What you need to know about health and safety

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development oversees the health and safety system in Ontario. Their mandate includes ensuring businesses comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Employment Standards Act, which are designed to protect employees at work. The ministry aims to create a workforce that is well-trained, safe and productive, while also promoting a culture of fairness and equity across all workplaces.

We provide businesses with affordable, no-fault workplace insurance that you can rely on to protect your employees and your business. We provide compensation for lost wages and medical expenses when people experience a work-related injury or illness, help get people back to work and provide survivor benefits to family members when there is a work-related death.

As part of our mandate to promote health and safety in the province, we also:

• oversee Ontario's mandatory First Aid Program
• offer the voluntary Health and Safety Excellence program, which helps you make your workplace safer while earning rebates on your WSIB premiums
• provide businesses that are registered with us free memberships to their industry-specific health and safety association

Learn more about registering for WSIB coverage.

Provincial health and safety associations are valuable resources any business can tap into. If you’re registered with the WSIB, you automatically receive a free membership to the health and safety association that represents your industry.

Health and safety associations can provide you with health and safety advice, best practices, resources to help you meet legal requirements, information about innovative and cost-effective solutions, as well as sector-specific products, services, training and networking opportunities, often at no cost.

There are four industry-specific health and safety associations:

1. The Infrastructure Health and Safety Association supports the construction, transportation and utilities sectors.
2. The Public Services Health and Safety Association supports public sector organizations, like government, health care, education and social services.
3. Workplace Safety North supports businesses in the forestry, pulp and paper, and mining sectors and all businesses in Northern Ontario.
4. Workplace Safety and Prevention Services supports the agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors.

Tell us a little bit about your business and we’ll connect you with your health and safety association.

The Office of the Employer Advisor offers expert, free, confidential advice and education to businesses about workplace safety and insurance. The office provides representation, primarily for businesses with less than 100 employees, at appeals at both the WSIB and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal.

The Office of the Worker Adviser provides free and confidential services (advice, education, representation) in workplace insurance matters for non-unionized employees, or their survivors, who have been penalized for following health and safety laws.

1. Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers provides occupational disease information and clinical services, including medical diagnostic services, ergonomic assessments, occupational hygiene services and education.
2. Workers Health and Safety Centre is Ontario's designated health and safety training centre and provides training for employees, supervisors, health and safety representatives, joint health and safety committees, and businesses.
3. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety provides information, training, education and solutions that support health, safety and wellness programs.
4. Institute for Work and Health conducts research to help promote and improve workplace health and safety and offers tools and guides you can use in your business.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act is the primary legislation that sets out the minimum workplace health and safety requirements that most businesses in Ontario must follow.

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development is responsible for enforcing the act and its sector- and hazard-specific regulations through regular inspections, investigations and prosecutions. You could face financial penalties and other legal consequences if you don’t comply with the act.

Under the act, you must take every reasonable precaution given the circumstances to protect your employees from hazards in the workplace, including:

• providing employees with information, instructions and supervision to ensure their safety
• providing employees with the right equipment, materials and protective devices, like personal protective equipment
• conducting regular safety inspections
• reporting workplace fatalities and critical incidents to the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
• displaying necessary safety information in the workplace
• establishing a joint health and safety committee or appointing a health and safety representative

The Occupational Health and Safety Act doesn’t cover all businesses in Ontario. Your health and safety association can help you understand which laws and regulations apply to your business.

Three basic employee rights

The Occupational Health and Safety Act includes your employees’ workplace rights:

• the right to know about workplace hazards, how the hazards might hurt them and how they can work safely
• the right to participate in health and safety at work, such as asking questions or participating on a workplace health and safety committee
• the right to refuse work they believe is unsafe for their or someone else's health and safety

Mandatory training for employees

Training requirements are different depending on your business. At minimum, you must:

• provide basic workplace health and safety awareness training for all employees and supervisors
• provide new employees with job-specific training when you hire them so they’re aware of the hazards in the workplace and how to work safely
• provide additional training for employees and supervisors with specific responsibilities
• conduct training in a way that is easy to understand and tailored to your workplace
• keep records of your training, including what was covered and who participated

Contact your health and safety association to learn more about additional training you should provide in your workplace.

Protective equipment for employees

You must give your employees appropriate personal protective equipment, like gloves, respirators and harnesses, based on their job and any hazards they might be exposed to. You must also train employees how to use the personal protective equipment and properly maintain and replace it when necessary.

