Which other notices does an Ontario construction project need?
Ontario's Construction Projects regulation adds other notices. The constructor notifies the Ministry before trench work that needs no notice of project, and gives notice at least 48 hours before a suspended work platform is first used. The employer files with a Director before a tunnel or caisson. Where five or more workers work at once, a supervisor inspects weekly.
Before the work, and while it runs
Three notices go in before a kind of work starts: the trench notice where no notice of project is required, the suspended work platform notice at least 48 hours before first use, and the tunnel notice with the engineer's drawings. Three duties run for as long as the work does: the site notice, the weekly inspection where five or more workers work at once, and the emergency procedures.
| Duty | Window and section | If missed |
|---|---|---|
| Notify the nearest Ministry office before work begins on a project with an enterable trench over 1.2 metres deep, where no notice of project is required | none setreg 7 | an offenceLapsed compliance |
| Give the Ministry the approved notification form at least 48 hours before a suspended work platform system is first used at a project | 48 hoursreg 7.1 | an offenceLapsed compliance |
| File a notice with a Director, with engineer-sealed drawings of the support system, before beginning work on a tunnel, shaft, caisson or cofferdam | none setreg 245 | an offenceLapsed compliance |
| Post at the project the constructor's name, head office and the nearest Ministry office, and add the health and safety representative or committee members within 48 hours of their selection | 48 hoursreg 13(1), (2) | an offenceLapsed compliance |
| Appoint a supervisor where five or more workers work at the same time, and have the supervisor inspect machinery, equipment and structures at least weekly | 7 daysreg 14(1)-(5), 15 | an offenceLapsed compliance |
| Establish written emergency procedures for the project, review them with the committee or representative, post them, and give every worker two-way communication | none setreg 17, 18 | an offenceLapsed compliance |
What the library notes on each duty
Quoted a whole sentence at a time from the library's note on each row.
Notify the nearest Ministry office before work begins on a project with an enterable trench over 1.2 metres deep, where no notice of project is required
reg 7 · none set · an offence
- Binds the constructor, in person, by telephone or by fax.
- Applies only where reg 6 does not.
- 'Before any work at the project is begun', with no day count, so no window is recorded.
Give the Ministry the approved notification form at least 48 hours before a suspended work platform system is first used at a project
reg 7.1 · 48 hours · an offence
- Binds the constructor: by fax, in person at the nearest Ministry office or online (reg 7.1(2)).
- In an emergency the system may be used first after oral notice to an inspector, with the form within 24 hours of first use (reg 7.1(3), (4)).
- A copy is kept in a conspicuous place at the project (reg 7.1(5)).
File a notice with a Director, with engineer-sealed drawings of the support system, before beginning work on a tunnel, shaft, caisson or cofferdam
reg 245 · none set · an offence
- Binds the employer who will construct it.
- The notice describes the work, gives profiles, sections and plans signed and sealed by the engineer who designed the support system, details all temporary and permanent ground support, names the constructor, owner, employer and supervisor in charge, locates the work, and states its start date and duration (reg 245(2)).
- 'Before beginning work', with no day count, so no window is recorded.
Post at the project the constructor's name, head office and the nearest Ministry office, and add the health and safety representative or committee members within 48 hours of their selection
reg 13(1), (2) · 48 hours · an offence
- Binds the constructor, in a conspicuous place, kept posted while work is done (reg 13(1)).
- The 48 hours apply only to adding the name, trade and employer of the representative or each committee member (reg 13(2)).
Appoint a supervisor where five or more workers work at the same time, and have the supervisor inspect machinery, equipment and structures at least weekly
reg 14(1)-(5), 15 · 7 days · an offence
- The constructor appoints a supervisor for the project (reg 14(1)), and each employer of five or more workers on the project one for its workers (reg 15).
- The supervisor or a competent person inspects machinery and equipment, fire extinguishing equipment, magazines, electrical installations, communications, sanitation and medical facilities, structures, temporary supports and access and egress at least once a week (reg 14(3), (4)).
Establish written emergency procedures for the project, review them with the committee or representative, post them, and give every worker two-way communication
reg 17, 18 · none set · an offence
- Binds the constructor, which must also ensure the procedures are followed (reg 17(1)).
The notice of project
A project that meets a threshold also needs a notice of project before work begins. Contravening the Act or a regulation is an offence: an individual faces a fine of up to CAD 500,000, up to 12 months' imprisonment, or both, and a corporation a fine of up to CAD 2,000,000 (OHSA s 66(1), (2)).
What this page is, and is not
It is the section text this library holds for Ontario's Construction Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.30 (Ontario), the Occupational Health and Safety Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.1 (Ontario) and Construction Projects, O. Reg. 213/91 (Ontario), with the window and the consequence. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for reading the Acts, the regulations and the contract you signed.
Demiton does not yet track Ontario projects. These pages set out the duties; the product does not run these checks on an Ontario job today.
No library of law is complete, and Demiton never says this one is. An obligation the library does not hold, and you did not add, is not protected. You can add your own to any job.