Inspections and Regulators Guides for Canadian Workplaces

Workplace inspections are planned walk-throughs to find unsafe conditions and practices before they hurt someone, and to check that the controls you rely on are still in place and working.

They're one of the most practical tools in any safety program. A hazard assessment describes how the work should be controlled. An inspection checks what's actually happening today: the guard that's been left off, the blocked exit, the frayed extension cord, the racking upright a forklift clipped last week.

Most workplaces use several kinds. Planned inspections cover an area on a set schedule. Pre-use checks happen before a vehicle, piece of mobile equipment, ladder or tool is used on a shift. Special inspections follow a malfunction, an incident or a change to the work. Informal observation happens every day, as supervisors and workers notice problems and report them.

This category also covers the other side of inspection: the visits made by OHS officers. Every province, territory and the federal government has officers who can enter workplaces, look at records, interview workers and issue orders. Knowing what they look for, and how to respond when they write an order, takes much of the stress out of a visit.

Good workplace inspections pay off well beyond compliance. Canada's workers' compensation boards accepted 274,022 lost-time claims in 2023, according to the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada, and every one of them carried a cost in pain, lost time and premiums. Hazards caught early mean fewer injuries and claims, less unplanned downtime and fewer surprises when a client, auditor or OHS officer walks through. Records of inspections and the fixes that followed are also some of the strongest due diligence evidence you can have.

Government inspections make a difference, too. A randomized study of California workplaces, summarized by the Institute for Work & Health, found that injury claims at inspected workplaces fell by 9.4% more than at similar workplaces that weren't inspected, with no detectable job loss. An Ontario trial covered in the same summary found no difference between the groups it compared, which is a useful reminder that an inspection only helps when what it finds gets fixed.

Every Canadian jurisdiction expects hazards to be found and fixed, but the inspection rules, and the powers of the officers who enforce them, differ from one to the next.

Some laws put the duty on the employer. British Columbia's OHS Regulation, Part 3 requires regular inspections of buildings, equipment, work methods and practices at intervals that prevent unsafe conditions from developing, special inspections after a malfunction or accident, and unsafe conditions to be fixed without delay. New Brunswick's OHS Act requires the employer to make sure the workplace is inspected at least once a month.

Others give the inspection role to the joint committee or representative. In Ontario, as the province's guide for committees and representatives explains, a committee member or representative inspects the workplace at least once a month. Under the Canada Labour Code, federal workplace committees inspect all or part of the workplace each month so that every part is covered yearly. Manitoba's committee rules require an inspection before each regular meeting, and Saskatchewan's OHS Regulations, 2020 require employers to let the committee inspect at reasonable intervals and to respond in writing when it reports an unsafe condition.

Alberta takes a program approach. Its Act sets no inspection frequency, but committees and representatives review the employer's inspection records, and the province's health and safety program guide lists work site inspections as one of the program elements, with schedules based on the size of the site, the workforce, the work and its hazards.

Officers have broad powers everywhere. Under Alberta's OHS Act, Part 7, they can enter any work site at any reasonable hour without a warrant, examine records, take samples and photographs, interview people and issue orders. Alberta lists orders on a contact report that, as its OHS orders page explains, must stay posted at the work site until every order is complied with. Ontario's enforcement guide confirms inspectors can enter without a warrant or notice, and Saskatchewan explains its compliance undertakings and notices of contravention on its own site.

Deadlines matter after a visit. Orders must be met within the time the officer sets, and an appeal usually doesn't put an order on hold. In British Columbia, a review of an order must be requested within 45 days, and in most other jurisdictions the window is 30 days or less.

Because the details differ, start by confirming which law applies to your workplace. Our OHS Legislation category links the Act, regulations and regulator for all 14 jurisdictions in Canada, and explains how to read them.

• Workplace Inspection Checklist. A checklist for routine inspections, observations, deficiency tracking, housekeeping reviews and equipment checks, available on request from our free downloads page.
• Corrective Action Tracker. A simple log for assigning, tracking and closing the hazards your inspections find, also available on request.
• Hierarchy of Controls Worksheet (PDF). A one-page worksheet for choosing fixes that work, starting with elimination and engineering controls rather than reminders and PPE.

The guides are written so you can act on them yourself. Sometimes it helps to have an experienced safety professional look at your situation, especially when an officer has issued an order, an audit is coming up or your inspections keep finding the same problems.

Calgary Safety Consultants helps employers build workplace inspections that find real hazards and get them fixed. We train supervisors and committee members to inspect, build checklists and schedules that fit your sites, review inspection and corrective action records before an audit, and help you respond to OHS orders and prepare for officer visits. Our consulting focuses on Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, and our online training and free downloads are available anywhere in Canada.

We help employers prepare for COR and SECOR audits, but we don't issue certificates. CORs and SECORs are issued through the applicable certifying partner.