Ontario has increased the maximum fines to employers to enhance workplace health and safety.
As an employer, do you know how to prevent and manage workplace hazards? It's important that you comply with Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), especially given the recent changes for stronger enforcement. On December 14, 2017, Ontario passed the Stronger, Fairer Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2017, under Bill 177. In effect, this means employers will see significant increases in penalties for non-compliance with workplace health and safety standards.
Prepare to pay: the cost of non-compliance could have a major impact on your business
First and foremost, the maximum fines are quadrupling for individuals and tripling for corporations. This includes increases up to:
- $100,000 for individual or unincorporated businesses (from $25,000); and
- $1,500,000 for corporations (from $500,000).
Second, the limitation period will provide employers with greater exposure to prosecution. When it comes to filing charges under the OHSA, prosecutions have been moved from being one year as of the offence date to one year from when an inspector becomes aware of an alleged offence.
Here are 3 health and safety tips to prepare your workplace for an inspection
Together with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), the Ministry of Labour sets the rights and obligations of employers under the OHSA. Fact: In 2016-17, the Ministry of Labour did 79,800 health and safety inspection visits to more than 34,700 workplaces and issued 118,000 non-compliance orders. What can you do to ensure a healthy and safe workplace?
- Provide health and safety awareness training to educate your staff on safe workplace practices.
- Conduct regular inspections to identify existing and potential workplace hazards, and determine underlying causes.
- Keep a record of incident reports and use this to evaluate your work environment for repeat hazards. This also allows you to create a plan to eliminate or control the risk of workplace hazards.
It's important to take time to become familiar with Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) because the cost to your business for non-compliance could have a major, if not, crippling effect.
