Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) will be required equipment on many Ontario construction sites under proposed amendments to the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act. The stipulation has been introduced as part of a package of labour and employment legislation in Bill 30, which also contains the framework for a new administrative monetary penalty (AMP) regime tied to workplace and job site health and safety.

“Our skilled workers are at the centre of our government’s plan to build highways, energy and key infrastructure,” says David Piccini, Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “Ensuring life-saving equipment is where it’s needed to keep them safe is one more way we’re creating safer workplaces.”

As proposed, AEDs would be mandatory on sites with 20 or more workers where the construction or infrastructure project is expected to last for at least three months. The  Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) would reimburse subject employers for required purchase of the devices. That’s a cost currently estimated at about $2,300 per unit.

“Automated external defibrillators on construction projects will help save lives, ensuring that workers can be protected in emergency situations,” maintains Marc Arsenault, business manager of the Building & Construction Trades Council of Ontario.

“We are particularly supportive of initiatives that deliver practical, measurable impact, such as the requirement for AEDs on larger construction sites. These changes reflect a shared commitment to fostering safer, more resilient job sites across the province,” concurs Jeff Spitzig, executive vice president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Ontario.