Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To provide medical expertise and consultative advice in support of the Ministry's occupational health and safety mandate.

To contribute medical expertise to the development, implementation and assessment of Ministry regulations, policies, standards and guidelines for occupational health; the assessment of hazards and concerns; and development of protective measures in workplaces across the province.

To provide medical consulting and expertise in occupational health medicine affecting diverse workplaces in assigned regions of the Province and to evaluate occupational health medicine programs, and related issues.

Duties / Responsibilities :

1. Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) Medical Program Planning, Delivery, & Monitoring
- Contributes to identification of areas requiring field investigations or research; reviews current medical/scientific literature; initiates, designs, conducts or co-ordinates research activities; analyzes, interprets and summarizes research data; and edits/prepares medical reports for publication in Ministry or
professional medical/scientific journals.
- Contributes to the development of the OH&S medicine portion of the OHSB's integrated, comprehensive multi-year plan for a targeted health and safety enforcement strategy.
- Identifies needs, researches and investigates options, and establishes initiatives to prevent occupational disease due to biologic, chemical or physical agents through enforcement of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and Regulations and identification of best practices.
- Consults and works in conjunction with other MOL sector program planning decision-makers and others (eg: external partners/stakeholders in the Ontario health and safety system) to ensure different sectors' strategies and plans are mutually aligned and integrated.
- Participates in planning and identifying OH&S programs consistent with branch and divisional goals, mandate and the OHSA and Regulations including: the development and recommendation of program objectives and service priorities, policies and procedures, the identification of human, material, knowledge and time resource requirements, and their effective utilization; an the monitoring and evaluation of results.
- Develops/delivers the medical aspects of OH&S training courses and seminars to staff of own and other ministries, industries, universities and associations. Participates with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and with Ontario universities in the education and evaluation of future occupational medicine specialists. Participates in the development/delivery of occupational medicine fundamentals training to family physicians and medical students.
- Identifies opportunities for improvements and works with field delivery staff on their implementation.
2. OH&S Medical Policy Framework
- Contributes to the research, development and maintenance of comprehensive OH&S medicine policies, standards, guidelines, programs and performance measures to ensure workers are protected in compliance with the OHSA (eg: protection/safety equipment and safe working conditions in the province's health care facilities).
- Provides detailed research and analysis necessary to mount new or revised program initiatives. Identifies and analyses new emerging health and safety hazards resulting from new technology and new processes. Responds to the legislative activities and policy initiatives of other jurisdictions and/or legal decisions, and evaluates their impact on the Ministry. Analyzes and interprets the conclusions of research papers and articles by external organizations. Provides recommendations on the preferred course of action for the Ministry. Prepares position papers on OH&S medicine in Ontario, and provides expert advice to field staff.
- Responds directly to inquiries from others regarding Ontario's OH&S medical policies.
- Integrates OH&S medical policy recommendations and deliverables seamlessly with related occupational health and safety systems (e.g. infection control).
3. Advice and Expertise
- Provides medical expertise to support the OHSA Section 21 Committees in providing advice to the Minister on how to improve health and safety protection and in producing directives, information, etc. (Eg: new or revised legislation and regulations; improved practices in workplaces and the ministry; guidance notes that help workplaces meet health and safety requirements).
- Provides consulting expertise and/or serves on OH&S and related committees (eg: as input for emergency preparedness planning) and on Operations Division Program committees.
- Participates in the assessment of the OH&S medical impacts of decisions on the ministry and its stakeholders/partners, and contributes to providing tailored solutions and expertise to meet needs.
- Provides authoritative functional expertise as a member/chair of occupational medicine committees, inter-ministry, federal/provincial and international committees, associations and task forces.
4. Field Activity
- Supports field investigations to determine/assess the cause and ramifications of the medical aspects of OH&S problems/issues and develop recommendations for improvements.
- Discusses, visits sites, and investigates processes and potentially hazardous substances with Ministry regional management, field staff, and a wide variety of workplace management and worker representatives in the assigned regions; determines the contaminates or other hazardous agents present; and assesses the extent of health hazards and the appropriateness of control measures.
- Evaluates hazardous working conditions, advises management and health and safety committees, and recommends corrective action and measures to control or reduce health hazards, such as changes to processes, engineering controls, personal protective devices, and additional employee training
and work practices, etc. Advises regional staff of orders to be issued under the Occupational Health & Safety Act and its regulations.
- Provides direction and expert medical advice and guidance to regional staff on health hazards, the handling of hazardous chemicals, physical and biological agents, and control measures to be taken. Provides regional staff with advice and comments on assessment and control programs for designated substances as requested.
- Audits medical surveillance progress, medical records, and exposure in the workplace for designated and other hazardous substances, and evaluates health information from regional Inspectors (fatalities, inquests, critical injuries, etc), and recommends advice and orders. Provides workplace parties with general advice on clinical tests and interpretation of results.
- Provides input to the development of MOL occupational medicine policies, standards, guidelines and programs, and participates in their roll-out, explanation, enforcement and compliance reviews in the region and at OHSB.
5. Relationship Management & Communications
- Works with key contacts with OH&S specialists, stakeholders, agencies and organisations across the province, including other ministries (eg: MOHLTC, MOE), the broader public sector, academic communities, not-for-profit sector, unions and associations, and health and safety associations and the private sector (eg: OH&S consultants, etc.), to establish and consolidate business partnerships and working relationships; collaborate and provide strategic facilitation and consultation; raise the profile of worker health and safety; identify priorities; exchange ideas and address issues; plan; develop qualitative and quantitative performance measurement criteria; and generally ensure an integrated and co-ordinated approach to health care planning for the work place.
- Participates as an expert member of ministry, inter-ministry or tripartite committees, internal and external working groups or task forces and leads/participates in multi-disciplinary studies.
- Represents the Ministry , dealing with the media (print, television, radio), in handling sensitive issues, and addressing members of the public, health and safety associations, interest groups, etc., on issues in areas of expertise and raising the profile of OH&S in Ontario's work places.
- Serves as an expert witness at appeals and in court.
6. Other
- Contributes to identification of Ministry/Section medical information system needs for the planning function, including working with Section colleagues, Cluster specialists and internal/external partners to ensure information sources are identified and established to meet section research and development requirements. Participates in corporate and ministry business improvement initiatives; identifies and investigates IT technological opportunities; identifies opportunities for collaboration between clients, groups or areas of information technology.
- Participates in emergency management and business continuity planning for OHSB, and performs assigned roles during emergencies.
- Collaborates with OH&S delivery partners to ensure consistent messaging, communication and timely responses during a pandemic and emergencies with OH&S medical implications.
- Remains apprised of trends, developments and advances in occupational medicine and related subjects (eg: infection control, occupational hygiene, radiation protection), and consults with professionals inside the ministry and externally to remain current.
- Participates in continuing professional development.

