Proposed legislation indicates Ontario employers will have financial support to comply with pending requirements to supply augmented hard hats in many work environments. A newly introduced amendment to Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act sets out a framework for the government to reimburse costs associated with purchasing “prescribed protective headwear”, but leaves most of the details to future regulations.
This comes roughly 14 months before new rules related to protective headwear will take effect. As of July 1, 2027, hard hats that safeguard against sideward impacts and/or have chin straps will be required in a broad set of circumstances, stated in the regulation as:
- if the worker may be exposed to side impact hazards when on the project; and/or
- if the conditions on a project may cause protective headwear worn by a worker to dislodge.
Where risk of sideward hazards is present, the regulation specifies that protective headwear must comply with either CSA standard Z94.1 or ANSI standard Z89.1 for Type 2 hard hats. These promise comprehensive protection of the top, sides and back of the head versus currently stipulated Type 1 hard hats, which are designed to safeguard the top of the head.
The Ontario government asked for stakeholder input on the cost of complying with these requirements during a March 2026 public consultation prior to finalizing the regulation. A briefing document released along with the proposed new amendment states that the reimbursement program is meant “to help offset initial costs for employers, ensuring a smooth transition while improving worker safety”.
