This document provides guidance on effective crisis management in response to critical workplace situations. It outlines the steps employers should take, including rendering first aid, contacting emergency services, securing the scene, notifying authorities, conducting an investigation, and managing communications with employees, media and stakeholders. Employers are advised to have an action plan in place and train staff in their roles to ensure proper handling of injuries, fatalities or other crises to protect worker safety and limit liability.

1. Crisis Management
Effective Response to a Critical Workplace Situation

2. Agenda
 Introduction
 Reports & Investigations
 Critical/Fatal Injuries
 Steps to Take
 Media
 Social Media
 Internal Responsibilities
 Public Relations

3. Introduction
The correct handling of a crisis situation is imperative for the
well being of the injured person.
It is also extremely important for the survival of your business.
There are a number of situations that can occur at your
workplace and as a business owner or manager you need to have
a system in place train your management team and workers how
to deal with each type of incident if they occur.
Having an easy to follow system up and running is a key
component to your organization.We will look at each of the
potential scenarios and consider your responsibilities as per
Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, and other
regulations, along with sound business advice.

4. Workplace Injury Requiring Treatment
 If one of your employees has suffered a minor injury
requiring First Aid, followed by additional treatment from
a health care professional, you are required to complete
and submit a Form 7 to WSIB.
 This can be done electronically online and takes little
time to complete.
 It is important to reassure your workers that reporting all
injuries is a requirement and please do not punish
workers for doing so!

5. Workplace Injury Requiring Treatment...
 We have seen it happen where workers were afraid to
report an injury to their employer, then sought treatment
from their Family Doctor, Chiropractor an Emergency
Department.
 All of these medical channels are required to submit a
Form 7 to WSIB if the injury occurred in the workplace.
 WSIB will then contact the employer wondering where
their Form 7 submission was.

6. Workplace Injury Requiring Treatment...
 You need to remember thatWSIB automatically conveys
all such information to the Ministry of Labour.
 If the MOL see multiple injuries occur at a workplace
within a short time period, then the likelihood of an
unannounced visit from an MOL Inspector goes up
exponentially, sometimes catching the employer
completely off guard.
 Driving injuries underground seldom results in anything
positive. For these reasons, we strongly recommend you
encourage employees to report all injuries.

7. Workplace Injury Requiring Treatment...
 We also suggest you perform an Accident/Incident
investigation report internally to learn how the injury
happened and what can be done to prevent similar
injuries from taking place in the future.
 Try not to assign blame during this process as doing so
will serve to keep injuries from being reported.

8. Critical/Fatal Injury
 Dealing with a critical injury is different from a simple
First Aid treatment case. In Regulation 834, a critical
injury is defined as:“critically injured” means an injury of a
serious nature that,
 (a) places life in jeopardy,
 (b) produces unconsciousness,
 (c) results in substantial loss of blood,
 (d) involves the fracture of a leg or arm but not a finger or toe,
 (e) involves the amputation of a leg, arm, hand or foot but not
a finger or toe,
 (f) consists of burns to a major portion of the body, or
 (g) causes the loss of sight in an eye.

9. Critical/Fatal Injury…
 Under Section 51 of the OHS Act, as an employer, here
are your responsibilities.
 Notice of death or injury
 51. (1) Where a person is killed or critically injured from
any cause at a workplace, the constructor, if any, and the
employer shall notify an inspector, and the committee, health
and safety representative and trade union, if any, immediately of
the occurrence by telephone or other direct means and the
employer shall, within forty-eight hours after the occurrence,
send to a Director a written report of the circumstances of
the occurrence containing such information and particulars as
the regulations prescribe.

10. Critical/Fatal Injury…
 What most employers don’t understand is that this
section of the OHS Act applies to any person who is
critically or fatally injured at their workplace.
 Employers have been fined up to $20,000 for not filing a
report on time.
 There is an additional requirement in the next section of
the Act in regards to preserving the wreckage at the
scene.