Staffing and Licencing :

- Degree in medicine from a university of recognized standing.
- A current licence to practice medicine in Ontario.

Knowledge :

- Knowledge of the theories, principles, practices and current developments of occupational health and safety medicine, typically obtained through Fellowship in Occupational Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (FRCPC), or Certification by the Canadian Board of Occupational Medicine, or a post-graduate degree/diploma in Occupational Health & Safety; and comprehensive and current knowledge of changing workplace environment conditions, needs and techniques in a wide variety of mining, construction and manufacturing processes in Ontario, in order to assess risks and issues, consult, provide advice and expertise and contribute to the medical aspects of OH&S program development, implementation and assessment.
- Broad knowledge and understanding of Toxicology, Epidemiology. Bio-Statistics, Occupational Hygiene, and knowledge of industrial/healthcare workplace processes and problems in the region.
- Understanding of the Ministry of Labour, the Occupational Health & Safety Act and Regulations, and understanding of changing workplace environment needs and techniques in a wide variety of mining, construction and industrial processes and healthcare sectors in the region to provide expert advice and consultation (eg: on hazardous working conditions, hazardous substances), assess the effectiveness of associated policies and standards, and recommend corrective action and measures to control or reduce health hazards.
- Research, analytical, evaluation and problem-solving skills, to initiate and conduct/co-ordinate medical occupational health and safety research activities and ensure the integrity of results; to assess adequacy of program deliveries, to draw conclusions and recommend and implement changes, to identify, investigate and establish corrective actions and measures in potentially hazardous situations to control or reduce health hazards; provide expertise and assess risks and options.
- Written and oral communication skills to provide professional medical expertise in the form of advice, consultations, reports and recommendations, explanations, training, guidance and presentations to a wide variety of regional management, staff, workplaces, labour counterparts, committees,
professional associations, and educational institutions, etc.
- Relationship management skills to develop and sustain networks and positive working relationships with managers, staff, colleagues, other ministries, stakeholders and academic communities to identify and resolve contentious and highly sensitive medical issues with management and labour; participate in professional activities, undertake public speaking engagements etc., consult and network with stakeholders to build successful relationships.
- Work organisation and time management skills, to plan and conduct concurrent activities efficiently and effectively at OHSB and in various locations in the assigned regions.
- Leadership, teamwork, and program management in order to participate in/lead program activities and committees, projects, etc.

