Ministry campaigns and compliance initiatives

April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027

From April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, the MLITSD will conduct a health and safety campaign focused on the Internal Responsibility System (IRS) for health and community care sectors.

Focus & priorities

The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) establishes legal requirements that provide a foundation for the internal responsibility system (IRS). The IRS is a system within an organization in which everyone has a responsibility for workplace health and safety that is appropriate to one’s role and function within the organization.

This campaign includes education, awareness, and enforcement. Online resources are available to assist workplaces to set up or improve their IRS. Among the health and safety associations, the Public Services Health and Safety Association (PSHSA) works with Ontario’s health and community care sector to provide training, consulting, and resources to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses.

Ministry inspectors will look for evidence of a strong IRS and a properly functioning Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) or Health and Safety Representative (HSR) where required.

Phase 1: Compliance assistance
April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027

The ministry will partner with PSHSA to host webinar(s) on the campaign and provide compliance assistance resources.

Phase 2: Focused inspections
April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027

Rationale for campaign

The IRS helps support a safe and healthy workplace. In addition to the workplace parties’ compliance with their legal duties, the IRS is further supported by well-defined health and safety policies and programs.

IRS issues have been raised by stakeholders. In addition, in recent years:

• the ministry has received complaints from health care workplaces related to IRS concerns
• inspectors have written orders for IRS issues such as:
  • awareness training for both workers and supervisors under O. Reg. 297/13
  • orders for measures and procedures for workplaces that are covered under

An IRS focused initiative was last done in health care settings in 2018-2019.

Campaign focus

This campaign aims to:

• increase compliance with Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and related regulations, including:
  • Reg. 297/13: Occupational Health and Safety Awareness and Training
  • Reg. 67/93: Health Care and Residential Facilities, where applicable
  • Reg. 420/21: Notices and Reports Under Sections 51 to 53.1 of the Act – Fatalities, Critical Injuries, Occupational Illnesses and Other Incidents 
• promote resources and raise awareness about the IRS in health care workplaces
• facilitate a strong IRS in workplaces, one of the primary purposes of the OHSA

Ministry inspectors will look for evidence of a strong IRS relating to:

• the duties and responsibilities of workplace parties
• training, including Awareness Training
• notices and reports

In addition, inspector will look to ensure the internal check on the IRS by reviewing the functioning of the HSR/JHSC.

Health care sector inspections will take place at a variety of health and community care workplaces, including:

• hospitals
• long-term care homes
• group homes
• retirement homes
• treatment clinics and specialized services
• professional offices and agencies
• home health care

At workplaces where the Health Care and Residential Facilities regulation applies, inspectors will check that the employer has:

• established written measures and procedures in consultation with the JHSC or HSR
• reviewed the measures and procedures at least annually, and revised these as required considering current knowledge and practice
• provided training to workers

Resources

• What is the Occupational Health and Safety Act?
• Mandatory Compliance
• Caught in the middle: the supervisor and occupational health and safety
• Physicians’ occupational health and safety roles and responsibilities
• Effective ways to Communicate Health and Safety Information
• What is a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC)? 
• An introduction to the joint health and safety committee
• Roles and responsibilities under the Occupational Health and Safety Act
• Board Members – Know Your Liabilities
• Occupational Illness Reporting
• Roles and Responsibilities (ONA Webinar)
• Prevention in Practice: Strategies to Create Safer, Healthier Workplaces (Nov 2025)
• Compliance Made Simple: Navigating Mandatory Health & Safety Requirements in Ontario
• What are the Workplace Health and Safety Requirements for Volunteers?

Training

• Worker Health and Safety Awareness Training
• Supervisor Health and Safety Awareness Training
• Joint Health and Safety Committee Certification Training Part 1
• Joint Health and Safety Committee Certification Training Healthcare Part 2
• Joint Health and Safety Committee Certification Refresher Training
• Health and Safety Representative Basic Training 
• Health and Safety for Leaders
• Health and Safety for Board Members

Small Business resources

• Small Business Resource Material
• Small Business Policy and Procedure Templates

New and Vulnerable workers resources

• New & Vulnerable Workers 

April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026

Learn about the campaign through our free recorded webinar

This campaign and the dedicated inspections are focused on occupational hygiene, specifically on worker exposures to chemical agents in the workplace, including:

• Compliance with R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 833: Control of Exposure to Biological or Chemical Agents in all workplaces where this regulation applies
• Assessing worker exposures and the effectiveness of control measures in place
• Ensuring that workers are not exposed to hazardous substances exceeding the occupational exposure limits

There is also a focus on Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) training based on the amended regulations to hazardous products, including:

• Ensuring compliance with R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 860, Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) in all workplaces where this regulation applies
• Determining the requirement for retraining on WHMIS depending on whether the hazardous products in the workplace have labels and safety data sheets that are compliant with the amended Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR)

Resources

• Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System – A guide to the legislation
• Current occupational exposure limits for Ontario workplaces under Reg. 833
• Reporting workplace incidents and illnesses

October 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026

This initiative and the dedicated inspections are focused on the safe handling of biomedical waste in workplaces that generate biomedical waste, such as health care facilities and related sectors. The goal is to protect workers from hazards associated with biomedical waste, including infectious materials, fixatives used in specimen preparation, and cytotoxic substances.

