Ministry plans construction site inspections in COVID hotspots starting today
Inspectors from the Ministry of Labour Training and Skills Development will begin conducting inspections of construction sites starting today.
Minister Monte McNaughton announced that 200 inspectors, supported by provincial offenses officers and consultants from the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association will visit 1,300 constructions sites to enforce safety requirements. The inspectors will also visit more than 500 workplaces—including big box stores, food processors, manufacturers and warehouses—in Ottawa, Toronto and York Region, all of which have been identified as hot spots for COVID-19.
"Construction workers continue to be needed on the frontlines to build hospitals, testing centres, broadband and other critical infrastructure our province needs," said the minister. "We've inspected these worksites regularly throughout the pandemic, but it is more important than ever, with these new variants spreading, that we continue to ensure that construction worksites are following the rules and that workers who still go to work every day are protected."
Inspectors will be checking that employers understand the risks associated with COVID-19, including how to reduce the spread in their workplaces, and that measures and procedures are in place to keep workers safe. They will also be ensuring that workers are practising safe work habits both on the clock and on breaks, checking for physical distancing and wearing appropriate personal protective equipment when required.
Violations may result in fines of up to $750 for individuals and $1,000 for businesses.
Since the beginning of the year, occupational health and safety inspectors and provincial offences officers have conducted more than 20,300 COVID-related workplace inspections and investigations across the province, including 17,442 inspections of construction sites.
During those visits, they've issued over 15,600 orders and over 500 COVID-19 related tickets, and stopped unsafe work related to COVID-19 a total of 26 times.
Workplace COVID-19 safety fact sheets, guides and posters are available at Ontario.ca/covidsafety.