The Ontario Ministry of Labour conducts workplace inspection blitzes.
MOL inspectors regularly enter business facilities to do workplace inspection blitzes to monitor safety practices. An inspector could show up at your workplace at any time and request evidence that your organization has safety procedures in place to protect employees from safety hazards in your work setting. Is your workplace compliant with the requirements of the Ontario Occupational Health & Safety Act and the related regulations?
Though you will not get a warning about if or when an inspector will come to your workplace, the MOL does release a schedule and list of safety topics that ourlines the current focus for inspectors. Advertising the areas of focus for workplace inspection blitzes is a public service that helps educate business owners and managers, making them aware of safety risks in certain work settings.
Workplace inspection blitzes are meant to raise awareness about safety hazards in workplaces. The resulting penalties and fines also increase compliance with the OHSA and its regulations. Hopefully by focusing inspections blitzes on high risk safety hazards, there will be a decreased incidence of worker injuries. The ministry regularly reports its findings from workplace inspections and associated penalties and fines that specific businesses received.
The 2017 / 2018 workplace inspections blitzes focus on the following topics: new and young worker safety, supervisor health and safety awareness, falls, machine guarding, electrical hazards, PPE and workplace violence. Though it is expected that a business’ health and safety program consider all safety risks, employers should review the areas of focus on this year’s workplace inspections blitz schedule when doing annual health & safety program reviews.
Learn more about schedules for workplace inspection blitzes in Ontario.
