Ontario workplace compliance campaigns: residential construction, lockout/tagout, noise, and more

What inspectors may look for during MLITSD health and safety education and enforcement activities.

In Ontario, the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and its associated regulations underpin every aspect of workplace safety. But health and safety rules are only effective when they’re followed. That requires awareness—not only of what the laws are, but how best to comply with them—and enforcement, when necessary.

To support both goals, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development runs workplace inspection and compliance campaigns in high-risk industries such as construction and mining. The current campaigns run from April 2026 to March 2027, and see Ministry inspectors visiting workplaces both to educate employers and workers about high-risk hazards and enforce the law when violations are identified.

Inspectors assess workplace conditions, identify hazards, offer guidance, and, when necessary, issue orders or take action to correct unsafe practices. This balanced approach aims to reduce worker injuries and illnesses by helping workplaces to address immediate hazards while strengthening their understanding of their legal responsibilities.

As a partner in Ontario’s health and safety system, IHSA works with the Ministry to raise awareness of its compliance campaigns among the industries we serve. IHSA also offers many of the resources that help businesses to improve worker safety, including expert-led training, industry-vetted manuals, and in-field consulting services.

Compliance campaign #1: single- and multi-family residential construction

Residential construction sites are fast-moving environments, often with multiple trades working at the same time. Consistent hazard identification, planning, and communication are essential to ensuring everyone’s safety.

Why this area of focus?

Ensuring OHSA compliance in residential construction remains a priority because the sector accounts for a significant portion of serious incidents in Ontario. According to the MLITSD, between April 2023 and June 2025, residential construction accounted for:

• 420 critical injuries (42 per cent of all critical injuries in construction)
• 18 fatal injuries (49 per cent of all fatal injuries)
• 5,923 events (55 per cent of all reported events)
• 7,193 stop-work orders (72 per cent of all stop-work orders)

These figures reflect a persistent pattern, with incidents caused by a range of factors: working at heights, struck-bys, housekeeping issues, and more. These hazards are well known and preventable when proper oversight and controls are in place.

What are inspectors looking for?

The MLITSD campaign reinforces the need for strong hazard control and supervision on residential construction projects. Count on inspectors to review all activities at the jobsites they visit, while paying particular attention to:

• Working at heights—and the use of guardrails and fall protection systems
• Struck-by hazards caused by the movement of materials and equipment
• The correct installation and use of scaffolding and work platforms
• Ensuring safe access and egress with proper ramps, stairs, and handrails
• The safe setup and use of ladders
• Excavations, trenches, and appropriate protective systems
• Housekeeping, including the removal of debris and trip hazards

Overall workplace safety culture comes into play here, with competent supervision being a key to managing hazards on a day-to-day basis. Supervisors are responsible for monitoring site conditions, communicating about hazards, and ensuring safety procedures are followed. They also support the internal responsibility system by encouraging workers to raise concerns and helping to prevent complacency. Strong supervision ensures hazards are identified and corrected before they lead to injuries.

How can IHSA help?

REGISTER for dozens of construction-specific training programs, including Basics of Supervising and Working at Heights – Fundamentals of Fall Prevention.

ORDER your free copy of IHSA’s Construction Health and Safety Manual (M029), our comprehensive guide to controlling hazards on construction sites.

DOWNLOAD more than 150 free safety talks, get the complete Safety Talks Manual (V005), or watch video safety talks on IHSA’s YouTube channel.

WATCH videos and access helpful resources from IHSA’s See Something, Say Something campaign, which empowers everyone to speak up about workplace hazards.

WORK with IHSA to develop an occupational health and safety management system based on the COR® standard, or tackle specific topics in the WSIB’s Health and Safety Excellence program (HSEp).

