Make your business safer: What you need to know about health and safety

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development oversees the health and safety system in Ontario. Their mandate includes ensuring businesses comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Employment Standards Act, which are designed to protect employees at work. The ministry aims to create a workforce that is well-trained, safe and productive, while also promoting a culture of fairness and equity across all workplaces.

We provide businesses with affordable, no-fault workplace insurance that you can rely on to protect your employees and your business. We provide compensation for lost wages and medical expenses when people experience a work-related injury or illness, help get people back to work and provide survivor benefits to family members when there is a work-related death. Learn more about registering for WSIB coverage. 

As part of our mandate to promote health and safety in the province, we help businesses keep their team members safe on the job: 

• As a WSIB-registered business, you have free access to the Business Safety Portal, a savings of up to $1,700 a year! It only takes three minutes to sign up. Once you’re in, you can start using industry-specific resources like templates, online courses and fact sheets right away to help make your workplace safer.
• Our Health and Safety Excellence program can help you reduce workplace injuries and illness by up to 33 per cent with the help of a WSIB-approved safety expert. By joining, you can earn rebates on your premiums — on average small businesses earn $9,000 and large businesses earn $40,000 a year! Plus, you’ll receive an extra $1,000 when you get started.
• If you’re newly-registered small business, you can sign up for a free, confidential 30-minute Health and Safety Talk to learn what’s required to create a safer workplace for your team.
• Established businesses with strong health and safety systems can get recognized for your safety leadership, strengthen your reputation and earn rebates from us for up to three consecutive years through the Ontario Safe Employers Rebate Program. 
• Sign up for mandatory training through our First Aid Program. 
• Check a business’s safety record and compare health and safety results of similar businesses. 
• Find your health and safety association to get sector-specific advice, services, training and networking opportunities, often at no cost. You automatically receive a free membership to your industry’s health and safety association when you register with us. 

Provincial health and safety associations are valuable resources any business can tap into. If you’re registered with the WSIB, you automatically receive a free membership to the health and safety association that represents your industry.

Health and safety associations can provide you with health and safety advice, best practices, resources to help you meet legal requirements, information about innovative and cost-effective solutions, as well as sector-specific products, services, training and networking opportunities, often at no cost.

There are four industry-specific health and safety associations:

1. The Infrastructure Health and Safety Association supports the construction, transportation and utilities sectors.
2. The Public Services Health and Safety Association supports public sector organizations, like government, health care, education and social services.
3. Workplace Safety North supports businesses in the forestry, pulp and paper, and mining sectors and all businesses in Northern Ontario.
4. Workplace Safety and Prevention Services supports the agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors.

Tell us a little bit about your business and we’ll connect you with your health and safety association.

The Office of the Employer Advisor offers expert, free, confidential advice and education to businesses about workplace safety and insurance. The office provides representation, primarily for businesses with less than 100 employees, at appeals at both the WSIB and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal.

The Office of the Worker Adviser provides free and confidential services (advice, education, representation) in workplace insurance matters for non-unionized employees, or their survivors, who have been penalized for following health and safety laws.

1. Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers provides occupational disease information and clinical services, including medical diagnostic services, ergonomic assessments, occupational hygiene services and education.
2. Workers Health and Safety Centre is Ontario's designated health and safety training centre and provides training for employees, supervisors, health and safety representatives, joint health and safety committees, and businesses.
3. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety provides information, training, education and solutions that support health, safety and wellness programs.
4. Institute for Work and Health conducts research to help promote and improve workplace health and safety and offers tools and guides you can use in your business.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act is the primary legislation that sets out the minimum workplace health and safety requirements that most businesses in Ontario must follow.

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development is responsible for enforcing the act and its sector- and hazard-specific regulations through regular inspections, investigations and prosecutions. You could face financial penalties and other legal consequences if you don’t comply with the act.

Under the act, you must take every reasonable precaution given the circumstances to protect your employees from hazards in the workplace, including:

• providing employees with information, instructions and supervision to ensure their safety
• providing employees with the right equipment, materials and protective devices, like personal protective equipment
• conducting regular safety inspections
• reporting workplace fatalities and critical incidents to the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
• displaying necessary safety information in the workplace
• establishing a joint health and safety committee or appointing a health and safety representative

The Occupational Health and Safety Act doesn’t cover all businesses in Ontario. Your health and safety association can help you understand which laws and regulations apply to your business.

Three basic employee rights

The Occupational Health and Safety Act includes your employees’ workplace rights:

• the right to know about workplace hazards, how the hazards might hurt them and how they can work safely
• the right to participate in health and safety at work, such as asking questions or participating on a workplace health and safety committee
• the right to refuse work they believe is unsafe for their or someone else's health and safety

Mandatory training for employees

Training requirements are different depending on your business. At minimum, you must:

• provide basic workplace health and safety awareness training for all employees and supervisors
• provide new employees with job-specific training when you hire them so they’re aware of the hazards in the workplace and how to work safely
• provide additional training for employees and supervisors with specific responsibilities
• conduct training in a way that is easy to understand and tailored to your workplace
• keep records of your training, including what was covered and who participated

Contact your health and safety association to learn more about additional training you should provide in your workplace.

