Health care inspectors enforce the Occupational Health and Safety Act and regulations at health care workplaces across the province.

In Ontario, health and community care services are provided in a variety of complex settings. The Ministry of Labour Health Care Health and Safety Program covers seven settings:

  • long-term care homes (homes for nursing care)
  • retirement homes (homes for residential care)
  • hospitals
  • nursing services
  • supported group living residences and other facilities (group homes)
  • treatment clinics and specialized services
  • professional offices and agencies

In addition to their general inspection duties in 2016-17, inspectors conducted field visits as part of the provincial health care enforcement initiative.

Health care blitzes

Provincial health care initiative

As part of Safe At Work Ontario, the Ministry of Labour conducted a three-year (July 1, 2014-June 30, 2017) initiative to promote health and safety in Ontario’s health care sector.

This initiative addressed the five most serious hazards in health care workplaces:

  • musculoskeletal disorders
  • exposure to hazardous biological, chemical and physical agents
  • slips, trips and falls
  • worker contact with objects and/or being struck by objects
  • workplace violence

Over the three years, inspectors visited all acute care hospitals as well as some long-term care homes, retirement homes, group homes and community-based health care services. During the inspections, they reviewed both clinical and non-clinical areas.

Inspectors checked for compliance with:

  • the Occupational Health and Safety Act
  • the regulations for health care and residential facilities
  • regulations related to needle safety
  • other health and safety regulations

Inspectors also reviewed the workplaces’ Internal Responsibility System and their compliance with regulations related to occupational health and safety awareness and training. Inspectors may also have referred employers to health and safety associations for compliance assistance and training.

Enforcement initiatives raise awareness of known workplace hazards and promote compliance with health and safety requirements. Inspectors' findings may influence the frequency and level of future inspections of individual workplaces in the health care sector.

Table 34: Health care enforcement initiative (Apr 1, 2016-Mar 31, 2017)
Program activities Number
Field visits 871
Workplaces visited 332
Orders and requirements issued 1,900
Stop work orders 22
Orders per workplace visited 5.72

Enforcement activities from previous years are captured in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 annual reports.

Orders were issued for various violations under the:

The following table illustrates the number of visits by type of health care workplace, as well as the orders issued.

Table 35: Health care enforcement initiative sector analysis stats
Sector Orders issued Stop work orders issued Requirements issued Workplaces visited
Hospitals 1,267 9 32 141
Homes for nursing care 355 6 8 87
Group homes 39 0 1 22
Professional offices and agencies 76 0 2 26
Homes for residential care 138 7 3 48
Treatment clinics and specialized services 21 0 0 8
Nursing services 4 0 0 1
Grand Total 1,900 22 46 332

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