Ontario’s labour ministry has announced it will be conducting after-hours health and safety inspections of construction workplaces through July, August and September.
In a news release, the government says “this is part of a broad strategy to improve protection for vulnerable workers, some of whom may be employed in the ‘underground’ economy and may lack proper training and supervision.”
The news release says inspectors will focus on roofing, fall hazards and low-rise construction, including sheet metal installation, concrete form-work and unsupported trenches.
The Ministry of Labour says that “during a recent province-wide pilot of after-hours proactive inspections of construction, mining and industrial workplaces, inspectors conducted 302 field visits to 276 work sites and issued 1,067 orders, including 102 stop-work orders.
“This represents a sharp increase in orders issued per visit compared to visits during normal working hours,” the news release said. “Common orders during the pilot test related to proper head protection and adequacy of guardrail systems.”