Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety System Will Get Major Changes

Thanks to the recommendations of the Expert Panel on Occupational Health and Safety, the following two acts have been amended and recently passed to increase protection for workers in Ontario, Canada:

1. Occupational Health and Safety Act and
2. Workplace Safety and Insurance Act.

The Expert Panel – included representatives from labour, employers, and academia with workplace health and safety expertise – had made recommendations which were based on more than 400 responses in over 50 meetings with stakeholders across the province.

These amendments to the above two acts are in response to the Expert Panel recommendations and will result in the following major changes :

• Establish the Ministry of Labour as the lead for accident prevention, transferring it from the WSIB (Workplace Safety & Insurance Board – formerly Worker’s Compensation Board).

• Appoint a new Chief Prevention Officer to coordinate and align the prevention system.

• Create a new prevention council, with representatives from labour, employers, and safety experts, to advise the Chief Prevention Officer and the Minister.

• Give the Minister of Labour oversight of the province’s Health and Safety Associations as well as the education, training and promotion of workplace health and safety.

Please click here to find out more about what Ontario is doing to protect workers.

Ontario, Canada: Newsroom

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Strengthening Workplace Health And Safety

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