The initiative will focus on:

• Identifying biomedical waste streams in workplaces (e.g. human and animal anatomical/blood waste, microbiology lab waste, sharps, cytotoxic waste)
• Assessing potential exposure to biomedical waste due to its unsafe handling, storage, and disposal in workplace
• Examining workplace procedures and controls for collection, handling, internal transport, and storage of biomedical waste
• Reviewing worker training and supervision related to biomedical waste handling
• Checking compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and the Health Care and Residential Facilities Regulation (O. Reg. 67/93)

Field visit strategy

During this initiative, led by Infection Prevention and Control Specialists (IPCS), with support from inspectors and hygienists, proactive visits will take place in workplaces such as hospitals, ambulatory surgery facilities, laboratories, and funeral establishments. Inspections may include:

• Biomedical waste generation areas such as operating rooms, laboratories, research areas, and animal facilities
• Transportation of biomedical waste within facilities
• Pharmacy areas where cytotoxic drugs are prepared and collected
• Medical Devices Reprocessing Departments (MDRDs)
• Designated waste storage rooms (e.g., biowaste rooms)
• Operations and logistics areas, including shipping and receiving

How your workplace might prepare

• Ensure your supervisors and JHSC/Representative membership are aware of the active initiative
• Confirm your workplace has identified all biomedical waste streams and sources and hazard management and control measures are in place.
• Ensure your workplace policies, measures and procedures related to biomedical waste are available, up to date and impacted workers and supervisors are trained.

The results of this initiative will be analyzed and shared once available.

Resources

• Health Care and Residential Facilities Regulation (O. Reg. 67/93)
• WHMIS Regulation (R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 860)
• Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) resources
• C-4: The management of biomedical waste in Ontario
• PSHSA’s Infection, Prevention and Control resources

April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026 

This campaign and the dedicated inspections are focused on preventing workplace violence by:

• Increasing compliance with the OHSA and related regulations
• Promote and raise awareness specifically related to workplace violence
• Help workplace parties prevent, assess, and control identified risks of workplace violence
• Promote workplace violence prevention resources

The campaign is broken out into two phases:

Phase 1 — Compliance assistance | April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026 

The MLITSD will partner with PSHSA to:

• promote the development of a comprehensive workplace violence prevention program
• promote the current and new PSHSA Violence, Aggression & Responsive Behaviours (VARB) Toolkits
• deliver sector-specific webinar(s) before the focused inspections phase begins
• help workplaces develop their workplace violence prevention program by making resources and tools available on partner websites

Phase 2 — Focused inspections | June 2, 2025 to March 31, 2026 

Healthcare sector inspections will take place at a variety of health and community care workplaces, including hospitals, long-term care homes, group homes, retirement homes, treatment clinics and specialized services, professional offices and agencies, and home healthcare.

During these inspections, inspectors will check that workers are protected from the hazard of workplace violence. Areas of higher risk of violence toward healthcare workers include:

• the nursing station (if applicable)
• areas where there is access to objects of value (drugs, cash, potential weapons)
• areas where workers are working alone and/or are isolated
• areas where there may be a care recipient who has exhibited responsive behaviours, or areas where there are
• unpredictable care recipient behaviours
• areas with family members who may exhibit unpredictable behaviours
• arrival and screening areas, such as areas where there may be a search of a person prior to entry, triage in an emergency department, entry to mental health units, etc.

At workplaces where the Health Care and Residential Facilities Regulation applies, inspectors will also check that the employer has:

• established written measures and procedures on workplace violence prevention in consultation with the joint health and safety committee (JHSC) or health and safety representative (HSR)
• reviewed the measures and procedures at least annually, and revised these as required considering current knowledge and practice related to workplace violence prevention
• provided training to workers on workplace violence prevention

Resources

• Workplace Violence Prevention Program
• Violence, Aggression & Responsive Behaviours (VARB) Toolkits
• Workplace Violence Risk Assessment Toolkit
• Workplace violence prevention in health care: A guide to the law for hospitals, long-term care homes and home care 

April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026 

This campaign and dedicated inspections are focused on workplaces where materials, articles or things are lifted, carried, or moved, and put workers at risk of being injured by their movement, including:

• lifting devices/mobile equipment/cranes
• workplace layout and design
• manual material handling
• storage systems
• automation
• machine guarding, blocking and lockout
• training and orientation provided by the employer (for example, supervisor and worker awareness training)
• internal responsibility system (for example, joint health and safety committee/health and safety representation)

The campaign is broken out into two phases:

Phase 1 — Compliance assistance | April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026 

Phase 2 — Focused inspections | April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026 

Inspectors will visit various sectors where fatalities and critical injuries are taking places, focused on key sectors, including:

• agricultural services
• automotive
• farming
• food, beverage and tobacco
• government services (municipal services only)
• industrial services
• primary metals
• retail
• tourism, hospitality and recreational services
• transportation
• vehicle, sales and service
• wholesalers
• wood and metal fabrication

Resources

• Material handling — struck by objects, caught between or crushed by objects
• Manual materials handling