Ontario is now in the grip of a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. To prevent further spread of the virus and to ensure businesses are following Public Health guidelines on workplace safety, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour is hiring 98 more health and safety inspectors.
This step will increase the number of MOL inspectors across the province to 507 from 409.
Under Ontario’s labour laws, employers are required to take all reasonable precautions for the health and safety of their employees. This includes a workplace free of hazards, including hazards such as infectious diseases.
Through safety inspections, the Ministry ensures workplaces in different sectors are operating in compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
Between March 11 and September 8, 2020, labour inspectors conducted 19,411 inspections related to COVID-19 and issued 16,520 orders.
What do health and safety inspectors do?
The inspectors ensure workplaces are compliant with the province’s occupational health and safety legislation. They have the power to:
- Inspect any workplace and make sure it has protections in place and is COVID secure
- Investigate any potentially hazardous situation, critical injury, fatality and work refusal
- Order compliance with OHS legislation
- Issue fines and/or stop work orders and shut down your workplace in case of an OHS violation
- Recommend and initiate prosecutions
Every year, the Ministry of Labour schedules inspection blitzes in specific sectors. The schedule is available on the Ministry website. However, it lists the sectors to be inspected, and not individual workplaces. Due to COVID-19, the Ministry will be adjusting the 2020-21 health and safety compliance initiative schedule available currently.
Health and safety audits are both proactive and reactive. Reactive visits are in response to a fatality, critical injury, work refusal or a complaint. Proactive workplace inspections are usually unannounced.
How will Peninsula prepare my workplace for a COVID-19 health & safety inspection?
Workplace safety has never been more crucial than at present, when we are in the middle of a pandemic. As your business deals with the economic fallout of the pandemic, the last thing you want is to lose more money due to negligence or non-compliance with the law.
When you sign up for Peninsula’s health and safety service, you sign off all your OHS compliance worries to us.
We’ll assess your premises to review your health & safety compliance as well as existing policies. Our health & safety experts will:
- Be available 24/7 to answer any questions or resolve any workplace safety issues that you may have
- Train your staff on health and safety procedures to follow in the workplace
- Write watertight policies and documents tailored to your business’ needs
- Support and guide you during inspections
Given our low-cost membership, our services are affordable for businesses of any size.
Do you have more questions about preparing for a COVID-19 health and safety inspection?
Our health & safety experts will ensure your workplace is OHS compliant and as safe as possible for your staff. To learn more about our health and safety service, call an expert today at (1) 833-247-3652.
