Frequently asked questions

Ontario employers must provide the ESA poster and written policies on workplace violence and harassment, keep employment records for the periods set out in the Employment Standards Act, and investigate harassment complaints. Employers with 25 or more workers must also have written policies on disconnecting from work and electronic monitoring. Most small employers meet none of these until something goes wrong. More on human resources →

Every Ontario employer must have a written health and safety policy reviewed at least annually and a program to implement it, and provide awareness training to all workers and supervisors under O. Reg. 297/13. Beyond that baseline, what else applies — a representative, a joint health and safety committee — scales with your headcount. An inspector asks for the records first, so a program that exists in practice but not on paper is treated as one that does not exist. More on health & safety →

Health and safety awareness training is mandatory for every worker and supervisor in Ontario under O. Reg. 297/13. Beyond that the requirement follows the work — Working at Heights for construction workers using fall protection, WHMIS where hazardous products are present, competency training for lift truck operators — and JHSC certification once your headcount crosses the threshold set out in the Occupational Health and Safety Act. More on training →

A health and safety gap analysis compares an employer’s existing program against the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, its regulations and any sector-specific standards, then reports what is missing and in what order to fix it. It is normally the first step before certification work, and the standard response to a Ministry of Labour order. More on gap analysis →

COR™ in Ontario is administered by the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA). An employer builds a health and safety management system against the COR standard, completes an internal audit, then passes an external audit. Some project owners ask for COR when prequalifying contractors, so requirements vary by owner and project. More on cor & iso →

Ontario dental offices are expected to meet the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario’s Standard of Practice for Infection Prevention and Control, which the College aligns with Public Health Ontario, PIDAC and the Public Health Agency of Canada. In practice that means written IPAC policies and procedures for the office, staff trained in them, instrument reprocessing monitored with chemical and biological indicators, and records showing all of it was actually done. There is no routine inspection to prepare for — the College enforces the standard through complaints and investigations, and public health units investigate IPAC complaints — so the first time a practice’s records are examined closely is usually after a concern has already been raised. More on ipac (dental) →

Ontario employers must have a written health and safety policy reviewed at least annually, a program to implement it, and records demonstrating training, joint health and safety committee activity, workplace inspections and incident investigations. In practice an inspector asks for the records first, so a program that exists only in practice and not on paper is treated as a program that does not exist. More on documentation →

A critical injury or fatality must be reported to the Ministry of Labour immediately and followed by a written report within 48 hours, the scene must be preserved except to help the injured worker or prevent further danger, and the joint health and safety committee must be notified. Reporting obligations to the WSIB run on their own timeline and are separate from the Ministry’s. More on incident support →

Several Ontario obligations sit across both functions: workplace violence and harassment programs are required under the OHSA but are administered as HR policy, WSIB claims depend on employment records, and training compliance is tracked against roles that HR defines. Splitting the two across separate providers is where obligations are commonly missed. More on hr services →

The claims the Ministry of Labour sees most often from small Ontario employers are unpaid overtime and public holiday pay, misclassifying employees as independent contractors, failing to provide the written policies required at 25 or more employees, and termination pay calculated on notice alone without statutory severance where it applies. Employment records must be kept for three years, and an employer who cannot produce them argues from a weak position. More on esa compliance →

Yes. Under section 32.0.7 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act an employer must ensure that an incident or complaint of workplace harassment is investigated appropriately in the circumstances, and must inform the complainant and the alleged harasser in writing of the results and any corrective action. The duty applies regardless of the size of the employer, and an investigation run by the person complained about — or by their friend — is the common way this goes wrong. More on investigations →

Every Ontario employer needs written workplace violence and harassment policies with supporting programs, reviewed at least annually, under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Employers with 25 or more employees also need written policies on disconnecting from work and on electronic monitoring. Beyond the statutory minimum, the policies that prevent disputes are the ones covering attendance, discipline, leave and acceptable use. More on policy & handbook →

For a small non-union employer, labour relations is the day-to-day management of the working relationship: setting expectations in writing, dealing with attendance and performance consistently, documenting discipline, and ending employment in line with the Employment Standards Act and the Human Rights Code. Most disputes a small employer faces start with a decision that was reasonable but never written down, or applied to one employee and not another. Shift-based teams with high turnover, such as restaurants and production floors, meet these situations every week. More on labour relations →

A new Ontario hire must receive a written employment agreement or offer, the Employment Standards Act poster, workplace violence and harassment policies, and health and safety awareness training under O. Reg. 297/13 — plus any role-specific certification before they perform the work. In practice the awareness training and the role-specific certification are the two most commonly missed, and both surface at the worst possible moment, which is after an incident. More on recruitment →

Yes. Ontario requires employers to meet their duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, but does not require those duties to be discharged by an employee. Smaller employers commonly retain an external health and safety resource to maintain the program, run inspections and keep training current, which is substantially cheaper than a full-time coordinator. More on ongoing support →