Proposed amendments to Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) would make employers responsible for the cleaning regimen in workplace washrooms. The newly tabled Bill 190 includes a package of changes and updates to provincial labour and employment laws, which also address apprenticeships, credentials for internationally trained professionals, injury and harassment prevention and job posting and hiring processes.

New requirements related to washroom facilities are proposed for two sections of the OHSA: specifically for construction sites; and for workplaces in general. In both cases, employers or construction contractors would be required to ensure that washroom facilities are “maintained in a clean and sanitary conditions” and to keep and maintain records to demonstrate compliance. Future regulations will spell out what that will involve.

“If passed, Ontario would be the first province in Canada to require a record of cleaning in its health and safety legislation,” the provincial government’s summary of the proposed legislation states.

Public consultation on all the proposed OHSA amendments is now underway and open for online feedback until June 10. An analysis of the potential new costs for employers to comply with record-keeping requirements is promised as part of the development of the regulations.