inspection blitzes

Ontario targeting high-risk workplace sectors in inspection blitzes

Friday, May 4, 2018

Ontario is conducting more than two dozen workplace inspection blitzes in 2018 and 2019 to ensure employers are meeting health, safety and employment standards at workplaces across the province. Inspection blitzes and initiatives are part of the province’s enforcement strategy to increase compliance with the Employment Standards Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act and their regulations.

Enforcement staff will visit workplaces including warehouses, “big box” retail stores, grocery stores, chemical manufacturing plants, pulp and paper mills, hotels, golf courses, health care organizations, mines and construction projects. The blitzes will target sectors that often employ new and young workers, temporary help, vulnerable workers and workplaces with a history of low compliance.

Occupational health and safety inspectors will look for workplace health and safety violations involving issues such as working at heights, ergonomics, falls, hazardous materials, machine guarding, conveyors, mobile equipment and violence. The goal of these inspection blitzes is to raise safety awareness, enhance workplace health and safety and to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths.

“Every worker has the right to return home safe and sound at the end of each work day and to receive their employment standards entitlements,” said Kevin Flynn, Minister of Labour, in a press release. “We want to raise awareness of hazards and other violations at workplaces across the province to ensure employers are complying with Ontario laws and that workers are protected.”

Since June 2008, occupational health and safety inspectors with the Ministry of Labour have conducted over 792,400 field visits, and 100 provincial inspection blitzes. Inspectors have issued over 1,297,500 compliance orders for safety issues across all sectors in Ontario since that time.

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