Amendments to three regulations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) have been approved. The amendments are consistent with the changes proposed by the Ministry of Labour in the Summary of Proposal document that was posted on the government’s Regulatory Registry for a 60-day public consultation from October 28 to December 29, 2014. Key amendments include:

1.    Construction Projects Regulation 

• New requirements relating to the safe operation of rotary foundation drill rigs ("drill rigs"), including new drill rig operator training requirements;
• Enhancing and clarifying provisions relating to exposure to carbon monoxide, and other fumes and gases, released from internal combustion engines;
• Strengthening fall protection measures; and,
• Correcting errors, omissions and inconsistencies, updating outdated references, and clarifying certain requirements.

2.    Control of Exposure to Biological or Chemical Agents Regulation (Regulation 833)

• Extending the application of the regulation to construction projects; and
• Enabling the future use of ‘codes of practice’ approved by the Minister of Labour.

3.    Confined Spaces Regulation (O. Reg. 632/05)

• Consequential amendments were made under this regulation to ensure consistency with changes to Regulation 833. 

With respect to the Ministry of Labour’s proposal to introduce noise requirements under the Construction Projects Regulation, please refer to Regulatory Registry Proposal Number 14-MOL005 for updates.

For more information on the amendments and the coming into force dates of the provisions, please visit the Source Law section of the e-Laws website.

• Amendments to O. Reg. 213/91: O. Reg. 345/15
• Amendments to Reg. 833: O. Reg. 347/15
• Amendments to O. Reg. 632/05: O. Reg. 346/15

It is expected that the amendments will be consolidated into the e-Laws version of the official regulation in the near future.