Under most circumstances, I believe that Organizations in Ontario that have been classified as an ‘essential service’ should be inspected by theOntario Ministry of Labour to ensure safe working conditions during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. As many are aware the World Health Organization(WHO) has declared the coronavirus as a global pandemic.1 As a result of this many countries, including Canada, have closed borders and some provinces, including Ontario, have insisted on the closing of all businesses except for those declared as essential services.2 The article chosen discusses the process regarding what to do if an employee feels as if their workplace is unsafe. However, in times like these, we cannot rely only on what employees see. We must ensure that all businesses that have remained open are following protocol in order to prevent this fast spreading virus.
During this difficult time, many employees fear that they could become infected with the coronavirus.3 As a result of this, many employees wish not to attend work even if their job has been considered an essential service.4 Therefore this issue greatly impacts any businesses or organizations that have been considered an essential service during this pandemic. The employees of these establishments are at risk of contracting the virus.5 According to the Ontario Human Rights Code(OHRC) if an employee feels unsafe they are to first inform their employer and provide reasoning and suggestions on why the workplace is unsafe and how he or she could make it safe. This would be deemed by the OHRC – section 42 as ‘refusing unsafe work.’6 If the employer does not act on your requests and you still deem the workplace to be unsafe then it is your duty to report this to the Ontario Ministry of Labour who will send a representative to do an inspection.6 This can be a long and tedious process and in our current situation, it takes less than a minute to spread this deadly virus. In addition to this, in March of 2020, the number of unsafe work conditions reported to the Ministry of Labour has more than doubled.7
I believe an alternate process should be used during this time to acknowledge that this virus is spreading more rapidly than our current measures can handle. In order to reduce this feeling of fear and unease of thousands of Ontario employees, I believe the Ministry of Labour should take action in reviewing all open establishments. Through this process, it would be ensured that all establishments are following the strict guidelines that have been laid out including but not limited to social distancing, cleanliness and occupancy rules in the workplace.8 This will reduce the stress that many employees across Ontario are experiencing with regards to the coronavirus. It will also prevent employees from having to awkwardly confront their employers about safety and eliminate the multistep and lengthy process of having your workplace inspected by the Ministry of Labour. Ultimately, I hope that the Ontario Ministry of Labour takes this into consideration in order to protect the lives of many fearful essential workers in Ontario.
1 Gumbrecht & Howard. (2020). WHO declares novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. Retrieved from: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/11/health/coronavirus-pandemic-world-health-organization/index.html).
2 Willms & Montgomery. (2020). Coronavirus Update: Ontario and Quebec order non-essential businesses closed, Liberals to table emergency spending bill, Trump considers reopening U.S. economy. Retrieved from: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-coronavirus-update-ontario-and-quebec-order-non-essential-businesses/
3 Silcoff & Cardoso. (2020). Ottawa shuts down Service Canada centres after employees refuse to work. Retrieved from: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-ottawa-considers-shutting-down-service-canada-centres-as-employees/
4 Mojtehedzadeh. (2020). Fear of exposure to the coronavirus at work on the rise. Retrieved from: https://www.toronto.com/news-story/9911430-fear-of-exposure-to-the-coronavirus-at-work-on-the-rise/
5 Financial Post. (2020). COVID-19 Infections Among Ontario Health Care Workers Spike. Retrieved from: https://business.financialpost.com/pmn/press-releases-pmn/business-wire-news-releases-pmn/covid-19-infections-among-ontario-health-care-workers-spike
6 Human Rights Code, RSO 1990, Section 43
7 Leavitt. (2020). Do I have to work during the coronavirus outbreak? A labour relations expert weighs in. Retrieved from: https://www.thestar.com/business/2020/03/24/can-i-refuse-to-work-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak-a-labour-relations-expert-weighs-in.html
8 Government of Canada. (2020). Physical distancing (Fact sheet). Retrieved from: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/social-distancing.html
Drew Barden 