Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Many workplace health and safety risks aren’t fully understood until an inspection, audit, or incident uncovers serious issues. When something does go wrong, inspectors, auditors, and the courts examine what was in place beforehand. Often, responsibilities that looked fine on paper weren’t being carried out. Hazards were present but underestimated. Controls were in place but not adequate for actual exposure conditions. Closing those gaps is what my work is built around. I’m Mike Russo, a Registered Occupational Hygienist (ROH) and Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) based in Ontario. I work with Southern Ontario employers across three areas: ▬▬▬▬▬ Occupational Hygiene and Exposure Risk Identify and evaluate workplace exposures such as noise, airborne contaminants, and indoor air quality. All work is led by ROH and CIH professionals, with senior involvement throughout the project to ensure results are accurate, defensible, and clearly understood. That experience also matters when responding to concerns from workplace parties and helping employers address Ministry of Labour orders and expectations. ▬▬▬▬▬ Health and Safety Advisory Assess where your program stands against Ontario Occupational Health and Safety requirements and industry standards. This includes health and safety gap assessments, COR® audit support as an IHSA-approved COR® Associate Consultant, and targeted advisory work that holds up when inspectors or auditors ask questions. ▬▬▬▬▬ Training and Compliance Systems An online system that gives employers a structured way to deliver, assign, and manage health and safety training across their workforce. Workers can complete training online at their own pace, while employers can easily assign courses, track progress, and maintain records for due diligence. This system includes custom orientation training tailored to your workplace and specific hazards, so workers understand real risks.
With my extensive knowledge of Ontario's health and safety system, I provide comprehensive support to workplaces and associations in the planning and delivery of effective health and safety initiatives. I analyze and develop health and safety programs, policies, and procedures, and provide expert guidance the Certificate of Recognition (COR™) and ISO 45001. I develop and deliver engaging eLearning and face-to-face training programs on a variety of hazards and topics, and work with businesses to create highly-effective orientation programs for new workers who are three times more likely to be injured during their first month on the job than at any other time. I also conduct OHS management system audits, offer OHS legislative guidance to clients based on my experience working closely with the Ministry of Labour, and deliver compelling presentations that leave audiences with a clear understanding of the issues at hand.
Occupational Health and Safety Management
ADMN 2906 Occupational Health and Safety Management
I facilitated the learning process for aspiring and current health and safety professionals by connecting course material to real-world applications in the field, evaluating assignments, and providing individualized constructive feedback through thought-provoking questions that challenged students to consider how the course material applied to their profession. • COHS 608 - Hazard Recognition and Control • COHS 523 - Safety Evaluation Techniques
Led marketing campaigns for IHSA's Certificate of Recognition (COR™), Health and Safety Excellence program (HSEp), workplace mental health, and other initiatives. My team also managed the development of health and safety communications for industry and regulators, and IHSA's magazine, e-newsletter, website, social media, and graphic design.
As Manager of Quality Assurance and Projects at IHSA, I led the successful launch of our Learning Management System (LMS), resulting in over 60% cost savings and close to 10,000 enrollments in health and safety training in the first year. I evaluated training delivered by IHSA instructors and provided feedback for continuous improvement, while also leading IHSA through external audits by regulatory agencies such as the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, TSSA, and Ministry of Transportation. Additionally, I streamlined the registration process for the Certificate of Recognition (COR™) program, established the COR™ Auditor Conference, and evaluated participant feedback to enhance program effectiveness.
My team managed a portfolio of over 200 health and safety training courses completed by over 50,000 workers and supervisors across Ontario each year. Working with subject matter experts and instructional designers, we led the development of new or revised courses such as COR™ Essentials, COR™ Internal Auditor, Entry Level Construction, Basics of Supervising, and Basic Auditing Principles. My team incorporated rigorous evaluation methods to ensure IHSA's training was of the highest quality, resulting in an overall satisfaction rate of over 94% by those who completed our courses annually.