Provincially regulated employers are required to have certain things posted in a public area of their workplace. However, it can be challenging to keep track of what needs to be posted. This blog will cover what provincially regulated employers should have posted in their workplace. It is not an exhaustive list, but a list of things that employers might have to post. This blog is not legal advice, as you will need to retain our services if you want to have a complete list of what you need to have posted in your workplace.

Posters

Various pieces of legislation require that employers put up certain posters in the workplace. Posters are meant to quickly inform employees of their rights. Only the posters made by the Ontario Government or one of its departments are valid. Posters made by private companies do not comply with the legal posting requirements and thus do not fulfill your obligations.

The employer is required to post a "Health & safety at work: Prevention Starts Here" poster in their workplace. This poster outlines the rights and responsibilities of all workers under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). This poster has a contact number for workers to report critical workplace injuries, workplace fatalities, and work refusals. This poster must be printed in English and any other language that most of the workplace speaks. The health and safety at work poster can be downloaded from the Ontario government's website and must be printed on paper that is at least 8.5 by 11 inches (21.59 cm by 27.94 cm) in either colour or black and white. The employer can also order hard copies of this poster from ServiceOntario Publications for free.

The employer must provide all employees covered by the Employment Standards Act (ESA) the employment standards poster within 30 days of being hired. The poster notes some of the important rights that employees have under the ESA. You can download the poster in multiple languages for free on the Government of Ontario's website. The employer can also order hard copies of this poster from ServiceOntario Publications for free.

The employer must post the "In case of injury" poster in a prominent place in the workplace. This poster is from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), and it outlines the steps that employers and employees must take if there is a workplace injury. You can get a copy of this poster by visiting the WISB website.

Finally, although not technically a poster, when employees work in an enclosed workspace (like an office building) the employer must post signs indicating that employees and the public cannot vape anything or smoke tobacco or cannabis, regardless of whether it is for medical or recreational reasons. These signs should be posted at the entrance, exit, and all washrooms in the enclosed workspace. Employers can order such signs from their local public health unit.

Posted Information

In workplaces that have more than 5 workers, there must be at least one joint health and safety committee representative. The employer must post the name(s) and work location(s) of all the joint health and safety committee representatives in a public place that is easy for employees to find.

On June 1^st, 2023, all "at risk" workplaces will be required to post the names of the workers and their work locations who are trained on how to use naloxone kits. This information should be posted in a conspicuous spot, where it will come to the attention of workers, near where the naloxone kit is stored. For more information about the naloxone kit requirements, please read my previous blog.

Posted Legislation

The employer must post a physical copy of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) in the workplace. You can download the OHSA for free from the Ontario Government's website. You can also order a hard copy from ServiceOntario Publications for a small fee.

Posted Policies

Provincially regulated employers are required to make certain policies. However, not all policies must be posted in the workplace. Some just need to be circulated.

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), employers with more than five employees must have an occupational health and safety policy. This policy must be updated once each year. The updated policy should be posted in an easily accessible area.

The OHSA also requires that employers write a workplace harassment policy and a workplace violence policy. If the workplace has more than five employees, then these policies should be posted in a publicly accessible area. These policies should also be re-posted every year after each mandatory review.

How Suzanne Desrosiers Professional Corporation can help

As mentioned, the above is not a complete list of documents that need to be posted in provincially regulated workplaces. For example, I did not mention that employers who hire foreign nationals have additional requirements to provide information sheets. To ensure that you have all the required documents that you need in your workplace, you should schedule a consultation with one of our employment lawyers.

Our employment lawyers can also help you with writing and updating the mandatory workplace policies, including the ones noted above. You can get in touch with one of our employment lawyers by calling us at (705) 268-6492 or emailing us at info@sdlawtimmins.com.