OHSA Obligations & The Flu

As the warm weather becomes once again, so last season, employers and supervisors across Ontario are beginning to turn up the thermostats in their buildings. The unfortunate corollary of the decrease of temperature is the increase of illness; especially colds and worse influenza. Influenza, or the flu, as it is more typically known, is a serious disease that affects millions of people working in Canada each year – and what affects Canadian workers affects employers.

Since an outbreak of influenza in a workplace affects work flow, causes a higher rate of absenteeism and accordingly, a loss in productivity, common sense suggests that all employers would want to provide a safe and healthy work environment. But, because common sense can be anything but common, employers have an imposed statutory obligation to protect workers under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (the "OHSA").