Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has announced a $6.78 million investment to protect the province’s workers in the mining and forestry sectors. The announcement came during the 27th annual Mining Health and Safety Conference, held at Science North in Sudbury from April 30 to May 1. 

The WSIB has joined forces with Workplace Safety North (WSN) and the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) to launch a campaign aimed at strengthening hygiene monitoring practices and lowering the risk of exposure to workplace hazards. Under this initiative, WSN is creating specialized training resources and will collaborate closely with employers and workers across Ontario, offering hands-on coaching and real-time support with hygiene monitoring equipment, with the aim of empowering frontline teams to better recognize and manage exposure risks. 

Invisible threats 

According to WSN’s 2023 Workplace Health and Safety Snapshot for Ontario’s mining sector, 1,196 total injuries were reported among 26,391 full-time employees. 

Cindy Schiewek, director of health and safety services at WSN, told CIM Magazine in an email that many of mining’s occupational hazards—such as diesel particulate matter (DPM), respirable crystalline silica, metal fumes and occupational noise—are not visible to the naked eye. 

“Unlike physical hazards, workers may not immediately recognize their presence or severity, but the health consequences can be severe and long term,” she wrote. “These substances and exposures are often airborne and microscopic, accumulating in the lungs or affecting hearing over time without early warning signs.” 

Schiewek added that these hazards can have irreversible effects on workers’ health, with many symptoms appearing only after years of exposure, highlighting the importance of early control and prevention measures. 

Exposure to DPM and silica dust, which are classified as carcinogens, can lead to serious respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and silicosis. Other invisible hazards include exposure to metal fumes, which may lead to metal fume fever or more severe systemic issues. Additionally, Schiewek shared that prolonged noise exposure is a leading cause of occupational hearing loss, which can greatly impact quality of life and communication in safety-critical settings. 

Schiewek explained that workers operating in underground environments, as well as mobile equipment operators, drillers, blasters and maintenance personnel, are especially vulnerable to these threats due to close and sustained exposure to fine particulate matter, toxic fumes, airborne dust and high noise levels. 

Without a strong foundation in hazard identification, risk assessment, control selection and effectiveness evaluation, Schiewek noted that the mining industry risks ineffective or inconsistent protection for workers. This can lead to occupational disease cases, higher WSIB claims and potentially preventable fatalities. The new initiative aims to directly address these risks and strengthen worker protection across the mining sector. 

Building competent capacity 

The initiative will see WSN develop sector-specific guidance documents for Ontario’s core resource sectors, featuring virtual, in-person and eLearning training modules for workers, along with hands-on skill application supported by WSN mentorship tailored to specific hazards and work environments, such as inspections and samplings. 

“This approach aims to create self-efficacy and build competent capacity in the realm of occupational health hazard identification, assessment and control,” said Schiewek. “When it comes to controls, a focus will be placed on applying the hierarchy of controls, recognizing when controls are not effective and fostering joint health and safety committee involvement in control evaluation.” 

The initiative will include two key components: a competency development framework for site participants chosen for upskilling, and a broader health and safety culture site assessment. Upskilling will involve knowledge- and skills-based training to improve workers’ abilities to manage occupational health hazards more effectively, supported by professional coaching and mentoring. There will also be a broader pre- and post-project culture assessment conducted by the IWH to determine the impact that occupational health hazards have had on the overall health and safety culture at an operation. 

The development of educational materials already began in January and WSN started its first on-site portion of the initiative in May. Over the course of the five-year-long initiative, 25 mining companies are expected to participate, along with 25 companies from the forestry sector. 

If this initiative proves successful, WSN will start to pilot the framework and work with IWH to determine effectiveness, practicality and required adjustments based on participant feedback and outcomes. 

When asked about the biggest gaps or challenges in hygiene monitoring practices, Schiewek pointed to a mix of issues, including a lack of trained personnel and, even when staff are present, confusion about proper procedures and how to carry them out effectively. 

She cited the collection of air, dust or other environmental samples from the workplace to detect hazardous substances as an example of a practice that, while seemingly straightforward, can be done incorrectly if factors like exposure times during sampling and the use of necessary equipment are not properly managed. 

“It’s not that [these practices] are complicated, there’s just a lot to make sure that you do so you can get the right information to make the right decisions,” Schiewek said in a follow-up interview with CIM Magazine. 

Mental well-being equally important 

While this initiative focuses on physical safety, it also recognizes that the emotional and mental well-being of workers is equally important. “If you can picture yourself in some of these [work] environments, perhaps you’re on a 10- or 12-hour shift, and you have this noise at 100 decibels for hours, you can imagine the kind of impact that would have not just on somebody’s hearing, but also 

on their mental [well-being],” said Schiewek. “If you’re operating in an area where there’s heavy equipment running, it’s loud, it’s hot, so you can see how these things can stack on one another [and have] an exponential impact.” 

Once data is collected over the five-year period, WSN and IWH aim to uncover valuable insights and learning opportunities that will deepen the understanding of workplace hazards. IWH will use its research expertise to independently evaluate how the training programs improve worker safety and reduce hazardous exposures, informing potential expansion to other high-risk sectors. 

“We have a huge opportunity to do so much good beyond our own walls at the end of the day, and I’m definitely hopeful that we’ll be able to make an impact and work towards serving our mission of making sure everybody goes home safe and healthy,” Schiewek said.