Summary of the Evaluation of the Occupational Health and Safety Program, 2026

About the program

The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) program promotes and sustains safe and healthy workplaces for employees under federal jurisdiction by preventing or reducing the incidence of workplace-related accidents and injuries, including occupational diseases. It aims to do so by creating tools that raise awareness of health and safety issues and by assisting employers and employees in federally regulated sectors understand their rights and responsibilities under Part II of the Canada Labour Code and the Non-smokers' Health Act.

Key findings

• Proactive inspections are the key driver of violation detection and are perceived as effective in promoting occupational health and safety. However, challenges in strategic targeting and execution of inspections persist mainly due to operational constraints.
• Assurance of voluntary compliance (AVC) and directions are an effective tool to address contravention and achieve compliance, with most employers correcting violations following interventions. Prosecutions and AMPs are recognized as important enforcement tools but remain underutilized.
• Program awareness activities were significantly reduced during the evaluation period. Usability barriers, communication issues, and uneven workplace outreach limited the effectiveness of promotional activities and tools. 
• The Program uses administrative data to support and target proactive and reactive activities. Limitations in data quality, integration, and completeness hinder its effectiveness for proactive planning and strategic analysis.
• The Program meets its service standard for responding to inquiries within one business day and finalizing assignments within 120 days. However, it has faced challenges in resolving complaints within 120 days.

Recommendations

• Enhance inspectors and investigators' capacity to effectively apply enforcement tools across the distinct operational contexts in federally regulated sectors.
• Improve the reach and effectiveness of proactive awareness tools, with a focus on usability, relevance, and delivery channels.
• Explore ways to strengthen the collection, integration, and quality of administrative data to enable risk-based planning and performance monitoring, within a strategic framework for data management.
• Improve timeliness in resolving complaints by exploring opportunities to address underlying factors that may influence delays.