Training & Resources
Training & Resources
Health & Safety
Retail Council of Canada provides members with relevant and thought-provoking communications about the Canadian retail industry.
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Retailers from coast-to-coast continue to share the common goal of eliminating workplace injuries. To achieve this goal, RCC has taken a leadership role by promoting and assisting our industry in the development of a strong heath and safety culture. Through strategic partnerships, RCC has developed this section to include information, programs, and services to ensure our members have the necessary resources for a safe working environment. |
| RCC Safety Group
In 2007, 19 retail organizations representing several thousand stores and employees in Ontario, participated in RCC's Safety Group program. The hard work, dedication, and expertise of each group member has earned the group a generous rebate from the WSIB of approximately $1.5 million dollars. |
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Member Alerts
October Ministry of Labour Inspection Blitz Reinforces the Importance of Personal Protective Equipment
September 28, 2011: In our effort to keep you up to date on what is happening with health and safety, our Ontario partner, WSPS, has notified RCC of an upcoming safety blitz. During the month of October, the Ministry of Labour will be conducting an inspection blitz on Personal Protective Equipment to ensure workplaces are complying with the requirements of the Occupational Health & Safety Act (OHSA).
Retail Health & Safety – Large Retail, Home Improvement Centres & Supermarkets
September 28, 2011: The retail industry has identified a groundbreaking opportunity to develop a national health and safety strategy through a retail health and safety association. The association would work within each province across Canada to fill a current leadership gap and would strive to overcome the challenges of dealing with workplace safety issues that arise in the retail sector in all jurisdictions.
New and Emerging Health and Safety Requirements
Canada Consumer Product Safety Act Brochure - Product safety is in everyone's interest. Under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act you have certain responsibilities as a supplier of consumer products.
Preparing and Maintaining Documents Fact Sheet - Retailers are required to prepare and maintain documents that indicate the name and address of the person from whom they obtained the product, the location where they sold the product and the period during which they sold the product.
| Bill 168: Workplace Violence and Harassment
As of June 15, 2010, all employers will be required to comply with the new requirements under the amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Bill 168). Workplaces in Ontario where more than five workers are regularly employed will be required to have the necessary policies, programs, measures and procedures in place. Click here for more information and to view the Webinar. |
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Health & Safety Resources
| Setting up a Health & Safety System in Your Small Business
Today, Health and Safety is recognized as playing a far more significant role in the workplace as a driver of productivity and increased employee engagement. Yet, there remains much that can be done in order to ensure an even safer environment for retail employees. Retail Council of Canada (RCC) with Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) are pleased to partner in the development of this practical guide to assist you in your efforts to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. This guide will also help retailers better understand their obligations while providing useful tools to enhance their safety programs. |
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| Health & Safety Posters and Safe Series
Since the launch of our poster series, RCC has distributed over 15,000 copies to retailers across Canada. Our members have used the posters in many ways including orientation packages, safety boards, and lunch rooms. RCC encourages all members to display these posters to increase awareness and participation in developing a health and safety culture at every store location. To order copies, call Customer Service at 1-888-373-8245 or click here to download printable versions. |
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| Reusable Bag Guidelines
Scanning and bagging groceries is a key process and involves a large portion of employees in a grocery store. Most of the musculoskeletal injuries result from the physical demands of scanning and bagging groceries. Although environmentally responsible, reusable bags have contributed to a number of new concerns including sprains and strains for cashiers who are handling them. Existing cash stations were not designed to accommodate the new bags which come in many shapes and sizes. This guide explores current best practices and identifies possible solutions. |
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Retailer's Guides: Health & Safety Series
| Feeling Groovy (... and how to make sure your people stay that way)
Volume 5, Issue 3 Retail employees face serious health and safety hazards if they don’t take the proper precautions. This guide provides strategies for preventing the types of injuries common to the retail workplace – so that your people can feel groovy and stay that way all day. |
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| The Health & Safety Checklist
Volume 4, Issue 2 This guide aims to identify potential hazards in your store and offers tips on how you can make your store safer for employees and customers. |
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| Making Your Store Safe
Volume 2, Issue 6 This guide describes how to prevent injuries and offers some ideas of how to respond to accidents. You can use this guide as a starting point for crafting your own injury response plan. |
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Safety & Health Guide for New Retail Workers
As the Voice of Retail, representing more than 40,000 retail stores across Canada, Retail Council of Canada fully understands the safety issues facing today's retail workers. RCC also understands the best practices from properly — and successfully — addressing those safety issues. The Safety & Health Guide for New Retail Workers have been developed to share best practices and to help employers and new employees build safe and successful careers.
| Nova Scotia Health and Safety Guide for New Retail Workers |  |
| British Columbia Health and Safety Guide for New Retail Workers |  |
| Manitoba Health and Safety Guide for New Retail Workers |  |
Useful Links:
- Workplace Safety & Prevention Services - (WSPS) and RCC share the common goal of promoting the value of safety prevention to Canadian retail businesses. This partnership will provide information, programs, and services to retailers that create a culture of health and safety, which builds effective business practices and achieve improvements in safety performance to ensure retailers in Canada are more profitable.
- Health & Safety Ontario Guides - Safety guides created by Health & Safety Ontario to help prevent injuries in the workplace.
- CCOHS - Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
- CSSE - Canadian Society of Safety Engineering
- Ministry of Labour - Ontario Government Ministry of Labour
