Ontario Providing Employers With Workplace Guidelines

Thursday, 30 April 2020 13:26

Premier Doug Ford says we are on the path to reopening the economy as he unveiled new guidelines for employers to use for when things start to open up soon.

ONTARIO - Premier Doug Ford says we are currently on the path to reopening the economy.

"I want you to know that despite everything, despite the hardships we have endured, despite the uncertainty ahead of us, despite it all, we have many reasons to be optimistic right now. We have taken a measured approach, we as a Province, 14.5 million people have taken this fight seriously. We have thrown everything we have at this virus, because of that, because of you, we have made tremendous progress. Today, we are on the path to reopening the economy because that curve is flattening, that surge in our hospitals, we avoided it and that trend is going down. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and I am laser focused right now on opening things up as quickly as we can in a safe and measured way. We will open things up in phases as it becomes safe to do so, based on health and science."

The Province laid out a road map to reopening the economy on Monday. Today they are offering guidelines to businesses on how they can re-open safely. These are the guidelines to follow when we do get ready to open up the economy. Ford says we are telling our businesses how to be ready for when we get that green light.

"These guidelines will help Ontario businesses adapt to the new reality we face and keep workers and customers safe. All of these guidelines taken together with our framework provide a strong foundation to help us get the Province working again. My friends, this pandemic has turned our lives upside down, it is has put our will and our resolve to the test but we are winning this fight and we will win this fight and Ontario will come out of this stronger than ever before."

These new sector-specific guidelines feature recommended actions employers can begin to plan for as they prepare to adapt to the new reality during COVID-19, including:

- Ways to ensure appropriate physical distancing, like eliminating pay-at-the-door options, holding team meetings outdoors, staggering shift times and using ground markings and barriers to manage traffic flow.
- Changes to the workplace, like installing Plexiglas barriers, increasing the air intake on building heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to increase air flow, and using boot sanitizing trays.
- Promoting proper workplace sanitation, providing personal protective equipment, substituting dry dusting with vacuuming, ensuring customer-facing staff are given hand sanitizer, providing a place to dispose of sanitizing wipes, and enforcing handwashing before and after breaks.

The government is also issuing posters to promote a variety of useful safety tips. The posters offer helpful advice on physical distancing and sanitation. They are downloadable from the Ontario.ca website so employers can print and post them in their workplaces.

The 61 sector-specific guidelines are available here from Ontario’s health and safety associations. Guidelines for construction are available here.

You can listen to the Premiers Statement below: