When you’re starting to drown between employee concerns, payroll duties and helping your CEO -- HR Insider is there to help get the logistical work out of the way.
The November 2026 OHS Insider focuses on several risks that become especially important as organizations move into winter and year-end operations, including worker fatigue, ventilation, warehouse traffic safety and changing regulatory requirements across Canada.
What’s Inside
Worker Fatigue
Schedule changes, rotating shifts, overtime and reduced recovery time can impair judgment, reaction time, concentration and coordination. The newsletter explains why fatigue should be treated as a safety risk, not simply a scheduling issue.
Employers should monitor warning signs, avoid abrupt schedule changes where possible, provide adequate recovery time and track overtime, consecutive shifts, near misses and fatigue reports.
Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality
Simply having a functioning HVAC system doesn’t necessarily mean workplace ventilation is adequate.
Changes in production, occupancy, chemicals, equipment or building layout can affect air quality. Employers should conduct field reviews, respond to worker complaints and determine whether local exhaust ventilation or a formal indoor air quality assessment is required.
Warehouse Traffic Control
Forklift-pedestrian collisions continue to present serious risks.
The newsletter outlines essential traffic-control practices, including designated pedestrian walkways, controlled crossings, forklift travel routes, speed limits, blind-corner procedures and specific rules for workers entering powered-equipment operating areas.
Canadian OHS Developments
The Month-in-Review highlights several developments across Canada, including:
- Proposed new workplace harassment and violence requirements in British Columbia
- New menstrual-product requirements in Manitoba workplaces
- Changes to fall-protection certification training in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Increased environmental penalties in Québec
- Transportation enforcement activity in Alberta
- Workers’ compensation premium reductions in Nova Scotia
Recent Cases and Enforcement
This month’s cases reinforce several important compliance lessons.
A safety-sensitive airport worker’s termination was upheld after he turned off his radio and went to sleep while on duty.
In another case, an Alberta employer was acquitted of 10 OHS charges following a fatal incident because it could demonstrate a comprehensive safety program, regular audits, training and formal tracking of safety performance.
A $4.5 million workplace harassment settlement involving WestJet also highlights the importance of having effective reporting, investigation and prevention systems.
Another case demonstrates that employers that have historically failed to enforce safety rules may have difficulty imposing serious discipline when future violations occur.
Key Takeaways for OHS Managers
- Treat fatigue as a workplace hazard.
- Review schedules, overtime and recovery time.
- Verify that ventilation still matches current workplace conditions.
- Investigate worker air-quality complaints.
- Separate pedestrians and powered mobile equipment wherever possible.
- Establish clear traffic rules for crossings, intersections and blind corners.
- Enforce safety rules consistently.
- Document audits, training, corrective action and safety performance.
- Review harassment and violence prevention programs.
- Monitor regulatory developments in your jurisdiction.
Bottom Line
November’s message is about verification. Don’t assume schedules are safe, ventilation is adequate, traffic controls are working or policies are being followed. Check what is actually happening in the workplace, document what you find and address gaps before they result in an incident.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS MONTH
IMPORTANT DATES
November 1—Alberta—New administrative monetary penalty late fees regulations take effect.
November 6—British Columbia—New OHS requirements for use of tight-fitting respirators take effect.
November 19—Alberta—Deadline to apply for Northern and Regional Economic Development grants.
November 30—Yukon—Deadline to complete e-scooter safety online survey.
THIS MONTH'S CONTENT IN FULL
ADDITIONAL TOOLS AND READING
How to implement a Workplace Fatigue Risk Management System for your workers.
Use the OHSI Due Diligence Scorecard and accompanying Case Summaries to draw other important lessons that you can use to assess whether your own OHS program meets due diligence standards.
Use the OHS Insider Assessment Questionnaire template to uncover hidden harassment, bullying, and stalking problems at your workplace.
How to use progressive discipline effectively to enforce your workplace health and safety rules.
How to implement a legally sound Airborne Contaminant Exposure Control Plan at your workplace.
Find out about the factors you should consider in deciding whether to appeal an OHS order.
