Overview

From April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) conducted a health and safety campaign that focused on material handling hazards in various sectors with inspectors paying particular attention where new and young workers are employed.

Education and outreach phase

We began by focusing on education, outreach, and awareness, to provide information to workplace parties, in partnership with Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS).

The goal was to help employers comply with the requirements under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and its regulations prior to focused inspections. To prepare workplace parties, we provided information and compliance assistance resources, including:

  • holding a joint webinar to launch the campaign on April 17, 2024
  • agriculture sector focused joint webinar on April 20, 2024
  • agriculture sector focused joint webinar on January 31, 2025

WSPS developed several workplace resources and tool to assist workplace parties, hosted webinars, promoted the campaign in a brochure sent to employers, advertised in relevant publications and sent out email blasts.

MLITSD inspectors provided links to compliance assistance resources in field visit reports where applicable. Inspectors also referred workplace parties to our health and safety partners for compliance assistance and training as appropriate during the enforcement phase.

Enforcement phase

Beginning April 1, 2024, we conducted focused inspections of workplaces to check that employers were complying with the OHSA and its regulations. In particular, MLITSD inspectors checked that employers were taking appropriate action to monitor and deal with hazards, specifically for the protection of workers where materials, articles or things are carried, lifted or moved and put workers at risk of being injured by their movement.

The campaign aimed to increase compliance with the OHSA and applicable regulations. The goals were to:

  • prevent injuries and illnesses that could arise from unsafe work practices
  • raise awareness of key health and safety material handling hazards
  • ensure workplace parties were complying with the law
  • refer employers to health and safety partners for assistance in complying with legislation

Inspection results

As a result, MLITSD inspectors:

  • conducted 9,418 field visits with 1,067 support role activities
  • visited 6,855 workplaces
  • issued 23,453 orders and requirements

“Support role activities” means that a professional services staff (such as a hygienist, ergonomist or engineer) or another inspector accompanies an inspector on a field visit to provide professional support and/or expertise.

Background

Over the last five years, MLITSD data shows that material handling hazards are the number one cause of traumatic workplace fatalities in the industrial program. In this time period, being crushed by materials or equipment, being struck by materials or equipment and falling from heights have accounted for the greatest number of fatalities in the industrial program.

On farming operations, material handling is often challenging because the materials being moved are often not palletized and there may be limited material handling equipment.

Full report

Workplace inspection campaigns

Inspection campaigns are part of our compliance strategy. We announce to the sector, in advance, that we will be conducting a campaign. However, individual workplaces are not notified in advance. MLITSD inspectors’ findings may impact the number and level of future inspections of individual workplaces.

MLITSD inspectors may also refer employers to health and safety associations for compliance assistance and training.

Focus of the campaign

This campaign focused on material handling hazards in industrial sector workplaces.

Inspectors considered key priorities and potential hazards, as applicable, for workers who handle materials, and the equipment used to handle these materials and that employers were taking appropriate action to assess and address these hazards in industrial workplaces.

The key sectors included:

  • automotive
  • primary metals
  • retail
  • farming and agricultural services
  • transportation
  • tourism, hospitality and recreational services
  • food, beverage and tobacco
  • wood and metal fabrication
  • vehicle sales and service
  • industrial services (provides a service to an industry rather than a product (for example, elevator and escalator maintenance, linen supply companies and custom welding)
  • government (municipal operations)
  • wholesalers

Inspectors focused on the following key priorities:

  • new and young workers
  • lifting devices/mobile equipment/cranes
  • workplace layout and design
  • manual material handling
  • storage systems
  • automation
  • machine guarding, blocking and lockout
  • administrative review/IRS
  • OHS awareness training

MLITSD inspectors took appropriate action to address contraventions, including issuing orders to comply with the OHSA and its regulations.

Inspection activity summary

Visits to workplaces

Most frequent contraventions addressed

A total of 10,192 contraventions were addressed under the OHSA. The most frequently issued OHSA orders involved employers’ failure to:

  • ensure that the equipment, materials and protective devices provided by the employer are maintained in good condition [s.25(1)(b)]
  • take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker [s.25(2)(h)]
  • post a copy of the Act in the workplace and any explanatory materials prepared by the ministry [s.25(2)(i)]

A total of 8,925 contraventions were addressed under Industrial Establishments Regulation. Orders were issued under the following sections (among others):

  • requirements regarding lifting devices including annual inspections [s.51(1)]
  • that floors or other surfaces including being kept free of hazards and obstructions [s.11]
  • that materials, articles or things are handled safely [s.45]
  • that machinery, equipement or material not tip or fall [s.46]

As part of checking for worker and supervisor training in workplaces, a total of 1,802 contraventions were addressed under the Occupational Health and Safety Awareness and Training Regulation (O. Reg. 297/13). Orders were issued under the following sections (among others):

  • basic occupational health and safety awareness training for workers [s.1(1)]
  • basic occupational health and safety awareness training for supervisors [s.2(1)]

Observations

The results of this campaign indicate that workplace parties need to improve compliance with respect to maintaining equipment in good condition, ensuring materials are stored safely, machines are equipped with appropriate guards and that workers and supervisors receive basic occupational health and safety training. We observed that:

  • ensuring lifting devices undergo an annual inspection is one of the top contraventions identified
  • workplaces face challenges keeping floors free of hazards
  • the safe handling and storage of materials continues to be an issue that can result in serious outcomes
  • basic occupational health and safety knowledge and a well functioning internal responsiblitiy system continues to be a challenge in many workplaces

Conclusion and next steps

Heightened awareness of any hazard can bring changes and challenges. All workplace parties must continue to be diligent and not allow complacency to enter their daily routines. The risks of handling materials in an unsafe manner can be eliminated by raising awareness and taking proper precautions.

Ministry inspectors will continue to focus on workers who handle materials and the equipment used to handle these materials and that employers are taking appropriate action to assess and address these hazards in industrial workplaces. They will pay particular attention to workplaces where there are new and/or young workers and where temporary help agency workers are employed.

A key to workplace health and safety in Ontario is the Internal Responsibility System (IRS). Workplace parties are encouraged to work together to identify and control all hazards.

Help for employers

Please contact our health and safety partners for more information, resources and tools.

Contact us through our Health and Safety Contact Centre. We can provide information about compliance with the OHSA, including where to find information that is relevant to your workplace to assist with compliance regarding the use of respirators.