Over the past year, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development continued to work with other ministries and partners to target emerging health issues in the workplace, especially those occurring from the onset of COVID‑19. Our list of partners includes:

  • Ministry of Health
  • Ministry of Long-term Care
  • Public Health Ontario
  • the OHS system

The 2020–2021 OHS Annual Report spotlighted the coordinated response by the OHS system to help stop the spread of COVID‑19 in workplaces. This section of this report includes further examples of how our efforts to address COVID‑19 continued in the 2021–2022 fiscal year.

The OHS system focused on tackling the health and safety concerns of workers who continued to work on the frontlines—specifically addressing occupational health nurses who have been instrumental to help prevent the spread of COVID‑19.

Increasing awareness training

In 2021–2022, the ministry provided approximately $250,000 in funding to develop and disseminate an accessible resource package to support personal support workers (PSWs) during the COVID‑19 emergency period. As part of the project, Unity Health also partnered with Ontario Personal Support Workers Association (OPSWA) to host a Mental Health and Wellness COVID‑19 webinar. The webinar was designed to provide direct support for PSWs and other long-term care and retirement home staff and stakeholders.

In December 2021, a directive from Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer fortified the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements for health care workers as an interim precaution following the uncertainty around the mechanism of transmission of the COVID‑19 Omicron variant of concern (B.1.1.529). The directive required all employees providing direct care to, or interacting with, patients or residents suspected or confirmed to have COVID‑19 to have access to a fit-tested, seal-checked N95 respirator (or an approved equivalent), eye protection (goggles or face shield), gown and gloves.

As a result of this announcement, demand for the Public Services Health and Safety Association’s Training the Fit Tester (TTFT) for Respiratory Protection distance learning course increased by 30% from the prior year. With in-person learning suspended due to COVID‑19, PSHSA leveraged its resources and commitment to future readiness to launch the TTFT course in a blended digital format. This approach gave Ontarians uninterrupted access to crucial health and safety knowledge and training, in compliance with provincial requirements. The new delivery channel offered employers and workers more flexibility and continues to be the most popular learning option for TTFT.

To further enhance awareness training about COVID‑19, the PSHSA also launched the free Infection Prevention and Control at Work: Basic Awareness Training program in March 2021. This program supports Ontario employers, supervisors and workers in recognizing infectious hazards and preventing infections in the workplace, throughout COVID‑19 and beyond. Between April to May 2021, 4,426 participants accessed the eLearning course and 14 additional organizations hosted the eLearning program on their own Learning Management Systems.

Collaboration also took place between the ministry, Peel Public Health and Toronto Public Health to lead a forum for Temporary Health Agencies (THAs) on September 28, 2021. The ministry presented the webinar to over 90 THAs during the forum. This presentation helped to advise THAs of their roles and responsibilities in combatting COVID‑19.

Providing compliance assistance to essential businesses

A number of essential businesses were allowed to remain open throughout the COVID‑19 emergency period, including construction. For these businesses, the ministry worked with the Ministry of Health and the former Ministry of Government and Consumer Services in May 2021 to further expand the Provincial Antigen Screening Program. As of March 31, 2022 approximately 923,415 tests were shipped to the construction sector. The ministry continued to support approximately 800 construction sector applications that were approved through the Ontario Together portal.

From February to May 2021, the ministry launched a COVID‑19 initiative on construction projects to:

  • raise awareness about COVID‑19 guidelines from the Ministry of Health and Chief Medical Officer of Health
  • Monitor employer compliance with the OHSA and its regulations their obligation to ensure workers on projects were protected from all hazards, including infectious diseases

During the initiative, construction inspectors conducted:

  • 3,830 field visits
  • visited 3,117 workplaces
  • issued 8,424 orders

The ministry’s health and safety inspectors continued to inspect regulated workplaces to determine whether they were following the OHSA. Inspectors also participated in multi-ministry team campaigns helping to enforce compliance with public health measures set under the Reopening of Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID‑19) Act, 2020.

During these campaigns with other enforcement ministries, inspectors and officers also provided compliance assistance to businesses on how they could stop the spread of COVID‑19 and keep their workers safe.

These multi-ministry campaigns highlighted opportunities for further collaboration. The ministry continues to develop information-sharing agreements that will assist in delivery of inspection programs that are data driven and responsive to health and safety needs.