Protective equipment for employees

You must give your employees appropriate personal protective equipment, like gloves, respirators and harnesses, based on their job and any hazards they might be exposed to. You must also train employees how to use the personal protective equipment and properly maintain and replace it when necessary.

Regular safety inspections

You must ensure an employee who is your health and safety representative or a member of your joint health and safety committee inspects your workplace for potential health and safety hazards at least once a month. You may be required to conduct inspections more often depending on your business.

Your health and safety association can help you understand your obligations, how to do inspections and develop inspection checklists and forms.

Reporting workplace incidents

If you’re registered with the WSIB, you must report work-related injuries or illnesses to us within three business days of learning about the incident. The person who was injured or made ill also has to report it to us.

You also need to immediately notify the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and your joint health and safety committee and union (if applicable) if someone dies or is critically injured in the workplace. An injury is considered critical if any of the following apply:

• a person's life is in jeopardy
• results in unconsciousness
• results in substantial loss of blood
• involves a broken bone in the arms or legs or an amputation of an arm or leg
• consists of burns to a major portion of the body
• causes loss of sight in an eye

You must notify the ministry by calling 1-877-202-0008 (the phone line is open 24/7), avoid disturbing the scene of the incident and prepare a written report within 48 hours. Learn more about reporting workplace incidents and illnesses.

You also need to submit a written notice to the ministry and your joint health and safety committee and union (if applicable) within four days of being advised that an employee has a workplace illness, like work-related cancer, or that an employee has filed a claim with the WSIB related to a workplace illness.

It’s your responsibility to investigate all workplace incidents and take steps to prevent similar ones from happening again.

Displaying safety information in your workplace

You must display the following in your workplace:

• the Health and Safety at Work (PDF) poster
• a copy of the Occupational Health and Safety Act
• your health and safety, workplace violence and workplace harassment policies (if your business has five or more employees)
• the names and locations of your workplace joint health and safety committee members (if your business has 20 or more employees)

Joint health and safety committees and representatives

Health and safety committees and representatives help keep your workplace safe by identifying and addressing safety concerns before incidents happen.

You must establish a joint health and safety committee if your business has 20 or more employees or appoint a health and safety representative if you have six to 19 employees.

You must include employees and managers on your joint health and safety committee and provide training for members to help them carry out their duties, including identifying and assessing workplace hazards, helping develop policies and procedures, and promoting workplace health and safety. At least one employee and one manager member must take additional training to become a certified committee member. You can find certification training for a fee through approved providers.

You must provide basic health and safety training to your health and safety representatives to help them carry out their duties.

Penalties for non-compliance

You could face penalties for not complying with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, including:

• a fine of up to $1,500,000 and/or up to 12 months’ imprisonment for directors and officers of corporations
• a fine of up to $2,000,000 for a corporation
• a fine of up to $500,000 and/or up to 12 months’ imprisonment for all other people covered by the act

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Act is a provincial law in Ontario that governs workplace safety and workers' compensation. Its main purpose is to ensure employees are protected against workplace injuries and illnesses and provide them with financial compensation and other benefits if they are injured or made ill at work.

The act covers almost all employees in Ontario, including full-time, part-time and seasonal employees, as well as apprentices, contractors and interns. It applies to all sectors of the economy, including construction, manufacturing, health care, retail and services.

The WSIB is responsible for administering the act.

All businesses covered by the act must meet the following minimum obligations:

• register with the WSIB
• have a first aid program, including providing the necessary equipment, facilities and first aid training
• display safety information in your workplace
• report payroll and pay premiums
• record and report workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities, and participate in helping your employees return to work
• report changes to your business within 10 calendar days

Businesses that don’t comply with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act can face penalties, including a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment for up to six months for individuals and a fine of up to $500,000 for corporations. Businesses can also face penalties for not reporting claims or reporting late, as well as not reporting payroll and premiums.

It’s important that you know your rights and responsibilities under other laws that regulate workplaces in Ontario.

You can contact your health and safety association for help understanding how to comply with these laws and additional responsibilities, such as building and fire codes.

Employment Standards Act

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development’s Employment Standards Act sets out minimum employment rights and protections for most employees in the province, including full-time, part-time, contract and seasonal employees. The law promotes fairness and decency in the workplace, protects employees from exploitation and provides basic minimum standards.

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act mandates accessibility standards for businesses in Ontario to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to goods, services and facilities.

Ontario Human Rights Code

The Ontario Human Rights Code gives everyone in the province equal rights and opportunities without discrimination based on various grounds, including disability, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.

