Overview

Health and safety inspection initiatives are part of the province’s Safe At Work Ontario compliance strategy.

These initiatives are announced to sectors in advance. However, individual workplaces are not identified in advance.

The ministry posts results from provincial initiatives online. The initiatives are intended to raise awareness of workplace hazards and promote compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and its regulations.

Ministry of Labour inspectors are responsible for enforcing the OHSA and its regulations at workplaces across the province. As part of the Safe At Work Ontario strategy, the ministry decides on the focus of initiatives using a risk-based process. This process takes into account:

  • injury, illness and fatality rates
  • compliance history
  • the nature of the work (for example, hazards that come with the job)
  • current events
  • the vulnerability of the workers
  • strategic priorities
  • advice from stakeholders

The focuses can be on specific sectors, hazards, issues or topics.

Inspectors are not limited to inspecting only the topics identified in this plan; they can apply the OHSA and its regulations to the situation they find at each workplace they inspect.

Inspectors’ findings may influence how often individual workplaces will be inspected in the future. Inspectors may also refer employers to health and safety associations for assistance and training.

High risk traumatic hazards – slips, trips and falls

This initiative is happening in all sectors (i.e., construction, health care, industrial and mining).

Phase 1: Compliance assistance

Dates: March 18 to July 12, 2019

Partners: Infrastructure Health and Safety Association, Public Services Health and Safety Association, Workplace Safety and Prevention Services and Workplace Safety North

The ministry will partner with the health and safety associations to:

  • deliver sector-specific webinars before the focused inspections phase starts
  • publish slips, trips and falls compliance assistance resources and packages
  • encourage workplaces to stop work for 15 to 30 minutes to have a safety talk about slip, trip and fall hazards specific to their workplace during Falls Awareness Week (May 6 to 10, 2019)

Phase 2: Focused inspections

Dates: April 15 to July 12, 2019

Rationale

From 2011 to 2017, incidents of falls were the second-highest cause of traumatic fatalities. 73 workers were killed at work due to falls during this time period. Furthermore, slips, trips and falls was the third highest injury event reported to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) in 2017 and accounted for 20% of allowed lost time claims with the WSIB in 2017.

Due to its impact across all sectors, the ministry and its partners have chosen to hold a campaign focused on slips, trips and falls hazards in spring 2019.

Initiative focus

Inspectors will check that employers have assessed for slip, trip and falls hazards and controlled for them (for example, through posting appropriate signs and good housekeeping practices).

Common hazards are:

  • slippery substances like spills, snow and ice
  • debris or obstructions in walkways
  • improperly maintained equipment (for example, ladders)
  • dirty work areas and surfaces
  • unsafe use of ladders
  • poor lighting
  • changes in walkway levels and slopes
  • unsecured mats
  • unsuitable footwear
  • falls from beds of trucks, trailers or loads
  • smoke, steam or dust obscuring view
  • lack of guardrails on mezzanines and balconies

Resources and compliance assistance

Find guidelines, fact sheets and other resources in the ministry’s falls page.

New and young workers

From May 1 to August 30, 2019, the Ministry of Labour will conduct an enforcement initiative to continue promoting health and safety for new and young workers in Ontario in a number of sub-sectors.

Phase 1: Compliance assistance

Dates: May 1 to August 30, 2019

Partners: Workplace Safety and Prevention Services, Workplace Safety North, and Public Services Health and Safety Association

Phase 2: Focused inspections

Dates: July 15 to August 30, 2019

Rationale

New workers are those who have been on the job less than six months, or who have been reassigned to a new job. Workers new to a job are three times more likely to get hurt during their first month on the job than at any other time. Any new-hires, temporary foreign workers, permanent or temporary workers and any current workers who are assigned new jobs are at increased risk.

Initiative focus

Ministry inspectors will focus inspections in:

  • retail
  • restaurants
  • food, beverage and tobacco
  • tourism, hospitality and recreational services

Inspectors will focus on workplaces that are newly registered with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and haven’t had a proactive health and safety visit in the last 5 years.

