Introduction

The Inquiries Service at CCOHS answers questions in two ways - through its online OSH Answers fact sheets, and through its person-to-person information service Safety InfoLine.

Presented in an easy-to-read question-and-answer format, OSH Answers covers an extensive range of topic areas in workplace health and safety, from hazards to diseases to ergonomics to workplace health promotion. These topics are based on questions that the Safety InfoLine has received from workers, their families, health and safety committee members, employers, occupational hygienists, safety professionals, doctors, nurses and other health care professionals, government officials, lawyers, the media, and the general public over the years. The number of fact sheets continues to grow as new questions and topics are raised by inquirers.

If you don’t see the answer to your question on OSH Answers, please use the Contact Us Form or call the CCOHS Safety InfoLine. It’s a free, reliable, confidential, bilingual person-to-person information service available to all workers in Canada and has been for over 40 years.

Purpose

CCOHS is Canada’s national resource for the advancement of workplace health and safety. The goals of OSH Answers are to:

• Promote workplace health and safety in Canada.
• Provide workers in Canada and workplaces the answers to workplace health and safety and environmental health concerns, to help them make informed decisions while addressing and resolving practical workplace concerns.
• Share occupational health and safety information online for the benefit of workers in Canada, and workers throughout the world.

Target Audience

OSH Answers are written for workers, managers, supervisors, and health and safety committee members who are the “end users” of the information in the workplace. In addition, employers, policy makers, family members, people living near workplaces, students, and the general public will find OSH Answers to be useful a source of workplace health and safety information.

Copyright

We are delighted you are interested in using CCOHS materials. CCOHS-prepared material in OSH Answers is protected by copyright. Since CCOHS encourages the widest distribution of its material, CCOHS requests that acknowledgment be made in any reproduction of this material by any means and in any form, in whole or in part. For information about permission to reproduce CCOHS material, please use the copyright authorization form. The use of this form allows CCOHS to gather information about how you are using our materials, and how many people are helped by this information (the overall reach our materials have). Understanding how you are using our information will help CCOHS achieve our vision – to eliminate or reduce hazards and work-related injuries and illnesses. Your request will be confirmed by the Inquiries Service.