The Ontario Ministry of Labour has published its enforcement “blitzes” and regional initiatives schedule as part of its Safe at Work Ontario strategy. The Safe at Work strategy aims to protect workers’ health and safety on the job and ensure employers comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). Actually, the strategy also helps in enhancing the transparency of the ministry’s overall enforcement efforts. It comes right down to being proactive about occupational health and safety and reducing worker illnesses and injuries. After all, studies indicate costs associated with noncompliance are far greater than that of being proactive with regard to health and safety compliance.
What is an Inspection Blitz?
An inspection blitz is when an occupational health and safety inspector conducts a proactive visit designed to raise awareness and increase compliance with the OHSA. Similarly, employment standards officers visit employers to check compliance with core Employment Standards Act (ESA), such as posting the Employment Standards Notice, accurate record keeping, paying employees the appropriate wage rate, etc.
Below are the Blitz/Initiative Schedules for 2014-2015
Provincial Blitzes
| Focus | Program | Sector/Business Type | Date | ||
| Internships | Employment Standards | Marketing/Public Relations, Software Development, Retail, Media, Film, Entertainment | April – June 2014 | ||
| Excavation Hazards | Health and Safety | Construction | May 2014 | ||
| New and Young Workers | Health and Safety | Industrial | May – August 2014 | ||
| Fall Protection / Hazards | Health and Safety | Construction | July – August 2014 | ||
| Explosives | Health and Safety | Mining | July – August 2014 | ||
| Material Handling | Health and Safety | Industrial | September 15 – October 26, 2014 |
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| Vulnerable and Temporary Foreign Workers | Employment Standards | Restaurants, Building Services, Personal Care Services, Business Support Services, Agriculture | September – November 2014 |
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| Ground Control | Health and Safety | Mining | October – November 2014 |
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| Machine Guarding | Health and Safety | Industrial | November 3 – December 14, 2014 |
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| Temporary Help Agencies | Employment Standards | Temporary Help Agencies | January – February 2015 |
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| Slips, Trips and Falls | Health and Safety | Industrial | February 2 – March 15, 2015 |
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| Water Management | Health and Safety | Mining | February – March 2015 |
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Provincial Initiatives |
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| Focus | Program | Sector/Business Type | Date | ||
Health Care Initiative
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Health and Safety | Health Care | July 2014 – March 2015 | ||
| Traffic Protection and Control | Health and Safety | Construction | April 2014 – March 2015 | ||
| Roofing | Health and Safety | Construction | April 2014 – March 2015 | ||
| Residential Housing | Health and Safety | Construction | April 2014 – March 2015 | ||
| Infill Housing | Health and Safety | Construction | April 2014 – March 2015 | ||
| Industrial, Commercial, Institutional | Health and Safety | Construction | April 2014 – March 2015 | ||
| New small business registration and Internal Responsibility System | Health and Safety | Industrial workplaces | April 2014 – March 2015 | ||
| Workplaces with young or vulnerable x-ray workers receiving radiation exposure | Health and Safety | Industrial workplaces with x-ray equipment | April 2014 – March 2015 | ||
| Dust/Ventilation Management | Health and Safety | Mining | April 2014 – March 2015 | ||
| Mobile Equipment | Health and Safety | Mining | April 2014 – March 2015 | ||
| Remote Controls | Health and Safety | Mining | April 2014 – March 2015 | ||
| Asbestos Program and Inventory | Health and Safety | Mining | April 2014 – March 2015 | ||
| Occupational Hygiene | Health and Safety | Dermatitis, WHMIScompliance to labels,MSDS, worker education and communication of components of the GHS | April 2014 – March 2015 | ||
| Ergonomics | Health and Safety |
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April 2014 – March 2015 | ||
Regional Initiatives Regional Initiatives
| Location | Program | Sector/Business Type | Date |
| Central West: Simcoe Peel Dufferin York |
Employment Standards |
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| Central West | Health and Safety |
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| Central East: Toronto Durham |
Employment Standards |
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| Central East | Health and Safety |
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| Eastern: Ottawa Kingston Peterborough |
Employment Standards |
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| Eastern | Health and Safety |
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| Northern | Health and Safety |
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| Northern: Thunder Bay North Bay Timmins Sudbury Sault Ste Marie |
Employment Standards |
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| Western | Health and Safety |
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| Western: Hamilton Kitchener-Waterloo Wellington/Cambridge London Windsor |
Employment Standards |
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