The Specialized Professional Services program in the Ministry of Labour provides technical support and expertise to regional staff in the industrial, construction, mining and health care programs in five key areas:

  • ergonomics
  • occupational hygiene
  • engineering
  • radiation protection
  • emergency management

Ergonomics

In addition to supporting the ministry’s general inspectorate, ministry ergonomists conduct proactive ergonomics inspections. In 2016-17, the focus of these proactive inspections was on:

  • workplaces with a history of musculoskeletal disorders
  • workplaces that have been visited before during proactive initiatives
  • clothing and textile industries
  • delivery drivers
Table 36: Ergonomics initiative
Program activities Number
Field visits 509
Workplaces visited 365
Orders and requirements issued 799
Stop work orders 35
Orders and requirements per field visit 1.57
Orders and requirements per workplace visited 2.19

Resources

Occupational hygiene

On February 15, 2015, the federal Hazardous Products Act and regulations came into force and, on July 1, 2016, Ontario’s Regulation 860 WHMIS was enacted. Since that time, occupational hygienists conducted an initiative to promote and enforce the regulation, as it applies to both WHMIS 1988 and 2015.

Between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017, occupational hygienists conducted proactive visits to various sector workplaces. The goal was to ensure compliance with WHMIS requirements for:

  • labels
  • safety data sheets and material safety data sheets
  • worker education
  • communication
Table 37: Occupational hygiene initiative
Program activities Number
Field visits 407
Workplaces visited 327
Orders and requirements issued 289
Stop work orders 0
Orders and requirements per field visit 0.71
Orders and requirements per workplace visited 0.88

Resources

Radiation protection

Radiation protection officers conduct proactive radiation safety inspections and conduct field visits in response to workplace concerns involving ionizing and ion-ionizing radiation. In 2016-17, the radiation protection officers’ inspections focused on:

  • workplaces that have outstanding rejected applications for installation of an X-ray source
  • dental X-ray source installations in open treatment areas at veterinary facilities
  • workplaces that have the highest personal X-ray exposures, based on information supplied by the national dose registry database, the repository for occupational X-ray exposures
  • X-ray source installations that have never been inspected or have not been inspected for at least six years
Table 38: Radiation protection initiative
Program activities Number
Field visits 539
Workplaces visited 392
Orders and requirements issued 721
Stop work orders 19
Orders and requirements per field visit 1.34
Orders and requirements per workplace visited 1.84

Resources