WSIB and Employers Challenged on Workplace Safety at 100 High Schools in 50 Ontario Cities

Hiring the next generation is going to take more than great pay; tomorrow's workers are demanding respect on the job, including workplace health and safety best practices. Recognizing that, almost 70 Ontario employers - as well as representatives from WSIB, the federal government and school boards - are participating in the Our Youth at Work simulcast on April 18. They will speak face-to-face with thousands of students at 100 high schools in 50 Ontario cities about workplace safety.

Toronto, ON (PRWEB) April 16, 2008 -- Executives from almost 70 Ontario employers, as well as representatives from the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) and Parliament Hill, are sharing an important message from Rob Ellis of Our Youth At Work (OYAW) with thousands of secondary students at 100 high schools across Ontario.

The executives will take questions from the students about safety and respect in the workplace, following the viewing of a video about the workplace death of Rob Ellis's teenage son at the fourth annual OYAW Simulcast event.

We don't shy away from any question the students may have for employers.

These Q-and-A sessions will occur simultaneously at 100 high schools in 50 cities - from Ottawa to Sarnia, Thorold to St. Catharines, at 10 - 11 a.m. (EST), Friday, April 18.

The WSIB's Chief Operating Officer, John Slinger, and Parliamentary Assistant Vic Dhillon, are participating in the presentation at Glenforest Secondary School in Mississauga.

It's the largest corporate and student force gathered yet by OYAW, a not-for-profit foundation, which started the simulcast event in 2005 as a way to give teenagers a rare opportunity to come face-to-face with executives and talk about workplace issues not always addressed in their job-hunting process.

"We started out with six companies and six high schools, and this year we're introducing more than 10 times that number of companies to kids at 100 high schools," says Rob Ellis, OYAW's founder and president. "This year, a single participant, Hydro One, is sending safety leaders to six schools in six different cities!"

"This kind of growth indicates the appetite we're seeing for open communication about difficult but critical workplace issues - from both the corporate world and the younger generation."

Ellis, 55, adds that "today's teens and 20-somethings are not the 'put your head down, do your job and be quiet' kind of workers we were. They expect lots of information about their well-being, and they're not afraid to make some noise to get it."

Executives from the 60+ organizations - including repeat participants Goodyear, Wal-Mart Canada, and The Woodbridge Group - will be called upon by Rob Ellis and the students to demonstrate how a "champion employer" acts.

"The students want to know what kind of orientation and training they'll get; is there a buddy system in place for new hires? What happens if they refuse to do work they suspect is unsafe or unhealthy? How available is personal protective equipment? Basically, do these bosses respect their workers, in every way?" says Ellis. "We don't shy away from any question the students may have for employers."

The corporations, trade unionists and industry associations participating in the simulcast event get the chance to make a positive impression on prospective employees gathered in the high school auditoriums. The employers get the chance to demonstrate their commitment to a workplace safety movement that is quickly gaining momentum across Canada.

Rob Ellis started OYAW in 2000, a year after his 18-year-old son was killed on his second day on the job. David Ellis was cleaning out an industrial mixer at an Ontario bakery when he was caught in its blades. He'd received no orientation or training, and was left alone at the time of the tragedy. The company had been ordered by inspectors to install machine guarding and safety locks on the mixer 18 months before David's death; they had failed to comply. The subsequent internment of David Ellis's supervisor was the first jail sentence ever given to an Ontario employer for non-compliance with safety regulations resulting in death.

For more information about Our Youth at Work, visit their new website, MySafeWork.com.

Key Locations for the Media on Fri. Apr. 18:

Simulcast Presentation - John Slinger, COO of the WSIB, and Parliamentary Assistant Vic Dhillon, in attendance
Glenforest Secondary School
3575 Fieldgate Drive, Mississauga (SE of Burnhamthorpe and Dixie)
10 - 11 a.m., Apr. 18

OYAW Presidents' Luncheon - All Simulcast Participants in Attendance
Mississauga Convention Centre
75 Derry Road West (corner of Hurontario and Derry Rd.)
12 noon - 2:30 p.m., Apr.18

Media Interviews Are Available With:

(in person at Presidents' Luncheon, Mississauga Convention Centre, Apr. 18, and any other time by phone or email)

Rob Ellis
President & Founder
Our Youth at Work
To arrange an interview, contact Nina at:
nina(at)mysafework.com or (416) 201-1139

Bryan DeMarchi
Director Corporate Human Resources, Canada
Goodyear
(416) 201-7763
bryan.demarchi(at)goodyear.com

Colleen Yamada
Grade 10 student and worker
Milton, Ontario
phone: 905-699-2326
email: colleen(at)mysafework.com
(parental consent granted)

This release may be published anywhere, as long as the attribution and links (in the case of e-media) remain intact.

Media Contact:
Heather Angus-Lee
heather(at)mysafework.com
905.308.0038

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workplace safety young workers safety wsib ontario canada rob ellis our youth at work oyaw mysafework

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