Welcome to the Ontario Building Officials Association
News

Ontario CodeNews Issue 190 - On-Site Sewage Maintenance Inspections - Changes to the Building Code

Ontario Regulation 315/10 recently amended the Building Code (Ontario regulation 350/06) to establish and govern mandatory on-site sewage system maintenance inspection programs that are to be administered by principal authorities (i.e., municipalities, health units and/or conservation authorities) in certain areas. The amendments also govern discretionary on-site sewage system maintenance inspection programs established by principal authorities.

These amendments help protect Ontario’s drinking water and the natural environment, and support the implementation of the Clean Water Act, 2006 and the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan. 

The regulation largely comes into force on January 1, 2011.  The balance of the regulation (concerning mandatory maintenance inspection programs in certain areas around the Lake Simcoe shoreline and in other parts of the Lake Simcoe watershed) comes into force on January 1, 2016.

For more details on these changes, go to:     http://www.obc.mah.gov.on.ca/Page3196.aspx

Safety Campaign Targets Construction Workers and Supervisors

Ontario's health and safety system partners are launching an eight-week campaign to urge workers and employers to put safety first on construction sites across the province.

Labour Minister Peter Fonseca kicked off a province-wide tour of construction sites at George Brown College's Waterfront Health Sciences campus in Toronto today, emphasizing the need for everyone on the job to train properly, be aware of dangers, and keep everyone safe.

"Workers, supervisors and employers need to watch out for each other on construction sites. I hope these strong messages will remind them of what's at stake. It's about lives, limbs and livelihoods. It's about going home to your family safe and sound at the end of the work day," said Minister Fonseca.

Sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and the Infrastructure Health & Safety Association, the campaign will use coffee trucks, posters, multicultural newspapers, and social marketing to reach thousands of workers, employers, and supervisors across the construction sector.

New hotline and web resources available

The minister also announced that workers and the public can call a new toll-free telephone line (1-877-202-0008) to report work practices that appear unsafe.

As well, the Ministry of Labour has consolidated most of its resources relating to construction safety on one page of its website. There, viewers can see a range of information about safe work practices, including a video about fall hazards on residential construction projects, and soon, a new one about suspended platforms. These can also be seen on YouTube and downloaded for safety training sessions and meetings. This website is available in English and French.

Although the lost-time injury rate of Ontario's construction workers is one of the lowest in Canada— 1.37 per 100 workers— the province is taking action to improve worker safety by increasing enforcement of regulations and enhancing awareness of safety measures, including those related to fall prevention.

During a three-month enforcement blitz (ending in April this year) of more than 2,800 construction sites across Ontario, Ministry of Labour Inspectors found many violations related to missing or inappropriate use of guardrails, scaffolding and fall protection systems.

If you have feedback about this campaign or questions about health and safety, feel free to email us.


Some Selected News Items" That Are Removed From This Section May Be Found In Archives