Workplace Safety and Health

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ALERT- December 03, 2024. WSH is currently experiences a phone system interruption, as we work towards a solution, please call 204-945-6848 or 204-945-3446. Note, you may also wish to email WSH for non-urgent issues or concerns at WSHcompl@gov.mb.ca.

Overview

Workplace Safety and Health enforces The Workplace Safety and Health Act and its three associated regulations in order to ensure Manitoba’s workplaces are safe and healthy.

Inspection and investigation activity focuses on improving legislative compliance in order to reduce workplace fatalities, serious injuries and illnesses.

Workplace Safety and Health enforcement targets high-risk hazards and sectors, as well as repeated or willful non-compliance. In addition to focused enforcement, random inspections are conducted to ensure consistency throughout the province.

For more information about current enforcement strategies, click here: Enforcement Strategies

Statistics & Reporting

• Safety and Health Officers conduct over approximately 5,500 inspections per year.
  • Approximately 55% of inspections result in one or more orders being issued to an employer.
  • Improvement orders are issued when a priority contravention is noted, and require measures to be put in place by a specified timeframe in order to ensure the safety and health of workers. Approximately 9,000 improvement orders are issued annually.
  • When an officer observes an imminent hazard, they may order work to stop immediately, and remain stopped until the officer is satisfied that the hazard is appropriately dealt with. Approximately 400 stop work orders are issued each year.
• Annually, Workplace Safety and Health receives over 8,500 phone calls and hundreds of emails, including general questions, tips regarding unsafe work and reports of serious incidents at workplaces.
  • Approximately 1,400 tips are triaged to an officer for further follow-up, taking into account the level of risk, the circumstances of each, and the safety and health history of the employer.
    
• On average, just over 1,500 serious incidents are reported to the Branch each year.
• Administrative penalties range from $1,000 to $5,000 and are reserved for cases of wilful, severe or repeated non-compliance. On average 15-20 penalties are being issued each year.
• Approximately 10-15 files are forwarded for review by Manitoba Justice.
• Charges may be laid when:
  • Injury or illness occur as a direct result of contraventions to safety and health legislation;
  • Repeated or willful non-compliance to safety and health requirements; is noted; or,
  • Work continues after a stop work order has been issued.

For more information on orders, penalties and convictions, click here: Stop Work Orders, Penalties & Convictions

For more information on enforcement statistics, click here: Reports