11. Critical/Fatal Injury…
 Preservation of Wreckage
(2) Where a person is killed or is critically injured at a
workplace, no person shall, except for the purpose of,
(a) saving life or relieving human suffering;
(b) maintaining an essential public utility service or a public
transportation system; or
(c) preventing unnecessary damage to equipment or other
property,
interfere with, disturb, destroy, alter or carry away any wreckage,
article or thing at the scene of or connected with the occurrence
until permission so to do has been given by an inspector.

12. Critical/Fatal Injury…
 Not following these guidelines has resulted in fines and
even jail time for some employers, managers or
supervisors.
 This is why it is so important to be aware of your
responsibilities.
 It is vital to determine if the injury is a critical injury or
not as employers have been charged by the MOL after a
non-critical injury has been reported.

13. Critical/Fatal Injury…
Fatal Injury
 If a person is fatally injured at your workplace, you must
follow the same guidelines as for a critical injury.
 Obviously this situation is much more serious and will
have a traumatic effect on your staff and customers.
Ensure that the crisis is handled professionally and
correctly.
 We will review some steps to take when a critical or fatal
injury occurs.

14. Steps to Take
Whenever a person at your workplace suffers an injury of
any kind, here are some steps to take and some tips on
what you can do to be prepared for an injury ahead of time.
 Always have a well-stocked First Aid kit(s) available that contain
the items required by WSIB Regulation 1101. Reputable safety
supply companies such as Fast-Rescue will have fully stocked
kits available.
 According to this regulation, you are required to have
someone trained in First Aid on site when ever you are open.
We suggest posting the list of those trained in First Aid on or
beside each kit.
 Include CPR training with First Aid certification.

15. Steps to Take…
 As part of your employee orientation, include showing each
employee where the First Aid kits and eyewash stations are
located. Remember to clean and flush your eye stations weekly
and to document it.
 At this time, you are not required to have a defibrillator on site
but it is good customer service to do so.
 Get First Aid treatment to the injured person as quickly as
possible. If further treatment is required, offer to provide
transportation to the nearest emergency department. If the
injury is of a more serious nature, call for an ambulance
immediately and administer First Aid and/or CPR as is needed.

16. Steps to Take…
 When it has been determined that the injury is critical or fatal,
call for an ambulance immediately, provide First Aid and/or
CPR, and cordon off the scene.
 Determine if there is potential danger to those around the
injured person and if so eliminate that danger if it is safe to do
so.
 Move all bystanders away from the area, shut off any
equipment, call CEsafety if you are a client, get guidance from
Bill and then contact the Ministry of Labour (1-877-202-0008).
 Be ready to start an investigation of the incident, including
interviewing any witnesses, as soon as possible.
 File the report with the MOL within 48 hours, contact your
legal department or attorney, and meet with all employees to
discuss what has just happened and how it will be dealt with.

17. Steps to Take…
 Interact with the Police, First Responders and the Ministry of Labour
professionally and be honest with them.
 If orders are issued by the Ministry of Labour, make sure you
understand what is to be done and review them carefully with the
Inspector before they leave.
 Again, if you are a client of CEsafety, call Bill back after speaking to
the MOL. He will then speak with the Inspector to see what can be
done from our end.
 Contact your attorney. If they are not well versed in these matters
then we recommend contacting Jeremy Warning at Mathews
Dinsdale. He is one of the leading attorneys in Ontario in regards to
legal matters involving occupational health and safety.
 Call your insurance company so they can assess the situation.

18. Steps to Take…
 Obey all of the orders to the letter; ensure you complete them
by the date and time indicated on the orders. Stay in touch
with the Inspector and let them know when you have
completed the orders.
 Conduct your internal investigation as quickly as possible.
Interview all witnesses and file the report within the 48 hours’
time frame.
 Complete and submit a Form 7 toWSIB.
 Make notes and document everything thoroughly. Give a copy
to your attorney in the event of potential civil litigation.
 Remember that CEsafety can assist you with every aspect of
this situation.

