Occupational Exposure Registry Introduced in Ontario and what this Means for Employers

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The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) has recently launched the Occupation Exposure Registry (OER) in Ontario, which is a digital portal for employees to record and monitor their exposure to hazardous substances within the workplace. This introduction marks a meaningful shift into how health risks will be assessed and tracked in the workplace and reinforces employers’ responsibilities.

Per the Ontario occupational health and safety legislation, employers have a duty to take every reasonable precaution needed to protect their employees from hazardous substances. When hazardous substances are present in the workplace, employers are required to:

  • Assess the risk of exposure;
  • Adopt necessary controls to limit the exposure;
  • Monitor any airborne concentrations of said hazardous substance; and
  • Monitor employee exposure and maintain record of such exposure.

The new OER system allows workers to voluntarily log exposures to hazardous substances through a secure digital platform. The digital log creates a long-term, downloadable record that can be used for future medical assessments and health monitoring. It is important to note that the OER is not a replacement to any personal exposure record kept by the employer, but rather, will act as supplementary material.

The Ministry has also clearly stated that the OER is not a complaint mechanism for employees and does not prompt workers to enter information regarding their employers. Put more simply, it is not used for enforcement against employers. What the system does is record details about the workplace that is determined through exposure descriptions provided by the employee.

For employers, compliance obligations under Ontario’s occupational health and safety legislation remains unchanged. Employers are still expected to take every reasonable precaution necessary in hazardous workplaces and maintain exposure records to ensure the health and safety of their employees. Moving forward, employers should treat this as an opportunity to tighten internal systems and upkeep compliances to ensure hazard assessments, exposure monitoring, and training are current.