ven when operations managers and business owners take every available precaution to prevent injury in the workplace, unavoidable accidents sometimes occur. And despite the best intentions, sometimes these injuries do actually result from negligent employers and unsafe conditions. Regardless of the cause of the accident, proper and accurate reporting must take place immediately after the incident occurs. According to the Ontario Ministry of Labour, several steps must be taken by the mining plant owner, mine owner, employer constructor, or business owner to notify the proper personnel.

Who Should Be Notified

The Ministry of Labor Health and Safety Contact Center, The Joint Health and Safety Committee, and the union (if one exists) should be contacted immediately if any person is injured or killed in the workplace, whether that person is a worker or not. The employer must also send a written message to the director of the Ministry of Labour, and this message must be delivered within 48 hours. The message should document all available details regarding the incident.

The Joint Health and Safety Committee and the union must be notified within four days. Again, the notification should involve a written message that documents every detail of the incident include the circumstances and the apparent cause of the injury or accident.

Occupational Illness

If a worker has contracted an occupational illness or filed an occupational illness claim with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, the employer will have four days to send written notification to the Ministry of Labour, the Joint Health and Safety Committee, and the union. These rules apply to both current and former workers.

The Ministry of Labour, the Joint Health and Safety Committee, and the union will also need to be informed within two days if an incident or accident occurs that could have caused injury, but no workers or non-workers on the site were hurt. Again, this message should contain all available and prescribed information, and it should be submitted by the owner of the mine or mining plant, the constructor, or the employer.

Self-employed workers must also follow the same rules, submitting written notification containing all available details and circumstances to the Ministry of Labour in the event of a workplace illness or injury. This message must be submitted within the same time frames described above. Employers and self-employed individuals with questions should contact the Ministry of Labour or visit the Ministry website. In the meantime, contact the experts at Lift Temp for additional assistance.

You’ve been polishing your elevator pitch and working on your personal brand, and you’re ready for just about anything during your upcoming interview. But there’s one question that you’re dreading above all others: Why did you leave your last position?

If you left your last job involuntarily, most employers will want to know a little more about the circumstances surrounding this event. After all, if you were dismissed due to reckless negligence, ignorance of your responsibilities, or unprofessional behavior, they’ll want to factor this into their final hiring decision. It doesn’t mean you’ll be dropped immediately from the running, but it’s still something your potential employers will want to know about…probably.

On other hand, some employers won’t ask about these details and will give you the benefit of the doubt. And almost all responsible employers understand that involuntarily job loss usually has nothing to do with personal performance or bad behavior. Here are a few tips that can help you navigate this conversation when and if it comes up.

Don’t Bring It Up

Don’t assume you’re being proactive or helping your case if you jump in front of the subject before your employers ask about it. As far as you’re concerned, the entire conversation should focus solely on your strengths, your credentials, and your relevant experience. If your interviewer chooses to ask about this detail, answer politely and provide whatever information is requested of you. But if not, just let it lay.

Keep Red Flags out of Your Resume

As you complete your resume, state your dates of employment clearly and honestly. Attempts to fudge this information are usually much more transparent than most job seekers believe. And if your resume reveals a leaning toward sketchy behavior, this can spark an avalanche of skeptical questions during the interview.

Answer Completely, Directly, and Honestly

If you’re asked exactly why you were dismissed from your last job, don’t dodge the question, but don’t provide more information than necessary. Fine the fine line between downplaying a potentially serious issue and incriminating yourself by saying too much. If you were dismissed due to a layoff or cutback, just say so, and then redirect the conversation back to your strengths. If you were fired due to poor performance or a behavioral issue, simply explain what happened in your own words, and be brief but direct. Don’t over apologize, and don’t make excuses or blame someone else for your misdeeds. Just own your mistake, discuss what you learned from the incident, and move on.

Control the Drama

As you explain, keep reading your employers cues, gestures, and body language to determine when you’ve adequately addressed the subject and it’s time to move on. As soon as she seems ready to let the subject go, stop speaking.

For more on how to handle this potentially volatile issue and keep it from undermining your chances of landing a new job, reach out to the staffing experts at Lift Temp.

As a candidate in the manufacturing industry, you probably have a few things working in your favor: You’ve probably accumulated a few years of experience, you’ve completed some relevant training courses (or a formal degree), and you have the ambition and work ethic required for success in a challenging field. But unfortunately, just about every other candidate in the pool will hold these three credentials as well. So what can you do to set yourself apart? How can you bring you resume to the top of the stack and grab the attention of your reviewers? Try these simple moves.

Stay Concrete

Instead of stocking your resume with abstract, generic phrases like “I’m a hard worker” or “I’m driven to succeed”, try being a little more specific. When you say you “work hard”, does that mean you have an unbroken attendance record? Does it mean you’re willing to put in overtime hours? Does it mean your productivity quotas are above average? And if so, then by how much?

Use Numbers

While you’re making an effort to keep your claims specific, attach numbers to as many as you can. How many units do you typically process per hour? Have you held a leadership position, and if so, how many people were on your team? What does your safety record look like? Can you attach numbers to your previous annual performance reviews, the grades you’ve earned, or the revenue you raised for your former employers? Adding numbers, timelines and quantities to your claims will make them more interesting to read and easier to remember.

Find a Hook

You have plenty of traits and qualifications that line up perfectly with the traits and qualifications of every other candidate and every other resume. But you also have something else, something none of these other candidates can offer. What might that special skill or credential be? Here’s a hint: Usually your truly unique skill sets and abilities lie in an overlap between two generic ones (or more). For example, plenty of candidates in the pool probably know how to speak Spanish. And plenty of them probably know how to code in HTML. But how many of them know how to do both? How many of them have had leadership training AND know how to drive a forklift? How many are CPR certified AND have CNC experience? Magnify your special abilities by pairing them.

Keep your Cover Letter Sharp

Your resume may be great…but it still won’t get you very far unless it’s paired with a concise, relevant, beautifully written cover letter. Get some editing help and make sure your cover letter provides your resume with the support it needs.

For more on how to create a resume that grabs the spotlight, reach out to the job search experts at Lift Temp.