19. Media
 Controlling what information gets to the media can be very difficult,
especially in today’s world where everyone has a smart phone and
instant access to the internet.
 Designate a specific person/persons in your organization to be your
spokesperson to the media.
 When an event is under investigation by the Police or the Ministry
of Labour, never comment on what has taken place. If necessary, you
can contact an outside organization to do this for you; if the media
contacts your business, simply refer them to that organization.We
recommend using John O’Brien of Fresh Set of I’s.
 Damage control needs to start happening right away to get on top
of this and stay on top of this.
 Any press releases need to be reviewed by ownership, management,
and your attorney to ensure that nothing damaging is accidentally
revealed.

20. Social Media
 People with smart phones have even extremely quick
access to social media sites like Facebook,Twitter, etc.
 You may not be able to control what a non-employee
posts, but we suggest you have a social media policy in
place signed by every employee which spells out what
they are allowed to post regarding the business.
 Utilize a phrase such as:
 Never post information or photos to social media in regards to any
incidents that occur at our workplace including accidents, incidents,
injuries, or disciplinary actions.

21. Internal Responsibilities
 Meet with your management team, safety committee, safety
representative, and all employees to review exactly what steps are
to be taken in the event of a crisis. Ensure that everyone clearly
understands their individual role, responsibilities, and what is to be
done by whom, when, and in what order.
 Rainy days are great for safety training so why not organize a mock
injury and go through the process to make sure every person knows
what to do when the time comes.
 Remember that all it can take is one incident to cause serious
damage to your business. Be prepared.
 Offer grief counselling for your employees. A critical or fatal injury
amongst workers can cause serious emotional issues with your staff
for years to come after the incident.The last thing you need is to
lose key members of your staff after you may have just lost one.

22. Public Relations
 One of the keys to having a positive public image is to do your
best to make sure that an injury or incident does not happen
in your workplace.
 Having an active safety culture in place is your first line of
defence. If you have invested in creating a safety culture,
advertise it!
 Post health and safety notices in public areas such as
washrooms, offices, reception areas, and your website. Include
it in mail outs.
 Your customers will feel better knowing that they are visiting a
workplace that is not only appealing to them, but is also safe
for their family and friends to enjoy.

23. Checklist
 Get First Aid treatment to the injured person as quickly as possible. If further treatment is required, offer to provide transportation to
the nearest emergency department. If the injury is of a more serious nature, call for an ambulance immediately and administer First Aid
and/or CPR as is needed.
 When it has been determined that the injury is critical or fatal, call for an ambulance immediately, provide First Aid and/or CPR, and
cordon off the scene.
 Determine if there is potential danger to those around the injured person and if so eliminate that danger if it is safe to do so.
 Move all bystanders away from the area, shut off any equipment, call CEsafety if you are a client to get guidance from Bill, and then
contact the Ministry of Labour.
 Be ready to start an investigation of the incident, including interviewing any witnesses, as soon as possible.
 File the report with the MOL within 48 hours, contact your legal department or attorney, and meet with all employees to discuss what
has just happened and how it will be dealt with.
 Interact with the Police, First Responders and the Ministry of Labour professionally and be honest with them.
 If orders are issued by the Ministry of Labour, make sure you understand what is to be done and review them carefully with the
Inspector before they leave.
 Again, if you are a client of CEsafety, call Bill back after speaking to the MOL. He will then speak with the Inspector to see what can be
done from our end.
 Contact your attorney. If they are not well versed in these matters then we recommend contacting Jeremy Warning at Mathews
Dinsdale. He is one of the leading attorneys in Ontario in regards to legal matters involving occupational health and safety.
 Call your insurance company so they can assess the situation.
 Obey all of the orders to the letter; ensure you complete them by the date and time indicated on the orders. Stay in touch with the
Inspector and let them know when you have completed the orders.
 Conduct your internal investigation as quickly as possible. Interview all witnesses and file the report within the 48 hours’ time frame.
 Complete and submit a Form 7 to WSIB.
 Make notes and document everything thoroughly. Give a copy to your attorney in the event of potential civil litigation.