Canada's Labour Code

Canada's Labour Code sets out the rights and responsibilities of employees and organizations that are regulated by the federal government, such as airlines, banks, railways and First Nation band councils, to help ensure these workplaces are healthy and safe.

We’ve provided $2.6 million in funding to The Partnership for Work, Health and Safety at the University of British Columbia (UBC) to evaluate occupational health and safety programs in Ontario. This work is led by Dr. Chris McLeod, Director of The Partnership for Work, Health and Safety at UBC.

Researchers will meet with small businesses and their employees to better understand how they respond to, invest in, and change their practices when implementing occupational health and safety initiatives. The research will help health and safety program providers create improvements to their programs to keep small businesses engaged and invested in working on their health and safety.

The research will take place over five years, in collaboration with Ontario’s Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS).

As part of this study, we’re also providing $3 million in funding to WSPS to develop and deliver the new Safety Excellence for Leaders Program. The program builds on our existing Health and Safety Excellence program and provides more intensive support to small businesses to help them strengthen and sustain their health and safety practices over time. Running for two and a half years, the program will help UBC study what types of support are best for small businesses.

We’ve provided $7 million in funding to Workplace Safety North to deliver a modern, hands-on approach to strengthening occupational health practices in Ontario’s mining and forestry sectors. The work will help businesses better understand and manage long-term health risks such as noise, diesel exhaust, silica, and wood dust. Through applied research, training, and on-site support, participating workplaces will build practical skills to identify and monitor exposures, interpret laboratory results, and use findings to strengthen controls and improve work practices.

2025 accomplishments

Through our partnership with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, we’re providing free Business Safety Portal subscriptions to all WSIB-registered businesses, a savings of up to $1,700 per year for each business. The portal gives businesses access to expert-developed health and safety information, templates, document storage, guides, and free training courses to help them get started and build stronger prevention practices.

2025 accomplishments

We’re supporting the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety’s Safety InfoLine, a free, confidential inquiry service that connects businesses, people, and health and safety professionals with expert advice on workplace health and safety issues. We’re also providing support for OSH Answers, a resource hub that gives businesses access to plain-language fact sheets covering hundreds of health and safety topics to support day-to-day prevention efforts.

2025 accomplishments

With support from the Work Safe Ontario Fund, we’re providing the Canadian Institute of Safety, Wellness and Performance with $11 million to collect real-world exposure data from Ontarians working in construction and the paramedic services.

Using mobile labs, the Canadian Institute of Safety, Wellness and Performance collects information on workplace exposures, such as noise levels, to help identify where health risks are highest. They also gather body measurement data to support better-fitting tools and personal protective equipment for today’s workforce, including a growing number of women in construction. Over time, this work will create databases that can help businesses, people, equipment manufacturers, and return-to-work specialists improve health and safety on the job.

2025 accomplishments

We’ve provided funding to the National Institute of Disability Management and Research to help businesses improve disability management and better support people returning to work. During this research, a pre-determined group of businesses will go through free workplace assessments and receive continuing education credits through Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Sciences. The businesses will receive support in developing best practices in preventing disabilities and restoring and maintaining people’s abilities at work during their participation.

We’re partnered with Nokiiwin Tribal Council to support workplace health, safety and well-being in Indigenous communities across Ontario. Through the Nagachidisin – Collaborate, Assess, Respond, Evaluate/Educate (CARE) program, Nokiiwin will lead projects that help strengthen health and safety knowledge, services and supports in ways that reflect community needs and priorities. This work includes developing a traditional knowledge framework to better support First Nations communities to implement our Health and Safety Excellence program. 

We’re also supporting Nokiiwin Tribal Council in work with Lakehead University researchers, to learn how Ontario’s health and safety programs can be easier to use and better suited to Indigenous communities and businesses. The results will help improve current programs and shape future ones.

We’ve provided $25 million to support research, training, and communication projects led by Skilled Trades Ontario and its partners. One project includes curriculum enhancements in higher-risk apprenticeship and high school trade programs with Workplace Safety and Prevention Services and the Electrical Safety Authority. Through the partnership, we will help deliver electrical safety training and targeted safety messages to apprentices and businesses, a province-wide campaign to promote apprenticeship and reinforce safety in the trades, and support covering the costs of safety equipment and training needed by vulnerable small and medium-sized businesses.

2025 accomplishments

We’ve provided $1.3 million to Threads of Life to deliver wrap-around services that respond to workplace tragedies, support families affected, and help strengthen awareness of people affected by workplace tragedies across Ontario. 

Threads of Life helps turn loss and lived experience into prevention by bringing powerful, real-world learning into workplaces and classrooms across the province. One flagship program is Steps for Life, a province-wide series of community walks that raises additional funding and builds awareness of workplace risks and their consequences. The organization also organizes Speakers Bureau engagements, to help amplify the voices of people and families impacted by workplace tragedies.

2025 accomplishments