Ontario’s Ministry of Labour will be visiting construction sites early next year as part of a province-wide health and safety blitz on personal protective equipment (PPE). Lack of PPE was the second-highest violation on construction sites in 2018, according to the Ministry of Labour.

The workplace visits are set to take place between Jan. 6 to March 13 next year, and are the second phase of a larger program that aims to raise awareness on PPE requirements. The first phase will focus on education, as the ministry works with the Infrastructure Health & Safety Association to provide resources to workplaces.

During the workplace blitz, inspectors will conduct field visits to check that employers are complying with the Occupational Health and Safety Act. They will be checking that appropriate PPE is being provided to workers and worn, including respirators, hearing protectors, skin protection, such as gloves or protective clothing, high-visibility clothing, face shields and eye shields.