Compliance campaign #2: lockout and tagout at mining and aggregates workplaces

Aggregates and mining workplaces rely on all sorts of energized machinery, including crushers and conveyor belts. When this equipment needs to be maintained or repaired, it must first be isolated from its energy source—and the isolating device must be locked and tagged—to prevent any unexpected start-up of machinery or the release of stored energy.

Why this area of focus?

Failure to properly isolate, lockout, and tag machinery and equipment before servicing it can lead to catastrophic injury or death within seconds.

Following proper lockout/tagout procedures, as detailed in the Regulation for Mines and Mining Plants (R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 854) supports workplace safety by helping to make sure that equipment is deenergized before work begins and by strengthening communication among workers.

What are inspectors looking for?

It’s all about consistency and communication. Employers must have a written lockout/tagout program—and everyone at the workplace needs to know and follow it.

That means before work begins on any equipment, a competent worker must verify that all hazardous energy has been isolated and any stored energy has been discharged. The isolating device must be locked out—so that the equipment cannot be reenergized— and tagged with clear details about the reason for the lockout, the name of the worker responsible for it, and the date.

• Inspectors will also look to ensure related safeguards are in place, such as:
• Worker training on lockout/tagout procedures
• Appropriate personal protective equipment
• The maintenance of safe clearance distance from overhead power lines
• Verification (and documentation) of a zero-energy state before work begins

How can IHSA help?

PURCHASE the Pocket Lockout Guide (B011), which outlines step-by-step methods and procedures for de-energizing equipment, machines, and devices.

TAKE Lockout and Tagout—Electrical, Mechanical, Gaseous training to learn more about the legislative requirements, policies, and procedures necessary to ensure energy isolation at your workplace.

GET your free copy of IHSA’s Safe Work Practices for the Aggregates Industry (M075) manual.

WATCH our video safety talk, Preventing Hazardous Energy Release with Proper Lockout/Tagout.

Compliance campaign #3: occupational hygiene—noise

Exposure to hazardous noise—generally defined as 85 decibels (dBA) or more—continues to be one of the most widespread and underappreciated occupational health risks at Ontario workplaces.

Why this area of focus?

Between 2020 and 2024, noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) accounted for more than 60 per cent of non-fatal occupational disease claims made by Ontario workers to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).

Unlike many other workplace injuries, hearing loss typically develops over years of exposure to excessive noise. That noise damages special cells in the inner ear that do not regenerate and cannot be repaired. Once NIHL occurs, it’s permanent.

Workers in the construction, aggregates, transportation, and electrical utilities industries regularly operate or work around machines that produce hazardous levels of noise, including backhoes, grinders, chainsaws, and many others, making NIHL a persistent concern.

What are inspectors looking for?

The good news is that NIHL is preventable when noise exposure is properly assessed and controlled. Which means that MLITSD inspectors will be seeking to verify that employers are taking steps to control noise and protect workers’ hearing.

Ontario’s Regulation for Noise (O. Reg. 381/15) requires employers to attempt to reduce noise exposure at the source or along the path of transmission. This may include measures such as:

• Engineering controls such as installing sound-absorbing barriers
• Equipment upgrades or maintenance to reduce noise output
• Changes to work practices to limit worker exposure

Where hazardous noise cannot be sufficiently reduced, hearing protection devices such as earplugs or earmuffs must be given to workers—who must be trained in the proper use, care, and limitations of those devices.

Inspectors may also look for evidence that workplaces are monitoring noise levels, posting warning signage in high-noise areas, and ensuring workers understand when and where hearing protection is required.

How can IHSA help?

SCHEDULE a comprehensive noise exposure assessment for your workplace with IHSA’s occupational hygienist.

TAKE Basics of Hearing Protection eLearning (for workers or employers) to improve your awareness of noise hazards and how to control them.

LISTEN to episodes 63 and 68 of the IHSA Safety Podcast, which discuss workplace noise exposure and testing, as well as noise-induced hearing loss.

CHECK OUT more resources on noise hazards and preventing NIHL on our Occupational Health topic page.