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 which focused on worker exposures to chemical agents in the workplace.

In the ministry’s continuous effort to prevent occupational illnesses, this risk-based campaign was designed to:

Education and outreach phase

We began by focusing on education, training, outreach, and awareness, in partnership with the Health and Safety Associations (HSAs). The goal was to help employers comply with the requirements under the OHSA and its regulations prior to focused inspections.

During the enforcement phase, MLITSD occupational hygienists also referred workplace parties to health and safety partners for compliance assistance and training, as appropriate.

Enforcement phase

Beginning July 2, 2024, we conducted focused inspections of workplaces to check that employers were complying with the OHSA and its regulations. In particular, MLITSD occupational hygienists checked that employers were taking appropriate action to ensure that workers are not exposed to hazardous substances which exceed the occupational exposure limits.

As a result, MLITSD occupational hygienists:

  • conducted 174 field visits with 92 support role activities
  • visited 131 workplaces
  • issued 144 orders and requirements

“Support role activities” are 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

R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 833 prescribes occupational exposure limits for many different chemical agents that workers may be exposed to in the workplace. The employer has a duty to ensure workers are protected against hazardous exposures through the implementation of engineering controls, administrative controls and safe work practices, including the use of personal protective equipment when necessary.

Occupational illnesses may result from acute and long-term exposures to hazardous chemical agents in the workplace. Controlling these exposures will help lower the risk of workers developing an occupational illness. This campaign is consistent with one of the objectives of the five-year Prevention Works strategy and contributes to the collection of information for the purpose of developing an exposure surveillance system.

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 occupational hygienists and inspectors’ findings may impact the number and level of future inspections of individual workplaces.

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

Focus of the campaign

MLITSD hygienists conducted proactive inspections to ensure compliance with R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 833, Control of Exposure to Biological or Chemical Agents in all workplaces where this regulation applies. More specifically, MLITSD hygienists ensured that workers were not exposed to hazardous substances exceeding the occupational exposure limits.

The inspections included assessing worker exposure to hazardous chemical agents by reviewing employer exposure data and, where necessary, requiring employers to conduct air monitoring to determine exposure levels. In some cases, MLITSD hygienists took measurements during the inspection or arranged for air sampling to be conducted at the workplace.

MLITSD occupational hygienists took appropriate action if contraventions were found under the OHSA or its regulations. This included the issuance of orders to comply with requirements of the OHSA and regulations made under the OHSA.

Inspection activity summary

Visits to workplaces

  • 174 field visits with 92 support role activities
  • 131 workplaces visited
  • 144 orders and requirements issued under the OHSA and its regulations including:
    • 105 contraventions under the OHSA and its regulations
    • 30 requirements issued and 25 contraventions addressed under the OHSA
    • 13 contraventions addressed under Regulation 833, Control of Exposure to Biological or Chemical Agents

Most frequent contraventions addressed

A total of 25 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)]
  • provide information, instruction and supervision to a worker to protect their health and safety [s. 25(2)(a)]

A total of 13 orders were issued for contraventions under the Reg. 833. Orders were issued under the following sections (among others):

  • requirement to establish written measures and procedures on the selection, care and use of respirators [s. 9(2)]
  • fit testing for tight-fitting respirators [s. 12(1)]
  • employer to provide training and instruction to workers on the care and use of respirators [s. 9(3)]

Observations

The results of this campaign indicate that workplace parties need to improve compliance with respect to worker exposure to chemical agents. We observed that:

  • A written respiratory program was not always established. The program is important to ensure that appropriate respiratory protection is provided, and that respirators are properly used and maintained.
  • Tight-fitting respirators were not always tested for fit. Fit testing is important to ensure that workers obtain the best protection from the respirators they are using.Workers who are provided with respiratory protection were not always trained on the proper care and use of the respirators. It is important to communicate to workers the purpose of respiratory protection and the importance of proper use and care of respirators.

Conclusion and next steps

Heightened awareness of any hazard can bring change. All workplaces parties must continue to be diligent and not allow complacency to enter their daily routines.

Respiratory protection, when selected, used and maintained properly, can help reduce worker exposure to airborne chemical agents in the workplace. MLITSD inspectors and occupational hygienists will continue to enforce the requirements of R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 833, to ensure that worker exposures to chemical agents in the workplace are adequately controlled.

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 exposure limits.