Ontario workplace inspection blitz to target 1,300 construction sites
By On-Site Staff
Health & Safety
A COVID warning sign outside a Toronto job site
200 workplace inspectors alongside provincial offenses officers are expected to begin visiting hundreds of job sites in three areas across Ontario starting April 16.
The Ontario government said Thursday the inspection teams will be ensuring project sites measure up to safety requirements and checking up with employers and staff on COVID-19 risk awareness and safe working habits.
“Construction workers continue to be needed on the frontlines to build hospitals, testing centres, broadband and other critical infrastructure our province needs,” said Monte McNaughton, the province’s minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, in a release. “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.”
The week-long blitz focuses on sites in hot spot zones in Ottawa, Toronto and York Region.
The province says violations could result in fines for up to $750 for individuals and $1,000 for businesses. Since the start of 2021, the ministry notes it has carried out inspections on more than 17,000 job sites.
