Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To provide information and resolve telephone and written enquiries by advising clients of their legislative rights and obligations regarding the Occupational Health and Safety Act and all the regulations under the Act, particularly the regulations for industrial establishments and construction projects. To gather information and evidence sufficient for the management unit to determine the appropriate field response/event resolution.

Duties / Responsibilities :

Supporting the Ministry of Labour's Occupational Health and Safety program in a high performing client service environment by:
1. Receiving external/internal calls, identifying/analyzing the nature of each inquiry or complaint to determine whether it falls within the legislative jurisdiction of the Industrial Health and Safety (IHSP), Construction Health and Safety Program (CHSP) and Mining Health and Safety Program (MHSP) and providing information, explaining legislative provisions and procedures, entitlement, responsibilities and rights under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Regulations and related legislation.
2. Documenting employer/employee reporting of disputes, accidents, complaints, work refusal/stoppages to determine appropriate response by gathering information; directing clients' next steps and determining type of documentation and information required.
3. Prioritizing, informing and forwarding OHS event notifications to appropriate field office by providing direct linkage to the field offices for immediate assignment to an inspector, including completion of the event information form.
4. Promoting voluntary compliance and fostering self-reliance and effective Internal Responsibility Systems.
5. Redirecting complex/technical enquiries to appropriate staff (Regional Program Coordinator, Program/District Manager, Program Specialist) or other programs within the Ministry (Office of the Working Advisor, Employment Standards) or to related federal or provincial agencies (Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, Safe Workplace Associations, etcetera).
6. Maintaining effective records management systems by receiving, recording and tracking all OHS events; tracking information for each call taken by entering line of business codes at the completion of each call.
7. Maintaining reference/resource information and materials related to health and safety legislation, attending courses/training sessions that provide learning experiences involving new and existing legislation, recognizing/identifying client needs and input into the development of resources.

Staffing and Licencing :

French Language Skills – Advanced Verbal

Knowledge :

Job requires detailed knowledge of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations, specifically those pertaining to industrial establishments and construction projects in order to identify the nature of inquiries/complaints provide information and resolve complaints. Knowledge of the Ontario Public Service Common Service Standards/Best Practices and understanding of call management techniques to receive external/internal calls and provide customer service. Job requires working knowledge of divisional policies, procedures and guidelines to provide clients with consistent information. Knowledge of the responsibilities of other programs of the Ministry such as the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB), Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), Office of the Worker Advisor (OWA) and the Office of the Employer Advisor (OEA) and other provincial and federal jurisdictions such as Safe Workplace Association, Technical Standards Safety Authority, Electrical Safety Authority and Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) in order to redirect inquires. Understanding of Freedom of Information and Privacy guidelines in order to ensure privacy of clients. Knowledge of personal computer systems to access information from intra/internet sources and prepare reports. Knowledge of the ICE(Inspection Compliance Enforcement) computer program in order to generate events and ICE(Intelligent Contact Exchange)Bar telephone system to answer calls.

Skills :

Job requires excellent oral and written communication skills to provide information and explain legislation to the public in order to resolve complaints; to prepare hand written and electronic correspondence when responding to and liaising with internal/external contacts. Job requires interpersonal and customer service skills to respond factually, professionally and effectively to a diverse client group. Job requires call management techniques including active listening skills, comprehension and probing skills to ensure client is provided with timely, accurate and consistent information. Research, analytical and problem solving skills are required to identify and resolve client enquiries to promote compliance and to re-direct complex issues to appropriate staff such as Program/District Manager, Industrial and Construction Inspectors and Regional Program Coordinators. Job requires judgment in identifying contentious issues and the ability to work under pressure. Job requires ability to use personal computer to access/research information and prepare various reports. Job requires knowledge of the French language to communicate verbally at the advanced level. Job requires ability to create events in ICE (Inspection Compliance Enforcement)computer program and ability to answer calls using ICE(Intelligent Contact Exchange) Bar telephone system.

Freedom of Action :

Job requires working in accordance with established legislation (OH&S Act), regulations, policies, standards, procedures and guidelines to respond to inquiries and complaints, advise and assist clients. Job requires judgment in determining whether inquiries can be handled/resolved personally, next steps for complaints received, best source of information for clients including referrals to other staff members or programs within the Ministry or with outside agencies. Job requires working within a team to resolve issues and made decisions/recommendations to manager regarding contentious issues. Errors impact negatively on effectiveness of delivery of Ministry's Health and Safety program.