OHS Insider Newsletter – September 2026

September’s OHS Insider focuses on a recurring lesson from recent Canadian enforcement cases: having policies, training, equipment, and experienced supervisors isn’t enough unless employers can demonstrate that critical safety requirements are being followed and verified in the workplace.

This month’s edition reviews four important summer OHS cases, including a $350,000 forklift fatality fine and a BC decision confirming that simply relying on an experienced supervisor won’t necessarily establish due diligence. It also provides practical guidance for conducting a mid-year fire readiness review, managing PPE during extreme heat, wildfire smoke and severe weather, and addressing the compliance implications of employees voluntarily wearing PPE.

The September Month-in-Review and Case Alerts also highlight regulatory developments and enforcement activity across Canada involving respiratory protection, machine guarding, confined spaces, lockout and hazardous energy, workplace violence, workers’ compensation and more.

Key Takeaways for OHS Managers

• Verify supervision, don’t simply assign it. A BC case reinforces that employers should be able to demonstrate that supervisors remain competent and are actively enforcing critical safety requirements.
• Powered mobile equipment remains a significant enforcement risk. A forklift fatality resulted in a $350,000 fine after marble slabs shifted during handling.
• Review fire readiness before an emergency exposes weaknesses. Check extinguishers, evacuation routes, wardens, emergency contacts, worker knowledge and corrective actions from previous drills.
• Extreme weather may require changes to your PPE strategy. Heat, wildfire smoke and severe storms can alter both the hazards workers face and the suitability of existing PPE.
• Confined space and hazardous-energy controls remain high-consequence areas. Recent penalties demonstrate the importance of written procedures, worker competency, supervision and effective lockout.
• Voluntary PPE still requires oversight. Allowing an employee to use a respirator voluntarily may create compliance concerns if the equipment can’t provide the protection it appears to provide.
• Watch September regulatory dates. BC equipment-certification changes and Manitoba menstrual-product requirements take effect September 1, while revised Ontario WSIB policies take effect September 21.

Read the September OHS Insider Newsletter for the cases, compliance strategies and practical tools behind these developments.