30 April 2020 – Sector-specific workplace safety guidelines released

Type of Intervention: New Tool / Service / Body, Regulation
Sectors Involved: Finance/Economy, Private Sector and Businesses, Social Services, Supply Chains
Intervention Categories: Planning and strategy; Creation of or release of plans
Level of Jurisdiction: Ontario
Lead People/Agency: Decision makers: Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development (Monte McNaughton),; Deputy Premier and Minister of Health (Christine Elliott), Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade (Vic Fedeli).
Implementation: Government will work with Ontario’s health and safety associations to bring forward additional workplace safety guidelines for more sectors in near future. Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) and the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT), will be tasked with communicating COVID-19 safety guidelines to essential workplaces or enforcing emergency measures.

Overview: The Ontario government has released safety guidelines for employers with the intention to protect workers, customers, and the general public from COVID-19 as the province’s economy gradually reopens. Sector-specific guidelines have been released for sectors such as manufacturing, food manufacturing and processing, food service, and the agricultural sector, along with sectors with existing guidelines like retail, health care, public services, etc. These guidelines include recommended actions employers can begin to plan for.
Full details here: https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/04/ontario-providing-employers-with-workplace-safety-guidelines.html

Other links: 1 2
Type of Justification: Sub-national, Chief Medical Officer of Health
Source of Evidence or Justification: Sub-national, Chief Medical Officer of Health and health experts
Evidence/Justification: These guidelines have been developed under the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health officials. They have offered guidance on the safest way to reopen the province’s workplaces and different sectors. Health and safety associations across the province are also involved in the development and implementation of these guidelines for workplace safety.