Judgement :

Work is performed with a high degree of independence under the direction of the Chief Physician and Senior Medical Consultant and within professional medical standards, and related legislation, regulations and Ministry and Branch policies, guidelines and procedures.
Judgement is used in:
- Providing expertise as input into development of new programs, policies, standards and resources to implement, enforce and support legislation and best practices in occupational health medicine in a wide variety of Ontario workplaces with very diverse risks and conditions and into recommendations
for legislative changes.
- Anticipating related program, practice and policy issues, and initiating action to develop and recommend action, improvements and changes, and train and inform the parties concerned (eg: to assess and respond to recent developments/events, such as emergencies; prepare for changes in legislation;
support recent senior management decisions, etc).
- Performing/leading highly specialised research, analysis and evaluation of strategic, confidential and sensitive materials; identifying risks; and contributing to the development of mitigation strategies and strategic recommendations for policies and programs.
- Collaborating with key stakeholders and partners (e.g. colleagues in MOL and other ministries and external contacts), to ensure their consultation and inclusion, and to negotiate agreement and co-ordinate effectively regarding policy and program development and review work, where disciplines are
diverse and not always easy to integrate.
- Providing expert occupational medicine advice to deal with occupational health hazards in rapidly changing and highly diverse industrial/health care environments in the regions, and to ensure the integration of advice with related specialities such as occupational hygiene, infection control, etc.
- Providing immediate assessment and resolution of potential hazards.
- Providing technical/professional support for OHSB and the field.

Accountability - Programs :

- Providing professional input into the development of occupational health and safety medicine programs, policies, standards and practices, in consultation with field and policy staff, to achieve divisional and Ministry objectives and to promote the health and safety of workers in Ontario.
- Co-ordinating activities with multiple internal and external stakeholders and partners, and obtaining consensus on shared/integrated approaches.
- Providing occupational medicine expertise, advice, recommendations and implementation support for the Ministry in fulfilling its legal mandate for OH&S in the regions.
- Providing regional industries and health care operations with occupational medicine expertise, advice, education, recommendations and implementation support, and auditing the practical effectiveness of related policies, standards and programs.
- Performing immediate and ongoing assessments of hazards in the assigned regions and recommending remedial action and solutions (eg: policy, practice, standards and program changes; more training, etc).• Providing regional industries and health care operations with occupational medicine expertise, advise, education, recommendations and implementation support, and auditing the practical effectiveness of related policies, standards and programs.
• Performing immediate and ongoing assessments of hazards in the region(s) and recommending remedial action and solutions (eg: policy, practice, standards, and program changes; more training, ect).

Accountability – Personnel :

- Providing professional expertise to Ministry, and workplaces in the assigned regions.

Accountability - Impact of Errors :

- Poor judgement or ineffective recommendations or failure to identify (potential) issues could result in inadequate policies, standards and programs, or untimely responses and outputs that leave the Ministry and its partners unprepared and lead to adverse health effects and/or increased health risks
among Ontario's workers, and expose the Ministry to embarrassment.
- Errors in judgement and recommendations or too stringent advice could result in increased costs to employers and unnecessary hardships for employers and/or workers for unnecessary/ineffective controls, and could embarrass the Minister.
- Failure to co-ordinate and consult with counterparts in other regions and with the Health Care and other program specialists could result in recommendations and actions that are out-of-step with each other, causing confusion in the diverse workplaces and bringing embarrassment to the Ministry
- Failure to effectively represent the Ministry on issues related to OH&S medicine in a variety of public forums could adversely affect Ministry credibility.

Contact - Internal :

- Frequent contact with management, other specialists (eg: industrial, construction, mining, health care, hygiene, infection control, radiation protection), and colleagues in various disciplines in own and other ministries (eg: MOHLTC, MOE) to consult, advise, exchange expertise, develop consensus and integrated planning and policy development and to implement regional programs, and to resolve problems affecting the
regions/Ministry.
- Frequent contact with regional colleagues (eg: management, inspectors, etc), to exchange information and provide professional expertise, program advice, training and support.
- Frequently chairs and/or participates on regional occupational health committees and participate as a medical expert in MOL/interministerial/Regional occupational health-related committees, task forces and project/work groups.
- Contacts as required with MOL management to obtain approvals and to support issues management and respond to emergencies.
- Daily contact with the Section 21 team to share information, provide expertise, and make recommendations.

Contact - External :

- Frequent contact with stakeholders in the broader public sector, academic communities, the not-for-profit sector, unions and H&S associations and the private sector to establish business relationships, represent the Ministry, interpret Ministry policy and program requirements, exchange expertise, and address OH&S medical issues.
- Frequent contact with management and labour representatives in regional workplaces to provide advice and education in occupational medicine, hazard/threat prevention and control; perform site assessments/audits; manage immediate risks; and participate in/present to joint OH&S committees.
- Regularly with other Provincial, Federal and foreign agencies to exchange information, discuss and resolve issues and interpret Ministry OH&S medical policies, standards and programs.
- Regular liaison with senior staff at universities and other agencies to exchange professional views, discuss research proposals or collaborative efforts and results.
- Regular contact with peers and associates in professional associations in the occupational health field to remain current with trends and developments, exchange professional views, and to discuss research proposals or collaborative efforts and results.
- Regularly chairs and/or participates on committees, task forces and work groups.