The Ontario Ministry of Labour has launched a consultation process further to the development of its first province-wide integrated occupational health and safety strategy. It has issued a consultation paper, “An Integrated Occupational Health and Safety Strategy for Ontario”, for review and comment by stakeholders. Feedback is invited on issues such as: addressing the needs…
Tag: Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA)
OHSA Regulations Amended to Ensure Compliance with Ontario Colleges of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009
On March 1, 2013, a number of amendments to regulations made under the Occupational Health and Safety Act were filed to bring those regulations into compliance with the Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009 (“Act”). The Act will be proclaimed in force, in part, on April 8, 2013. On that date, section 103…
Court of Appeal for Ontario Clarifies Obligation to Report Injuries to Non-Workers
The recent Blue Mountain Resorts decision of the Court of Appeal for Ontario has clarified the circumstances in which employers are required to report a critical injury or fatality suffered by a non-worker under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”). This FTR Now reviews the decision and its implications for employers. BACKGROUND On December…
Finding that Non-Worker Injury Reportable Under OHSA Overturned by Court of Appeal
Today, the Court of Appeal for Ontario rendered its long anticipated decision in Blue Mountain Resorts Limited v. Ontario (Labour). It overturned a finding of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, upheld on judicial review by the Divisional Court, that the drowning of a Blue Mountain hotel guest in the hotel’s swimming pool was reportable under…
Ministry of Labour to Target Health Care Workplaces for Safety Inspections
The Ministry of Labour (“MOL”) has announced a safety blitz targeting health care workplaces in the months of February and March. MOL inspectors will conduct inspections to check on issues related to workplace violence and harassment. In this FTR Now, we review some steps you can take to ensure your workplace is compliant with its…
Ontario Court Provides Useful Guidance to Employers on Supervision and Training Obligations
The Ontario Court of Justice recently overturned a trial decision which convicted an employer of various infractions under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, finding that numerous errors of law had been made. Of interest for employers is the Court’s conclusion an employer is not obligated to provide training to a worker regarding a specific…
New Mandatory Health and Safety Training Regulation Proposed under OHSA
The Ontario government has proposed a new regulation to be made under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”), further to the recommendation of the Expert Advisory Panel in 2010 that programs for mandatory health and safety awareness training be developed for Ontario workplaces. The proposed regulation would apply to all workplaces currently covered by…
Numerous Errors by Justice of the Peace Result in Overturned OHSA Conviction
In R. v. 679052 Ontario Limited (c.o.b. Auction Reconditioning Centre), the Ontario Court of Justice reaffirmed that active supervision of an employee is not required at all times. Moreover, where an employee is properly instructed not to do a task and the employer has no reason to believe the employee will do that task, the…
Health and Safety Case May Clarify Employer Obligations
The Alberta Court of Appeal recently granted leave to appeal in a case which will be of interest to employers generally, to clarify the scope of their health and safety obligations, and more particularly to employers who host events at which they rent equipment for use by guests. An Alberta employer had rented a calf-roping…
Alberta Court of Appeal Grants Leave to Appeal in Case Regarding Employer’s Health and Safety Obligations
Clearing the path for a future decision which is likely to provide further clarity on an employer’s health and safety obligations, the Alberta Court of Appeal has granted an employer’s application for leave to appeal in R. v. XI Technologies, in which it was found liable under the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”)…