Overview

From April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) conducted a health and safety campaign which focused on competency-based modular training programs for mine and mining plant workers in Ontario.

The campaign began by focusing on education, outreach and awareness, in partnership with the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) and Workplace Safety North (WSN), to provide training and education to employers. The goal was to help workplace parties comply with the requirements for training under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and Regulation 854: Mines and Mining Plants prior to focused inspections.

To support and enforce compliance with the OHSA and its regulations, between June 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, MLITSD inspectors carried out focused inspections in the workplace.

MLITSD inspectors:

  • conducted 241 field visits including 12 field visits with a support role activity (an activity in which another inspector or a professional services staff such as a hygienist, ergonomist or engineer accompanies an inspector on a field visit to provide professional support and expertise)
  • visited 166 workplaces
  • issued 639 orders and requirements, including 59 stop work orders

Background

Worker training is a critical component of all successful health and safety programs. The mining industry in Ontario presents unique hazards which require specific training to manage.

Sections 11 through 11.3 of Reg. 854 require employers to establish and maintain an accredited modular training program for all workers in mines and mining plants specific to the type of work they perform.

To be accredited in the appropriate modular training program the worker must have demonstrated competency in each of the required Common Core modules and any applicable specialty modules for that particular training program. Performance objectives must be signed off by an authorized trainer when the trainee has achieved competence in the skill. For the purposes of the program, competence is achieved when the trainee can perform the skills repeatedly and without assistance in the workplace to the standard set out in the Training Standard document.

A Signing Authority is designated by the employer and authorized by the MLITSD to be accountable for the quality of training, and maintenance of training records. The Signing Authority is responsible for determining the competency of company employees for modular accreditation.

Although each employer is responsible for implementing their own training program, the modular training programs are standardized across the province so workers can transfer their accreditations between sites or employers.

Recent inspections and event investigations identified trends of workers and supervisors not sufficiently trained or accredited in the appropriate modular training program for tasks they perform.

Full report

Workplace inspection campaigns

Inspection campaigns are part of the MLITSD compliance strategy.

Although individual workplaces are not notified in advance, MLITSD will inform sector stakeholders of the upcoming campaign.

The results of the campaign are typically posted online within 90 days.

Inspectors’ findings regarding compliance may impact the number and level of future inspections of individual workplaces.

Focus of the campaign

Inspectors visited workplaces and checked that employers had established, and were maintaining, the required programs that met the Section 11 training requirements to ensure mine workers and supervisors had the specific training needed to safely perform their jobs.

Inspectors took appropriate action if contraventions were found under the OHSA or its regulations. This included:

  • writing orders to workplace parties to ensure compliance with legal requirements
  • issuing stop work orders requiring employers to comply before work could continue

Inspection activity summary

Visits to workplaces

  • 241 field visits with 12 support role activities
  • 166 workplaces visited
  • 639 orders and requirements issued
    • 585 orders issued for contraventions under the OHSA and its regulations, including 59 stop work orders
    • 54 requirements issued to provide an inspector with workplace information
  • an average of 3.85 orders and requirements issued per workplace visited
  • an average of 2.65 orders and requirements issued per visit

Most frequently issued orders

The most frequently issued OHSA orders involved:

  • ensuring that employers post, in the workplace, a copy of the Act and any explanatory material prepared by the Ministry, both in English and the majority language of the workplace, outlining the rights, responsibilities and duties of workers [s.25(2)(i)] — 19 orders or 2.97% of the total orders and requirements issued during the campaign
  • ensuring that employers take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker [s.25(2)(h)] — 18 orders or 2.82% of the total orders and requirements issued during the campaign
  • ensuring that employers provide information, instruction and supervision to a worker to protect the health or safety of the worker [s.25(2)(a)] — 7 orders or 1.1% of the total orders and requirements issued during the campaign

A total of 365 orders were issued under the Mines and Mining Plants Regulation Regulation (Reg. 854).  Orders were issued under the following sections (among others):

  • s.11.2 — 102 orders or 15.96% of total orders and requirements
  • s. 196 — 61 orders or 9.55% of total orders and requirements
  • s. 105 — 47 orders or 7.36% of total orders and requirements

Observations

The results of this campaign indicate that workplace parties need to improve compliance with respect to modular training programs for mining.

  • Modular training programs are a critical component of mining health and safety in Ontario mines and mining plants.
  • Workers need to be trained and accredited in the appropriate common core and accompanying specialty modules specific to the type of mine they work in and the kind of work they are performing there.

Conclusion and next steps

Ministry inspectors will continue to pay attention to worker training.

The results of the campaign confirm our need to continue to focus on inspections for modular training requirements.

A key to workplace health and safety in Ontario is the Internal Responsibility System (IRS). Workplace parties are encouraged to work together to identify and control all hazards.

Help for employers

Please contact our health and safety partners for more information.