According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, a critical injury is an injury that:
- Places life in jeopardy
- Produces unconsciousness
- Results in substantial loss of blood
- Involves the fracture of a leg or arm – but not a finger or toe
- Involves the amputation of a leg, arm, hand or foot – but not a finger or toe
- Consists of burns to a major portion of the body
- Causes the loss of sight in an eye
In the event of a critical injury, you should:
1. Administer medical care and first aid.
2. Call 911.
3. Contact your manager, owner, and health and safety representative.
4. Secure the area (tape off or block off). Do not move or remove anything. Please note, the welfare of animals should not suffer. It is best to move animals to a secured area if at all possible.
5. The manager or owner must call the Ministry of Labour – (877) 202-0008 – and report the critical injury.
6. The manager or owner and health and safety representative will take pictures of the scene (after the employee has been removed from the area). This is especially important when you cannot control the movement of animals.
7. The manager or owner will obtain witness statements.
8. The manager or owner will complete an event investigation report. Please note, the manager or owner must prepare a written report, and this must be submitted to the director of the Ministry of Labour (MOL) within 48 hours. Any MOL orders or paperwork provided to the manager or owner during their investigation must be posted on the Health and Safety Communication Board.
9. The manager or owner will work with the injured team member to create a return-to-work program.
Near-misses or non-critical injuries
A non-critical injury is a physical injury that is not life-threatening. A near-miss is when an injury does not occur but could have caused an injury of any kind.
Even though there is no injury that occurred during a near-miss event, it does not mean that next time someone will not be injured. Reporting near-miss injuries is a proactive way to prevent workplace injuries.
Steps to follow when handling a non-critical or near-miss:
1. Administer first aid to the injured person.
2. Call 911 if necessary.
3. Contact your manager or owner and health and safety representative.
4. The manager or owner will obtain witness statements.
5. The manager or owner will complete an event investigation report.
6. The manager or owner will complete the WSIB Form 7 and send it to WSIB within three days of date of injury. This form should also be retained on file. You can fill out the form online through this link.
7. The manager or owner will work with the injured team member to determine if time off or modified work is required. The manager or owner will create a safe return-to-work program if necessary. The farm’s priority is to try to minimize time off of work and to provide an accommodated position with no loss time if at all possible.
Other important information to consider in the event of a workplace injury
- Do not post pictures, comments or statuses online. This is to maintain the confidentiality of the investigation and the injured team member.
- In order to maintain confidentiality of the investigation, it is imperative no one speaks to the press or media. The owner will be responsible for giving any statements to the media.
Whether you are doing the same task you have done thousands of times or something new, it only takes a second to get injured.
Take a proactive approach when it comes to safety; train all team members thoroughly and often. At the end of the day, we want all team members to be confident they are working in a safe environment. 
References omitted but are available upon request. Click here to email an editor.
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Cheryl DeCooman
- President
- People Management Group
- Email Cheryl DeCooman
