New posters warn of occupational disease risks in northern industries

New posters showcase occupational health risks Workplace Safety North along with the Occupational Cancer Research Centre have launched three new posters showing occupational disease risks

Workplace Safety North in conjunction with the Occupational Cancer Research Centre has launched three new posters showing the occupational disease risks in some of the top industries in northern Ontario.

The posters include career risks for the forestry, mining and pulp and paper sectors.

Occupational diseases are health problems that can affect workers because of the type of work they do.

Officials with the project told CTV News that their goal was to raise awareness – not only for workers or potential workers but the industries and the employers themselves in hopes of improving conditions for workers.

"A lot of the things that we're, that we saw there certainly are things that we've seen in other kind of research settings,” said the Occupational Cancer Research Centre’s director Paul Demers Ph. D.

“A lot of these are chronic diseases, they were due to exposure to hazards over a long period of time but you know going forward we can always try to reduce the risk of these diseases in people so it's important to be aware of these."

There were 40,185 occupational disease claims allowed in 2022 for a total of more than $82 million according to the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

More information on the work being done by Workplace Safety North to protect workers’ health can be found on their website.