January 2007.

The Ontario Ministry of Labour announced that on July 1, 2007, the noise exposure standard will be reduced from 90 dBA to 85 dBA. This means that employees may be exposed to only 85 dBA noise for an 8-hour day without the use of hearing protection.

Hearing loss continues to be a problem in Ontario, and this revised standard will help to reduce hearing loss in the future.

October 2006.

The new Ontario Confined Space regulation was issued at the end of September 2006. Under the legislation, employees or contractors who do confined space work must receive training, know how to do a hazard assessment, make a plan, and setup a program. This legislation formalizes what many companies have been doing, but makes the approach more uniform and systematic.

December 31, 2005.

Under the Chemical Substances regulation, the carbon monoxide 8-hour exposure standard is reduced from 35 ppm to 25 ppm.

Companies with propane and gasoline powered forklifts may have to consider a carbon monoxide exposure survey to determine how much is present in the workplace.

November 2005.

The Ontario Asbestos Regulation for Buildings and Construction Projects has been updated and became effective November 1, 2005. This revised legislation systemizes the process of asbestos work, and makes it easy to know which precautions to follow.