Regular safety inspections

You must ensure an employee who is your health and safety representative or a member of your joint health and safety committee inspects your workplace for potential health and safety hazards at least once a month. You may be required to conduct inspections more often depending on your business.

Your health and safety association can help you understand your obligations, how to do inspections and develop inspection checklists and forms.

Reporting workplace incidents

If you’re registered with the WSIB, you must report work-related injuries or illnesses to us within three business days of learning about the incident. The person who was injured or made ill also has to report it to us.

You also need to immediately notify the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and your joint health and safety committee and union (if applicable) if someone dies or is critically injured in the workplace. An injury is considered critical if any of the following apply:

• a person's life is in jeopardy
• results in unconsciousness
• results in substantial loss of blood
• involves a broken bone in the arms or legs or an amputation of an arm or leg
• consists of burns to a major portion of the body
• causes loss of sight in an eye

You must notify the ministry by calling 1-877-202-0008 (the phone line is open 24/7), avoid disturbing the scene of the incident and prepare a written report within 48 hours. Learn more about reporting workplace incidents and illnesses.

You also need to submit a written notice to the ministry and your joint health and safety committee and union (if applicable) within four days of being advised that an employee has a workplace illness, like work-related cancer, or that an employee has filed a claim with the WSIB related to a workplace illness.

It’s your responsibility to investigate all workplace incidents and take steps to prevent similar ones from happening again.

Displaying safety information in your workplace

You must display the following in your workplace:

• the Health and Safety at Work (PDF) poster
• a copy of the Occupational Health and Safety Act
• your health and safety, workplace violence and workplace harassment policies (if your business has five or more employees)
• the names and locations of your workplace joint health and safety committee members (if your business has 20 or more employees)

Joint health and safety committees and representatives

Health and safety committees and representatives help keep your workplace safe by identifying and addressing safety concerns before incidents happen.

You must establish a joint health and safety committee if your business has 20 or more employees or appoint a health and safety representative if you have six to 19 employees.

You must include employees and managers on your joint health and safety committee and provide training for members to help them carry out their duties, including identifying and assessing workplace hazards, helping develop policies and procedures, and promoting workplace health and safety. At least one employee and one manager member must take additional training to become a certified committee member. You can find certification training for a fee through approved providers.

You must provide basic health and safety training to your health and safety representatives to help them carry out their duties.

Penalties for non-compliance

You could face penalties for not complying with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, including:

• a fine of up to $1,500,000 and/or up to 12 months’ imprisonment for directors and officers of corporations
• a fine of up to $2,000,000 for a corporation
• a fine of up to $500,000 and/or up to 12 months’ imprisonment for all other people covered by the act

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Act is a provincial law in Ontario that governs workplace safety and workers' compensation. Its main purpose is to ensure employees are protected against workplace injuries and illnesses and provide them with financial compensation and other benefits if they are injured or made ill at work.

The act covers almost all employees in Ontario, including full-time, part-time and seasonal employees, as well as apprentices, contractors and interns. It applies to all sectors of the economy, including construction, manufacturing, health care, retail and services.

The WSIB is responsible for administering the act.

All businesses covered by the act must meet the following minimum obligations:

• register with the WSIB
• have a first aid program, including providing the necessary equipment, facilities and first aid training
• display safety information in your workplace
• report payroll and pay premiums
• record and report workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities, and participate in helping your employees return to work
• report changes to your business within 10 calendar days

Businesses that don’t comply with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act can face penalties, including a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment for up to six months for individuals and a fine of up to $500,000 for corporations. Businesses can also face penalties for not reporting claims or reporting late, as well as not reporting payroll and premiums.

It’s important that you know your rights and responsibilities under other laws that regulate workplaces in Ontario.

You can contact your health and safety association for help understanding how to comply with these laws and additional responsibilities, such as building and fire codes.

Employment Standards Act

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development’s Employment Standards Act sets out minimum employment rights and protections for most employees in the province, including full-time, part-time, contract and seasonal employees. The law promotes fairness and decency in the workplace, protects employees from exploitation and provides basic minimum standards.

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act mandates accessibility standards for businesses in Ontario to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to goods, services and facilities.

Ontario Human Rights Code

The Ontario Human Rights Code gives everyone in the province equal rights and opportunities without discrimination based on various grounds, including disability, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.

Canada's Labour Code

Canada's Labour Code sets out the rights and responsibilities of employees and organizations that are regulated by the federal government, such as airlines, banks, railways and First Nation band councils, to help ensure these workplaces are healthy and safe.