The Manufacturing Planned Inspectional Initiative is designed to reduce the occurrence of injuries in manufacturing by focusing our efforts on the risks that drive both the serious injury rate and the time-loss claims rate and assisting employers in implementing their safety systems to control risks at the workplace. The initiative involves workplace inspections that include education, consultation, and enforcement.

Our goals

The goals of the initiative are to:

1. Prevent injuries in the manufacturing industry: In 2022, the injury rate in manufacturing was 2.55 time-loss injuries per 100 workers. This is 27 percent higher than the provincial injury rate average of 2.01*.
2. Prevent serious injuries and fatal injuries in the manufacturing industry: In 2022, the serious injury rate in manufacturing (0.41) was 41 percent higher than the provincial serious injury rate average (0.28)*.

* Excludes any COVID-19 claims.

Our focus

2024 inspectional approach

For 2024 inspections, prevention officers will take a risk-based approach to promote employer efforts related to:

• Identifying hazards and assessing the risk that hazards pose to workers in their workplaces.
• Implementing measures to control risks in order of greatest risk and following the hierarchy of controls.
• Providing employers, supervisors, and workers with orientation and training on how they can identify hazards and determine appropriate risk controls.
• Monitoring the effectiveness of the control measures in place and improving those that are not working as intended. Monitoring elements including worker orientation and training, supervision, incident investigations, workplace inspections, and (where applicable) well-supported joint health and safety committees.

The primary focus of the initiative is on the following hazards:

• Workers working with or on energized or moving machinery or equipment during normal production and maintenance. Prevention officers will evaluate employers’ risk control implementation efforts, principally safeguarding and de-energization, and lockout.
• Workers carrying out tasks that include physical exertion (force) and are often repetitive. Prevention officers will evaluate employers’ efforts related to musculoskeletal injury (MSI) risk identification, MSI risk education and training for workers, and employer-worker consultation as it applies to risk identification and education.

Officers will focus their inspections on all classification units in the Manufacturing sector.

What you can do

The following resources will help you address some of the health and safety issues we will be focusing on with our prevention activities, including inspections:

Safeguarding and lockout

• Safeguarding Machinery and Equipment
• Managing risks in manufacturing workplaces: Assessing risks — Safeguarding and lockout
• Manufacturing Inspection Checklist: Safeguarding, Lockout, and Combustible Dust
• De-energization & lockout
• Controlling Hazardous Energy: De-Energization and Lockout
• Lockout handout for workers: Manufacturing
• Locking out permanently connected or hard-wired equipment
• Locking out plugged-in electrical equipment

Managing risk self-evaluation

• Managing risks in manufacturing workplaces: Self-evaluation tool

Musculoskeletal injury

• Preventing Musculoskeletal Injury (MSI): A Guide for Employers and Joint Committees
• Understanding the Risks of Musculoskeletal Injury (MSI): An Educational Guide for Workers on Sprains, Strains, and Other MSIs

For more resources and information, please visit our Manufacturing and Ergonomics pages.