The results of a province-wide enforcement blitz that focused on supervision of construction projects and workers were released recently.

During the blitz, which ran from June 1 to July 31, 2017, Ministry of Labour (MOL) inspectors conducted 1,595 field visits and 177 field visits in a support role and visited 1,428 construction projects. The MOL issued 3,903 orders under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and its regulations, including 292 stop work orders and 65 requirements to provide an inspector with information related to the workplace.

According to the MOL website, goals of the inspection blitz were to raise awareness of key responsibilities of supervisors to protect the health and safety of workers, increase workplace compliance with the law and prevent injuries from unsafe work practices.

Inspectors checked that employers were complying with the OHSA and its regulations. This included checking if employers were providing competent supervision for workers on projects when required and that supervisors were identifying hazards for workers, ensuring controls were implemented to mitigate health and safety risks, ensuring workers were working with personal protective equipment and following measures and procedures required by the OHSA and the Regulation for Construction Projects.