You can call their toll-free number for help: 1-85 The right to refuse unsafe work The Office of the Worker Adviser also provides free advice and representation to non-unionized workers who are in this situation. If you’re not sure what to do, you can call the Ministry’s toll-free number for information. If you feel that your employer is taking action against you for raising a health and safety concern, you can discuss it with a union official if you are a member of a union, or bring a complaint to the Ontario Labour Relations Board. It’s even against the law for your employer or supervisor to threaten to fire or punish you for these things. Remember we mentioned reprisals before? It’s against the law for your employer or your supervisor to fire or punish you for doing what the OHSA expects you to do, or because you asked them to do what the OHSA expects them to do. If you don’t want to give your name when you call the Health and Safety Contact Centre, you don’t have to.

Calling that number connects you to the Health and Safety Contact Centre that takes calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So it has a toll-free number that you can call.

But the Ministry wants to hear if there’s a problem on the job that isn’t fixed anywhere in Ontario. Ministry of Labour inspectors can’t be in all workplaces at all times. They want to know if there are problems that aren’t being fixed. The Ministry’s job is to help prevent workplace injuries and illnesses through enforcing the OHSA. But if the employer or supervisor doesn’t fix the problem, you can call the Ministry of Labour. It’s also a good idea to tell your health and safety representative or committee if there is one. If you see something unsafe that could hurt someone, you need to report it to your supervisor or your employer. Help is always available from outside the workplace. That’s why it’s important to know that you are not alone. People in workplaces like that are often afraid to do anything about it because they don’t want to get fired. If someone questions the way things are being done, they may get a dirty look but nothing is done to make things safer. In those workplaces, it’s all about doing the work as quickly as possible. It’s a sad fact that in some workplaces, nobody pays much attention to safety.

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