Ministry campaigns and compliance initiatives
Learn more about Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development compliance initiatives and priorities for workplaces
What are provincial health and safety compliance initiatives
Each year, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) schedules compliance initiatives focused on specific workplace hazards and topics. These initiatives are split into two phases:
- Awareness campaigns focused on education and outreach to equip workplace parties with knowledge and tools, and;
- Focused inspections and field visits conducted by occupational health and safety inspectors to evaluate compliance and raise awareness about specific workplace issues
The goal of these initiatives is to protect workers’ rights under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and the Employment Standards Act (ESA) and enhance employers’ awareness of their responsibilities.
Connect with an expert
PSHSA’s health and safety consultants can help workplaces prepare and ensure compliance through action plans, policies and procedures updates, audits, and more.
2025-26 Provincial Health and Safety Compliance Initiatives
This year’s campaigns focus on occupational hygiene for all sectors, as well as workplace violence prevention for the healthcare sector and material handling for the government and municipal sector.
You can learn more about this year’s compliance initiatives on the Government of Ontario website.
Frequently asked questions
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
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
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
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
Priority audiences
There are two priority audiences of workers and workplaces that remain a focus of the MLITSD and PSHSA: small businesses and new and vulnerable workers.
Small businesses
98% of businesses in Canada are considered small businesses with between 1 and 99 paid employees. With so many small businesses in Canada (and thus, Ontario), it’s clear why they are an important part of what we do.
We recognize that small businesses are unique in that they may have more limitations on time, resources, and personnel than larger employers and may need assistance in meeting basic legal and occupational health and safety requirements. The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) applies to all businesses equally, regardless of size or the resources available to them.
Resource: The Small Business Manual
This manual is designed to make health and safety as easy as possible, offering a simple step-by-step process, action checklist, and more, all to help you set up and maintain a basic health and safety program.
Download the manualNew and vulnerable workers
New and vulnerable workers are those who have a greater exposure than most to injury or illness in the workplace due to a lack of experience, reluctance to ask questions, communication barriers, or the type of work they’re engaged in.
Some examples of vulnerable workers include:
- those who have recently moved to Ontario from another province or country
- those who do not have adequate English language skills
- those who have just begun their first job
- those are returning to work after a long absence
- those who do not have appropriate documentation and/or who are refugees
Young workers aged 15-24 make up a key part of this group, as they are three times more likely to be injured on the job than more experienced workers. Additionally, young workers more often display a reluctance to ask questions and may lack the experience, ability or resources to understand their rights and responsibilities at work.
Both employers and employees have roles and responsibilities outlined in Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and should carefully consider their roles in ensuring the health and safety of all workers.
Resource: New Worker Health & Safety Checklist
This checklist outlines common workplace health and safety hazards and control measures that employers should have in place. It serves as a helpful tool for both employers and employees to understand what is required and what should be in place to keep workers, including new and vulnerable workers, safe.
Download the checklist
Connect with an expert
PSHSA’s health and safety consultants can help workplaces prepare and ensure compliance through action plans, policies and procedures updates, audits, and more.