Press Release
Ontario is making workplaces safer by focusing on hazards involving forklifts and lifting devices.
Ministry of Labour inspectors will visit industrial workplaces during increased enforcement in February.
They will ensure lifting equipment is being:
•inspected and maintained in good condition;
•operated by well-trained employees; and
•used in a safe work environment.
The blitz will be conducted in addition to the ministry’s recently-announced fall hazards blitz, during which inspectors will continue to visit construction sites to check for hazards involving suspended platforms.
The blitzes are being conducted as part of the government’s“ Safe At Work Ontario” strategy.
At least 18 workers have died since 2003 as a result of incidents involving lift trucks, reach trucks, forklifts, and tow motors.
In total, there were 9,455 forklift-related incidents involving a lost time injury between 1996 and 2008—an average of 727 incidents a year, according to the data compiled by the Occupational Health and Safety Council of Ontario.
