Human Resources Legislative Update

Bill 160 OHSA Amendments Coming Into Force

Human Resources Legislative Update

Bill 160 OHSA Amendments Coming Into Force

Date: March 19, 2012

The Ontario government has proclaimed that effective April 1, 2012, certain amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (the “Act”) outlined in Bill 160, the Occupational Health and Safety Statute Law Amendment Act, 2011, will come into force. These include:

The government has also filed O. Reg. 33/12 prescribing the specific functions of the Offices of the Worker and Employer Advisers for the purposes of Part VI (Reprisals by Employer Prohibited) of the Act. The regulation, which comes into effect April 1, 2012, provides as follows:

  • the functions of the Office of the Worker Adviser are to educate, advise and represent non-unionized workers in proceedings before the Board; and
  • the functions of the Office of the Employer Adviser are to educate, advise and represent employers that have fewer than 50 employees in proceedings before the Board.

Unless proclaimed earlier, other Bill 160 amendments are expected to come into force on April 1, 2012, including: