Overview

Health and Safety (H&S) in the workplace is crucial for protecting employee well-being by identifying and preventing hazards that could lead to injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. Having a sound H&S program in the workplace ultimately contributes to a safer working environment, higher productivity, improved morale, and reduced legal liabilities for the employer.

Often times, workplaces don’t have the resources to dedicate a full time employee to the role of H&S Management, so it falls to the wayside. Alternatively, some workplaces may have employees responsible for H&S, but the task of managing and maintaining a functional H&S Management System can be daunting for one individual, or a team, to fulfill depending on the size of the organization. Norpro H&S can support your current team in ensuring that legal compliance is maintained, as well as fostering a workplace that embodies H&S.

If you have any questions about our H&S Support Services, please contact us.

Safety and Industrial Hygiene – Supplied Labour Professionals

Is your organization expanding, planning a new project, changing processes or running short staff? Wouldn’t it be great to have additional support from a specialist on an as needed basis for short-term projects, seasonal work and even for the long haul? Our team of qualified health and safety professionals have a wide range of experience working with organizations spanning multiple industry sectors. Including provincially regulated sectors such as Steel Manufacturing, Warehouse & Distribution, Construction, Surface Mines & Refineries, Municipalities and Retail & Service Sectors. If your workplace is Federally Regulated, we have members on our team who have knowledge and experience working with the Canada Labour Code and supporting Regulations. Individual resumes, qualifications/certifications, and company liability insurance and WSIB clearance certificates will be provided prior to commencement of work.


Working with our clients as a supplied safety professional we have assisted with:

  • Project set up for a large construction project, including developing site-specific orientation, policies and procedures, emergency procedures and ongoing monitoring tools.
  • Completing specific initiatives like safety audits, risk assessments and program implementations on short term projects.
  • Filling temporary vacancies in the safety team.
  • Providing Industrial Hygiene support to complete corporate objectives within set time frames.
  • Monitoring overall site compliance through workplace inspections, reviewing records, conducting incident investigations, participating in project planning meetings and facilitating effective joint health and safety committee meetings.

By leveraging Norpro’s Supplied Safety Professionals, organizations can address specific safety needs, ensure compliance, and improve workplace safety without the long-term commitment of hiring a full-time employee. These professionals provide flexibility, expertise, and cost-effective solutions to enhance safety performance.


Contact us to enquire about this service and to find the right professional for your organization’s unique needs.

Risk Assessments

High Level Process Risk Assessments

High level risk assessments are a guided process to identify risks associated with business processes. Norpro can complete these assessments in collaboration with your organization to assist with requirements for risk matrixes for external certifications and client requests. The high-level assessments would exclude task or process specific assessments, which would be covered by a more site/job-specific risk assessment.


Site/Job-Specific Risk Assessments

Job risk assessments will look at the steps needed to complete a job or task from start to finish: the specific hazards associated with each step, the associated risks and the controls necessary to complete the work safely. These assessments are documented in a risk assessment matrix that presents various risks as a chart, colour-coded by severity. Typically, Norpro will complete the assessments alongside a worker (or workers) who conduct the task on a regular basis. Risk assessments will allow the employer to identify and manage all potential risks to a reasonable level. It will also help identify hazards that may require further assessment (e.g. noise, chemical exposure).

Workplace Legislative Gap Analysis

Do you have existing H&S programs and policies in place, but you aren’t sure if they are effective and meet the minimum legal requirements? A gap analysis will help your organization understand exactly what is working as well as identify any gaps that may be present.


Developing a legal and/or regulatory matrix will outline what legislation, regulations and guidelines are applicable on your site, and as a result, what H&S your requirements are. Think of it as a “check-up” for your H&S Program. Norpro H&S will compare the status of your current H&S programming to the legislated requirements and best practices to better understand how aligned they are. The gap analysis will:


  • Identify elements of your current program that are effective, and where there are gaps present.
  • Indicate what potential risks/hazards aren’t being adequately controlled due to the gaps identified.
  • Present the results in a documented matrix that can be updated as legislation or work practices change.
  • Include a report with the identification of deficiencies, and recommendations for resolution, including an action plan prioritizing your needs.

By leveraging Norpro’s Workplace Legislative Gap Analysis service, organizations can work towards compliance, improve safety, and protect their employees and reputation. This process provides a clear roadmap for addressing gaps and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

H&S Policy & Program Development

Well written health and safety policies and procedures are an integral part of an effective Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS). However, designing and implementing a health and safety program on your own can be cumbersome, especially when resources to dedicate to the initiative are lacking. Let Norpro H&S assist in ensuring your H&S programming is developed and implemented effectively.


Once the legislative needs of your organization have been identified through initial consultation or a legislative gap analysis, Norpro H&S can assist with the development or updating of your current H&S documentation.


“Cookie cutter” policies and programs that are available online are a great tool to use for the guidance in the development of H&S programming. However, understanding the ever-evolving legislative requirements, to keep your programming up-to-date and relevant to the needs of the workplace, is what will make them effective. Developing a successful H&S program will include:

  • A review of work practices and applicable legislation (or results of a completed gap analysis).
  • A review of all existing H&S documentation.
  • Collaboration with workers and management to build applicable and effective programs and policies.

