Do You Drive, Walk or Cycle on the Job?

Car crashes are the leading cause of workplace deaths in Ontario and a new program is aiming to change that.

For many workers across the province, the roads are their workplace. Whether they deliver products, walk to a meeting, or drive to a job site, they are travelling for work.

The Toronto van attack on April 23 killed 10 people and injured at least a dozen — many of the victims worked in the area.

A new program has been created to provide businesses with free resources and tools to offer online training.

En Route to Safety is a non-profit program created by Wilfred Laurier University (WLU) and funded by the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

It includes an employer guidebook, How to Create a Traffic Safety Program – Your 8-Step Plan and three online training modules for workers.

“The goal was to take these somewhat complex, specialized health and safety processes and break them down into accessible steps employers can apply directly to their workplaces,” said WLU’s safety, health, environment & risk management director Stephanie Kibbee.

Workers will receive a certificate upon completing the training.

The program was launched one day after April 28 – the National Day of Mourning for those who died on the job.

Last year in Ontario, 227 people were killed at work or died from an occupational disease, according to the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board.