Requirement to Report an Incident on a Farming Operation

Issued: January 24, 2006
ISBN 0-7794-9447-4
Print version [ 68kb / 4 pages ]
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See also: Farming Operations

As of June 30, 2006, the Occupational Health and Safety Act will apply, with certain limitations and exceptions, to all farming operations that have paid workers.

The Act requires employers to notify certain people whenever a workplace injury, illness, or fatality occurs. This document describes those requirements, as they apply to farming operations.

1) Where there is a Critical Injury or Death

If a person, whether a worker or not (this includes, for example, supervisors, employers, workers, unpaid family members, and visitors), has been critically injured (see definition below) or killed at the workplace, the employer must immediately notify an inspector at the nearest Ministry of Labour office, and the joint health and safety committee or health and safety representative (if any) . This notice must be by direct means, such as by telephone, facsimile or telegram.

A “critical injury” is an injury of a serious nature that,

• places life in jeopardy,
• produces unconsciousness,
• results in substantial loss of blood
• involves the fracture of a leg or arm but not a finger or toe,
• involves the amputation of a leg, arm, hand or foot but not a finger or toe,
• consists of burns to a major portion of the body, or
• causes the loss of sight in an eye. [Regulation 834]

Within 48 hours, the employer must also notify, in writing, a Regional Director of the Ministry of Labour, giving the circumstances of the occurrence. [Section 51(1)]

Please see below for a list of Ministry of Labour offices.

2) Where there is an Injury that is not a Critical Injury

If an accident, explosion or fire occurs and a worker is disabled or requires medical attention, the employer must notify the joint health and safety committee or health and safety representative (if any) in writing within four days of the incident. If required by an inspector, this written notice must also be given to a Regional Director of the Ministry of Labour. [Section 52(1)]

3) Where there is an Occupational Illness

If an employer is told that a worker has an occupational illness or that a claim for an occupational illness has been filed with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, the employer must notify a Regional Director of the Ministry of Labour, and the joint health and safety committee or health and safety representative (if any) within four days. The notice must be in writing. This duty to notify applies not only to current employees but also to former ones. [Section 52(3)]

An “occupational illness” is defined as a condition that results from exposure in a workplace to a physical, chemical or biological agent to the extent that the normal physiological mechanisms are affected and the health of the worker is impaired. It includes an occupational disease for which a worker is entitled to benefits under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.

For more information on the Occupational Health and Safety Act:

• contact your local Ministry of Labour office listed in the Blue Pages of your phone book,
• contact the Ministry of Labour toll free information line at 1-800-268-8013,
• visit the Ministry of Labour’s website at www.labour.gov.on.ca.

Ministry of Labour - Occupational Health and Safety Contact Information

Many of the 1-800 or toll-free numbers listed below are accessible only within the area code of the relevant office.

[ Central Region | Eastern Region | Northern Region | Western Region ]

Central Region

Central Region includes Toronto and the following counties: Dufferin, Durham, Peel, Simcoe and York.

Central Occupational Health and Safety Duty Desk

416-314-5421
1-800-991-7454
Fax: 416-235-3972

Eastern Region

Eastern Region includes the following counties: Frontenac, Haliburton, Hastings, Lanark, Leeds & Grenville, Lennox & Addington, Muskoka, Northumberland, Ottawa-Carleton, Peterborough, Prescott & Russell, Prince Edward, Renfrew, Stormont Dundas & Glengarry and Victoria.

Northern Region

Northern Region includes the following counties: Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Timiskaming.

Western Region

Western Region includes the following counties: Brant, Bruce, Elgin, Essex, Grey, Haldimand-Norfolk, Halton, Hamilton-Wentworth, Huron, Kent, Lambton, Middlesex, Niagara, Oxford, Perth, Waterloo and Wellington.

Western Occupational Health and Safety Call Centre

905-577-9774
1-877-202-0008
Fax: 905-577-1316

Notes:

For more contact information, or if you're not sure what region you're in, please consult the Blue Pages of your local telephone book under "Employment", "Health and Safety" or "Labour" or check our list of Regional Offices (under "Contact Us") on the Ministry's website: www.labour.gov.on.ca.

For more information about health and safety related to farming operations, please contact:

Farm Safety Association Inc.
101 - 75 Farquhar Street
Guelph ON  N1H 3N4
519-823-5600
1-800-361-8855
Web: www.farmsafety.ca