Norpro H&S is also available to provide ongoing support via annual reviews of policies and specific programming to ensure that your organization’s programming remains compliant.

Incident Investigation Support Services

You find yourself in a situation where the worst has happened, and the Ministry of Labour (MOL) is now at your workplace. What do you do? Not all workplaces have workers trained in conducting professional workplace accident investigations. Internal investigators from the workplace (e.g. supervisor or health and safety representative), may not be objective or have sufficient knowledge or tools to conduct and assess all contributing factors. When investigating workplace incidents/accidents, no matter how serious, completing a thorough investigation is essential. Norpro’s H&S experts will conduct detailed investigations alongside your organization including:


  • An examination of the accident scene including securing the scene if required
  • Interviews with witnesses
  • A review of workplace practices and compliance requirements
  • Identification of the root cause of the incident
  • Providing actionable control and procedure/process recommendations to prevent future occurrences.

This comprehensive approach ensures that all factors contributing to the incident are identified and adequately controlled.


Conducting thorough investigations of workplace incidents helps to reinforce a culture of safety in the workplace, which can directly influence long-term safety success. Learning from safety incidents shows an organization’s commitment to maintaining credibility and trust among their employees.

Ministry of Labour (MOL) Compliance Order Assistance

One of the worst ways to find out that your H&S programming has a gap that may be putting your workers at risk, is through the issuance of a Ministry of Labour (MOL) order. Orders will identify a lack of legislative compliance in the workplace, and can be costly when they involve a stop-work order, ceasing all operations in the area of contravention.


The experience and expertise of Norpro H&S staff will ensure that all necessary steps to achieve order compliance are completed. This may include:


  • Conducting exposure assessments
  • Providing recommendations for implementation of appropriate controls in the workplace
  • Providing required training for workers
  • Assisting with the development and delivery of improved hazard communication to workers

Our staff understand the importance of timely execution to obtain order compliance as quickly as possible, reducing any potential impacts to your business.


Remember, the best way to avoid the issuance of orders by MOL is by building a H&S Program that is compliant, and applicable to your workplace. Let Norpro H&S ensure your programming is where it needs to be – contact us today to get started!

Joint Health & Safety Committee (JHSC) Effectiveness

The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires that workplaces with 20 or more employees have a Joint Health & Safety Committee (JHSC) and at least two Certified members. Norpro H&S is available to assist organizations with the establishment of new JHSCs, as well as providing support to existing committees who may be struggling with their effectiveness.


JHSC Workshops

Norpro H&S offers one-day JHSC workshops for new or existing JHSCs looking for support. These workshops include:

  • Setting a committee Terms of Reference (ToR) – outlining committee purpose, structure, goals.
  • Developing meeting agendas and structure.
  • Assigning committee members roles and responsibilities.
  • Review and development of tools that can be used by the committee (e.g. workplace inspection forms, committee recommendation templates).
  • Training in conducting effective workplace inspections.

If you are interested in setting up a workshop for your JHSC, please contact us.

Yes. If you are expanding or changing your operations, engaged in a construction project or are running short-staffed, we have safety and industrial hygiene specialists available for short- and long-term contracts.

The duration depends on factors such as the size of the workplace, complexity of processes, and number of hazards. It can range from a few hours for a small site to several days or weeks for a large facility.

A Health and Safety Program is a structured framework of policies, procedures, and practices designed to protect employees from workplace hazards, ensure compliance with legal requirements, and promote a safe and healthy work environment.

It is recommended that organizations conduct an overall review of their health and safety program on an annual basis. Incident/injury investigations may trigger the need for a review of specific sections to ensure root causes are being addressed to prevent recurrences. Any change to legislation, equipment and processes may also trigger the need for a review, to ensure the program remains current.

An incident investigation is a systematic process of analyzing workplace accidents, near-misses, or other safety-related events to determine their causes and develop corrective actions to prevent recurrence.

A Joint Health and Safety Committee can assist in improving workplace safety; by identifying hazards during monthly inspections and providing recommendations on solutions to prevent incidents and injuries. Having a JHSC can promote collaboration, by encouraging cooperation between employees and management on safety matters. JHSC’s provide a platform for workers to participate in health and safety discussions and decisions and helps organizations meet legal requirements for workplace safety.

Testimonials

We were looking for ways to improve the effectiveness of our JHSC. A member of Norpro H&S attended one of our committee meetings where we reviewed the regulatory requirements and obligations of the committee, as well as the committees’ current practices. They were able to assist in setting out valuable guidelines for the team including building a terms or reference and conducting effective workplace inspections, to help us to build on our existing committee structure and functionality. Having them attend our meeting was a great way to re-engage the committee as we move forward. I would highly recommend Norpro H&S to any committee looking for some guidance.

— Barb Sharpe, YMCA SSM

Get In Touch

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