It is incredible how often the CMMS takes the blame for why the maintenance department is not able to make any significant improvements. Some claim their systems are hopelessly antiquated. Others say they bought the wrong software package or that users are not doing what they are supposed to do. However, the CMMS is rarely the bottleneck to improvement. The real opportunity to exploit even a legacy CMMS starts with resolving those nasty issues that have plagued the company for years: fundamental strategic, policy, procedural or management issues — not system issues — that impede attempts to maximize the value…

In any business venture, we get results through careful planning of activities and through measuring not only the results but the activities that the people undertake to get those results. The creation of safety excellence is accomplished in exactly the same way. I’m currently preparing a report for a client and I’m listing the things I’ve observed at their various workplaces when I visited over a two-week period. My personal observations and the discussions I had with over 1,100 employees and contractors will be categorized into the areas of discussion listed below. What I’m recommending to my client isn’t really…

TORONTO — Two of Canada’s biggest private-sector labour unions are formally exploring the possibility of creating a new, merged organization, a move they believe could spark other unions to join them. The Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers, which have a total of more than 320,000 members, said Tuesday they have been holding preliminary discussions for weeks. CAW president Ken Lewenza said the move comes as a response to the “incredibly hostile economic environment” its members face and will give the unions a better stance against a “confident employer base” and Canada’s majority Conservative government. “We have…

Parmalat Canada Inc., a producer of milk and dairy products based in London, Ont., was fined $100,000 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was injured. On Dec. 18, 2009, at the company's facility in Mitchell, Ont., a worker was checking that a pipe system had been properly cleaned. The cleaning process involves running hot water through the pipes. While taking apart one of the valves in the pipe system, the worker was suddenly sprayed by hot water. The worker received first and second degree burns. A Ministry of Labour investigation found that there…

Shortages in the skilled trades are already having an impact on Canadian employers, issuing an early warning for the demographic crunch expected in the next decade. Construction, mining, energy, manufacturing and service sectors all report real and anticipated shortages that will pose a pan-Canadian challenge to the country’s economy. Addressing the challenge requires both awareness and commitment from stakeholders across Canada, including business, labour, educators and various levels of government. Apprenticeship contributes to solving skills shortages and provides opportunities for knowledge transfer from one generation to the next, while also engaging young people at a time when youth unemployment rates…

In February, the Ontario Ministry of Labour will be conducting a month-long blitz on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the workplace. The MSD blitz will concentrate on manual material handling, especially in the industrial, construction, mining, and health care sectors. In a post on the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium's website, they have provided basic guidelines on what to expect: If you have a visit from the ministry: The inspector will likley perform an administrative review including looking at how your workplace lives up to its roles under the Internal Responsibility System, your MSD injury statistics, your JHSC minutes, your written procedures…

The search has begun for exceptional Ontario employers who are helping to build tomorrow's skilled workforce by training new apprentices. Each year, the Minister's Awards for Apprenticeship Training honours employers for their commitment to training apprentices. The awards celebrate those that support the apprenticeship training system, show leadership in training apprentices, and promote careers in the skilled trades. Nominations are being accepted until Feb. 29, 2012. The announcement was made at automatic greasing systems specialist FLO Components' Mississauga, Ont., facility, with Glen Murray, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, and Mississauga-Brampton South MPP Amrit Mangat in attendance. FLO Components was…

Exporting and export-ready manufacturers in Southern Ontario can learn how to access up to $75,000 in financial support for product and process improvements at a series of regional workshops, hosted this February by Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME). These free workshops will connect companies with the information and resources necessary to take advantage of $18.9 million in new funding through CME's SMART Prosperity Now program. "The nature of business is now global and Canadian manufacturers must have the right tools to be competitive," explains Ian Howcroft, vice president, CME Ontario. "This initiative will allow small and medium-sized enterprises to commercialize…