HELPING EVERY RESTAURANT OPEN SAFELY (H.E.R.O.S)

• A great online resource offering detailed information about employment standards and guides you through specific rules and how they work. Available at Ontario.ca/ESAguide.

• Includes chapters on infectious disease emergency leave and COVID-19 temporary ESA changes. 

• The COVID-19 Worker Income Protection Benefit provides paid infectious disease emergency leave under  the Employment Standards Act and includes an employer reimbursement program.      

• For more information on infectious disease emergency leave visit Ontario.ca/ESAguide and for more information on the employer reimbursement program visit Ontario.ca/COVIDworkerbenefit.

• We have a series of interactive online tools and calculators to help employers understand      things like termination of employment, hours of work and overtime, public holidays, etc. Available at Ontario.ca/ESAtools.

• The COVID-19 safety plan is mandatory for all businesses

• To help businesses understand how to use health and safety guidance  to develop a safety plan for their unique situation, the government has developed a toolkit that includes a guide, template and checklist.

• A COVID-19 safety plan template: https://www.ontario.ca/page/develop-your-covid-19-workplace-safety-plan

• MLTSD has released over 200  sector-specific guidance resources for  employers to help them prevent-COVID-19 in the workplace. These resources are found at Ontario.ca/COVIDsafety. 

• Free webinar and other tools: Ontario Safe and Open – Building Your Safety Plan

Where PPE is needed in a restaurant setting, it will likely consist of a surgical/procedure mask  (or equal or greater protection) and eye protection (such as face shield or goggles). This is consistent with public health direction that droplet precautions be taken where physical distancing cannot be maintained.

When workers perform tasks that require them to work within two metres of another person without a barrier (for example, plexiglass, partition, wall), PPE will be needed.

It is also important to continue to take steps to maintain physical distance when possible. Examples could include:

• having patrons collect their meals from carts after the server has withdrawn
• bussing tables after patrons have departed

Resources for the Restaurant Sector:

https://www.ontario.ca/page/restaurant-and-food-services-health-and-safety-during-covid-19

https://files.ontario.ca/mltsd-restaurants-covid-tip-sheet-en-2020-05-19.pdf

https://covid19.wsps.ca/resources/sector-specific-resources-for-restaurants

• For the current state in the province: www.ontario.ca/alert  and  www.ontario.ca/coronavirus. 

• Stop the Spread Business Information Line: 1-888-444-3659

• Workplace screening tools:

                     - Worker screening 

                     - Customer screening 

• Cleaning and Disinfection for Public Settings 

• Guidance on meal and break periods:

                     - Break poster 

                     - Lunch poster 

• Guidance on self-isolation and return to work 

• Infection Prevention and Control at Work: Basic Awareness Training  is now available at www.pshsa.ca/ipacelearning 

• HospitalityStayStrong.ca - Embracing Mental Health During COVID-19

• ThinkMentalHealth.ca to help employers prevent work-related psychological injuries

• Resilient ME is a free program self-guided that focuses on increasing the capacity for resilience. 

Under the OHSA, [52(2)], an employer is required to notify the ministry in writing within four days if a worker has an occupational illness due to an exposure at the workplace or that a claim has been filed with the WSIB. 

The written notice should include information about the business, worker, illnesses and the steps taken to prevent further illness. The notice can  be emailed: MLTSDoccillness.notices@ontario.ca

• Employers and workers can refer to the Ministry’s Guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act  to understand their health and safety rights and responsibilities

• For workplaces with under 50 workers easy steps are in Health and Safety for Small Businesses, 

  Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB): 

• https://www.wsib.ca/en/novel-coronavirus-covid-19-update
• Small Business Services
• Small Business Health and Safety Leadership Awards
• Health and Safety Excellence program

Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS): 

• Small Business Centre
• Prevent COVID @ WORK Mobile App
• Small Biz Safety Podcast 
• Health and Safety Representative Basic Training