary?
77%
At my site, ASP employees are recognized for working safely?75%
At my site, do all ASP employees have the tools/equipment to work safely?77%
At my site, ASP management is visibly/actively involved in the safety?71%
At my site, communication is open, and ASP employees are encouraged to voice concerns and make
suggestions?
72%
At my site, there is a trained first aid attendant available at all times?56%
At my site, ASP employees are encouraged to report near misses (close calls) and hazards?81%
At my site, ASP management applies the same safety rules to everyone?86%
Average score March 202278%

By Laurel Woodhouse, Manager, Health and Safety

ASP Health and Safety participated in 2022 NAOSH week at Toronto Pearson International Airport from May 2- 6, 2022.

North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week

This year marks 25 years of bringing safety and health awareness to employers, employees, and the public. To celebrate, from May 2 to May 6, 2022, Airport employers shared tips and info on how we all can help keep our airport, passengers, and employees safe. Airport employees were also able to participate in online contests for a chance to win prizes!

Topics for the week

  • Monday: Day 1 – Airport Safety Programs
  • Tuesday: Day 2 – Reporting and Recognition
  • Wednesday: Day 3 – Emergency Planning and Preparedness
  • Thursday: Day 4 – Safe Movement of People, Planes and Passengers
  • Friday: Day 5 – Foreign Object Debris Safety

I look forward to seeing you at this event next year.