There are two focus groups:

  1. young workers who are 14-24 years old and
  2. new workers who are 25 years of age or older

Inspectors will focus on the following key priorities:

  • training and orientation provided by the employer (for example, supervisor and worker awareness training)
  • internal responsibility system (for example, joint health and safety committee/health and safety representation)
  • workplace violence/workplace harassment
  • minimum age requirements (where the industrial regulations apply)
  • heat stress

Resources and compliance assistance

Ministry of Labour

Workplace Safety & Prevention Services

Workplace Safety North

Public Services Health and Safety Association

Healthy workers in healthy workplaces – musculoskeletal disorders and respiratory hazards

This initiative is taking place in all sectors (i.e., construction, health care, industrial and mining).

Phase 1: Compliance assistance

Dates: September 1 to December 27, 2019

Partners: Infrastructure Health and Safety Association, Public Services Health and Safety Association, Workplace Safety and Prevention Services, Workplace Safety North and Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers

Phase 2: Focused inspections

Dates: October 1 to December 27, 2019

Musculoskeletal disorders

Rationale

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the top lost time injury at work reported to the WSIB in Ontario. In 2017, MSDs represented approximately one-third of all accepted WSIB lost time claims. There were over:

  • 19,000 claims
  • 462,000 days lost from work
  • $72 million in direct WSIB costs

Initiative focus

MSD hazards such as high forces, awkward postures and repetitive motions are commonly found when workers are required to lift, carry, push, pull or lower materials or even other people. This may lead to the development of MSDs, which can be painful and debilitating. This initiative will focus on hazards that may lead to MSDs during manual materials handling and client handling activities, and helping workplaces eliminate or control those hazards.

Inspectors will check that:

  • employers have provided training to workers on safe manual materials handling practices
  • items are being manually handled in a safe manner
  • items are stored so that they can be placed or withdrawn in a safe manner
  • handling items while the worker is on a ladder is being performed in a safe manner
  • obstructions and/or hazards on the floor are not interfering with manual materials handling activities

Resources and compliance assistance

  • The ministry’s ergonomics in the workplace page explains occupational health and safety laws related to ergonomics and includes resources and guidance on ways to address hazards from poor ergonomics.
  • The MSD Prevention Guideline for Ontario includes fact sheets, step-by-step guidelines on organizing a workplace program to prevent MSDs, a risk assessment tool, quick summaries of basic MSD hazards and a large resource library.

Respiratory hazards

Rationale

Between 2008 and 2017, long latency illnesses – illnesses in which there is a long delay between exposure to a disease-causing agent and the appearance of disease symptoms – accounted for the largest proportion of allowed WSIB benefit costs. 70% of allowed long latency illness claims over the past 10 years come from: lung cancer, pleural plaques, mesothelioma, asbestosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which are all associated with respiratory exposures.

Cancer Care Ontario and the Occupational Cancer Research Centre estimate that exposure to asbestos, diesel engine exhaust, crystalline silica and welding fumes cause approximately 1,300 cancer cases a year in Ontario.

Initiative focus

In industrial establishment workplaces, inspectors will focus on activities that may pose respiratory hazards including:

  • vapours (for example, from solvents)
  • fumes (for example, welding fumes)
  • particulate (for example, from diesel emissions)

They are referred to as respiratory hazards when they can make a worker sick or die from being inhaled.

Resources and compliance assistance

Machine guarding

From January 20 to March 31, 2020, the ministry will conduct an initiative focusing on machine guarding hazards.

Phase 1: Compliance assistance

Dates: January 20 to March 31, 2020

Partners: Workplace Safety and Prevention Services and Workplace Safety North

Phase 2: Focused inspections

Dates: February 18 to March 31, 2020

Workers can be exposed to a number of hazards when machines are not properly guarded during maintenance, repair and other activities in industrial workplaces. These hazards can result in serious injuries such as amputations of limbs, or death.

Electrical workers can also be at risk of a major electrical hazard if improper lockout procedures are used when working on energized electrical equipment.

Initiative focus

Ministry inspectors will focus inspections in:

  • automotive
  • food and beverage
  • wood and metal fabrication
  • textiles and printing
  • chemical, rubber and plastics
  • ceramics
  • logging (sawmills)
  • pulp and paper

Inspectors will focus on the following key priorities:

  • machine guarding
  • locking and blocking
  • electrical hazards
  • power line contact
  • Internal Responsibility System (IRS)

Resources and compliance assistance

Ministry of Labour

Workplace Safety & Prevention Services

Workplace Safety North

Public Services Health and Safety Association