As we count down the summer months the Ministry of Labour will be ramping up their fall & winter blitz campaigns and provincial initiatives.
The MOL will focus on industries such as; construction, industrial establishments, 'big box' retail, health care facilities to name a few.
When the MOL inspectors visit a facility they will be looking at any and all violations of the OH&S Act like machine guarding, lock/out tag/out, reversing equipment, Internal responsibility systems, violence & harassment policy and program and many more.
Below is some more detailed information about the ¹MOL blitzes and provincial initiatives.
Construction
Reversing equipment on construction projects runs - October 1 - October 31, 2018
Employment standards runs - May 1 - August 31, 2018
Industrial
New and young workers' health and safety runs - May 1 - August 31, 2018
Health and safety in warehouses and “big box” retail runs - October 1 – November 23, 2018
Machine guarding runs - February 1 – March 29, 2019
Provincial initiatives 2018-19
Construction initiative
Internal responsibility system - June 1, 2018 – March 31, 2019
Industrial initiative
Internal responsibility system – newly registered small businesses - April 1, 2018 – March 31, 2019
Mining initiatives
Internal responsibility system – occupational disease prevention - April 1, 2018 – March 31, 2019
Health care initiatives
Internal responsibility system - workplace violence prevention - July 1, 2018 – March 31, 2019
Cross-sector initiatives
Chemical handling – chemical manufacturing - April 1, 2018 – March 31, 2019
Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) - April 1, 2018 – March 31, 2019
Ergonomics related to falls (ladders, stairs, access platforms) - April 1, 2018 – March 31, 2019
Musculoskeletal disorder prevention in metal fabrication - April 1, 2018 – March 31, 2019
Municipalities
Health and safety – ergonomics - April 1, 2019 – March 31, 2020
²The internal responsibility system is the underlying philosophy of the occupational health and safety legislation in all Canadian jurisdictions. Its foundation is that everyone in the workplace - both employees and employers - is responsible for his or her own safety and for the safety of co-workers. Acts and regulations do not always impose or prescribe the specific steps to take for compliance. Instead, it holds employers responsible for determining such steps to ensure health and safety of all employees.
¹https://www.ontario.ca/page/workplace-inspection-blitzes-and-initiatives#section-1