HSW Beta Version:
We are launching the HSW web site as a Beta version. We have done our very best to design, develop, and implement an innovative real-time health and safety information service given the resources available to us. Like any brand new information service, we expect there to be some growing pains. If you experience unexpected errors, or have suggestions as to how we can improve the experience, please contact us. YOUR feedback is essential to improving and evolving HSW to meet YOUR needs. We look forward to hearing from you.

Recommended web browsers:
HSW Beta Version is best viewed in the following browsers: Internet Explorer 8+, Firefox 3.0+, Safari 3.0+, Chrome3.0+

Hazard Categories:
We launched HSW with Food and Consumer Product health hazard advisories. We then added Drinking Water Advisories, Disease Outbreaks, and Environmental Health issues. Future hazard categories include restaurant inspection status, and beach closures.

Multi-language Support:
Our goal is to provide HSW in multiple languages beginning with English, then French. Additional languages are being considered.

Support:
Development of HSW began in the Fall of 2007. Together with being funded by Intelligent Health Solutions Inc., we greatly appreciate all additional funding and support received to date. We would like to acknowledge the support received from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), GeoConnections program, and Precarn Incorporated.

We also recognize and thank food safety experts with the Food Safety Network (University of Guelph) for providing advice and feedback during the initial design of the system and for their continued involvement.

Efforts are currently underway to secure funding to develop and implement new features.

HSW Advisory Group:
We are currently assembling an advisory group to help guide the evolution of HSW. The advisory group will include representation from government, industry, and academia.

Sponsorship:
We are currently developing a sponsorship program. If you wish to learn more about our sponsorship program please contact us, we are eager to hear from you.

What is a HSW Event and Event Report?
HSW is event-based. Each health and safety topic is managed as a single event regardless of the originating source of information. Each Event consists of one or more Event Reports. Event Reports are published as new information becomes available.

Why sign-up and create a HSW account?
By signing-up to HSW you can personalize the information you receive. Once you’ve created your account, you will be able to specify what health and safety topics and what areas in Canada are important to you. HSW Events that meet your selections will automatically be added to your “My Events” folder. Additionally, you can choose to manually add or remove HSW Events to and from your “My Events” folder. With an HSW account, you can request to receive an email notification when a specific Event you are following is updated. Note, you can choose to receive email updates for some Events but not others.

Is HSW a Canadian Government program?
Although the development of HSW was in part funded through government assistance, HSW is not a government program. Efforts are currently underway to engage relevant government organizations to participate in HSW.

How is information gathered?
Our system and processes have been designed to ensure accuracy in the collection, processing, analysis and distribution of health & safety intelligence of all types. Information is only collected from reliable sources, including government organizations and agencies (Federal, Provincial/Territorial, Local), and is processed by content experts with state-of-the-art tools ensuring data integrity and reliability. To this end, we have engaged experts from stakeholder organizations to help design and implement the system. The original sources of information are referenced on the Information Sources tab so you can always refer back to the original source.

What is the HSW privacy statement?
In order to personalize your HSW experience, it is necessary for you to specify your interests. We at HSW want to assure you that ALL personal information you provide will be kept in strict confidence. No personal information (email address, etc) will be provided to any other organizations including sponsors. The HSW privacy statement outlines our policy with respect to the information you provide.

Who should I report a problem to?
If you experience problems with the web site or your account, or have any suggestions or comments, please contact us. YOUR feedback is essential to improving and evolving HSW to meet YOUR needs. We look forward to hearing from you.

How do I cancel my account?
If you wish to cancel your account, simply send us an email.