Ontario Health and Safety Requirements for Small Business
Running a small business takes a lot of time, and figuring out what Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) requires of you can be confusing. This guide breaks the requirements down by the number of workers you have, so you can see exactly what applies to your business.
Start with the requirements for all workplaces, then work down to your size. If you want everything in one printable list, get my free Ontario health and safety checklist.
All Ontario Workplaces
Post a copy of the Occupational Health and Safety Act
Post a copy of Health and Safety at Work
For more information, get our Free Health and Safety Checklist
1 or More Workers
Post a copy of In Case of Injury
Have every worker complete Basic Health and Safety Awareness training
Everyone who supervises a worker must complete Basic Supervisor Health and Safety Awareness training
Provide a first aid kit and train at least 1 worker in first aid
Teach your workers about the hazards of the job and how to do it safely. Let us help with Safety Starter Plus
6 to 19 Workers
Develop and post the following (use these free templates to create your own):
Workers at the workplace must select a Worker Health and Safety Representative to carry out additional health and safety duties.
Develop written procedures to implement the policies. Let us help with Safety Starter Plus
20 or More Workers
Everything above still applies. With 20 or more regularly employed workers, you need a joint health and safety committee (JHSC) instead of a single health and safety representative. In most cases, the committee must include certified members who have completed JHSC certification training.
Safety Starter Plus is built for businesses with fewer than 20 employees. If you’re larger, call or text me at 226-921-5054 and we’ll talk about what you need.
Free Health and Safety Resources
Below are the free posters, guides and awareness training the requirements above refer to. They all come from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) or the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), so you know they’re the official versions.
Mandatory Health and Safety Awareness Training for Supervisors & Workers
Ontario small business entrepreneurs must ensure supervisors and workers complete an awareness training program as soon as practicable. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development offers a free e-learning and a hard copy workbook. The Safety Starter Plus program includes these requirements plus common job-specific hazards and safe work practices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the OHSA apply to my small business?
If you have workers in Ontario, almost certainly yes. The main exception is federally regulated businesses, such as banks, airlines and interprovincial trucking, which follow the Canada Labour Code instead.
When do my policies have to be in writing?
If you regularly employ 6 or more workers, your health and safety policy and your workplace violence and harassment policies must be written, posted where workers can see them, and reviewed at least once a year. Smaller employers still need workplace violence and harassment policies and programs, but the written and posting requirements don’t apply unless an inspector orders it.
What’s the difference between a health and safety representative and a JHSC?
With 6 to 19 regularly employed workers, your workers select one health and safety representative. With 20 or more, you need a joint health and safety committee made up of both worker and management members.
Get Your Health and Safety Program Built for You
Meeting these requirements takes more than posters. Safety Starter Plus gives Ontario businesses with fewer than 20 employees a custom health and safety program: OHSA basics, your job-specific hazards and safe work practices, branded with your logo, plus online training your employees can complete on any device. From $519 for 1 to 5 employees, or $719 for 6 to 10.