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Part of Inspections

OHS proactive inspection program

OHS officers focus inspections on specific industry sectors, employers or types of work.

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  • OHS proactive inspection program

Overview

Each year, Occupational health and safety (OHS) proactively inspects workplaces to monitor compliance with legislation. Engaging with worksites proactively, before an incident has occurred, is an essential component to OHS’s compliance strategy. In any given year, OHS’s proactive program will span a variety of industries and work activities and are not limited to the published Proactive inspection initiatives listed below.

Proactive inspections seek to identify and address matters related to:

  • general compliance with OHS provisions
  • fatality, injury and occupational exposure prevention
  • functional Internal Responsibility Systems (IRS)
  • empowering worksite parties to operate within their rights, responsibilities and obligations under OHS legislation

While proactive inspections activity can occur in any workplace, in any industry, OHS directs these efforts to worksites and sectors with:

  • relatively high injury and illness rates
  • high frequency of incidents
  • low levels of OHS compliance
  • emerging trends

Inspection programs help work site parties identify health and safety hazards and measures to mitigate the hazards. More information on prevention priorities for the OHS system is available in the Prevention Initiative for Alberta's OHS System.

How inspections are done

An OHS officer’s role is to monitor compliance with the legislation through review of records and documents, observations and conversations with work site parties. OHS officers may take measurements, samples, photos or recordings. A record of the inspection will be provided to work site parties at the conclusion of a site visit.

Work site parties are responsible for correcting any non-compliance identified by the OHS officer.

OHS officers may re-inspect sites to check on previous non-compliance with OHS laws.

Proactive inspection initiatives

Programs will run from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026.

A central aspect to OHS’s proactive program is the establishment of inspection initiatives which dedicate OHS efforts on a particular hazard, issue, or within particular sectors or industries for a defined duration of time.

Under each initiative, OHS will work with employers and workers to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities and to proactively address health and safety concerns. Each proactive initiative has specific areas of focus, based on the most common hazards and incidents in those industry sectors. In addition, OHS will focus on educating industry sectors on the OHS Code changes most relevant to them.

  • Municipal Districts (MDs), Towns and Villages Inspection Initiative

    The industry sectors included with this initiative include:

    • municipal districts
      • public works
      • administration
      • emergency services
      • agricultural services
      • family and community support services
      • parks and recreation
    • towns and villages
      • public works
      • administration
      • emergency services

    Specific areas of focus for this initiative will be:

    • psychosocial hazards
    • tasks associated with caught, contact or struck with object, tools or equipment (mechanism of injury)
    • tasks associated with falls and or jumps

    OHS code changes relevant to this industry are:

    • Part 27 – Violence and Harassment
    • Miscellaneous parts of the OHS Code
      • Part 18 Personal Protective Equipment
      • Part 5 Confined Space
      • Part 10 Fire and Explosion Hazards
      • Part 11 First Aid
      • Part 31 Diving Operations
      • Part 40 Utility Workers – electrical
      • Part 41 Work Requiring Rope Access
      • Schedule 2, Tables 5, 6 and 7

  • Mechanism of Injury Inspection Initiative – Caught, Contact or Struck-by Equipment or Objects

    The sectors included with this initiative include workplaces where there is prevalence of work where these hazards are present.

    Inspections will focus on employers who have a high rate of reported incidents involving these mechanisms of injury.

    Specific areas of focus for this initiative will be:

    • chain of responsibilities and obligations
    • internal responsibility system
    • hazard assessment, elimination and control
    • tasks associated with caught, contact or struck with object, tools or equipment (mechanism of injury)
    • availability and validity of worker training, procedures, reports, plans, required equipment, equipment inspections and supplies
    • implementation by the employer of the worker training, procedures, reports, plans, required equipment, equipment inspections and supplies
    • competency of supervisors

    Relevant code changes are:

    • Part 27 – Violence and Harassment
    • Part 33 – Explosives
    • Part 37 – Oil, Gas and Geothermal Energy
    • Miscellaneous parts of the OHS Code
      • Part 18 Personal Protective Equipment
      • Part 5 Confined Space
      • Part 10 Fire and Explosion Hazards
      • Part 11 First Aid
      • Part 31 Diving Operations
      • Part 40 Utility Workers – electrical
      • Part 41 Work Requiring Rope Access
      • Schedule 2, Tables 5, 6 and 7

  • Other Work Site Parties Inspection Initiative

    The industry sectors included with this initiative are:

    • security service
    • mobile equipment dealers
    • machine and equipment sales and service
    • janitorial/cleaning services

    Specific areas of focus for this initiative will be:

    • obligations of suppliers or obligations of service providers
    • internal responsibility system
    • hazard assessment, elimination and control
    • tasks associated with caught, contact or struck with object, tools or equipment (mechanism of injury)
    • the right to meaningful participation in the control of hazards
    • the right to refuse dangerous work
    • availability of worker training, procedures, reports, plans, required equipment, equipment inspections and supplies
    • competency of supervisors

    Relevant code changes are:

    • Part 27 – Violence and Harassment
    • Miscellaneous parts of the OHS Code
      • Part 18 Personal Protective Equipment
      • Part 11 First Aid
      • Schedule 2, Tables 5, 6 and 7

  • Oil and Gas Inspection Initiative

    The industry sectors included with this Initiative are:

    • upstream oil/gas
    • oilfield maintenance/construction
    • pipeline construction
    • well servicing and service rigs
    • oil/gas well drilling
    • oilfield downhole servicing

    Specific areas of focus for this initiative will be:

    • internal responsibility system
    • tasks associated with caught, contact or struck with object, tools or equipment (mechanism of injury)
    • exposure to harmful substances
    • musculoskeletal disorders
    • psychosocial hazards

    Relevant code changes are:

    • Part 27 – Violence and Harassment
    • Part 33 – Explosives
    • Part 37 – Oil, Gas and Geothermal Energy
    • Miscellaneous parts of the OHS Code
      • Part 18 Personal Protective Equipment
      • Part 5 Confined Space
      • Part 10 Fire and Explosion Hazards
      • Part 11 First Aid
      • Part 31 Diving Operations
      • Part 40 Utility Workers – electrical
      • Part 41 Work Requiring Rope Access
      • Schedule 2, Tables 5, 6 and 7

Major Projects Program

As part of OHS’s proactive strategy, OHS officers will be conducting inspections at identified major project locations across Alberta.

Major projects are private and public sector projects in Alberta valued at $5 million or greater and are a critical component of Alberta’s economy and reputation.

  • Objective

    The objective of this core work is:

    • consistent application of regulatory oversight, provincially
    • increased awareness of OHS law
    • increased and sustained compliance with OHS law

  • Industry sectors

    The industry sectors included with this program are:

    • commercial
    • industrial
    • infrastructure
    • institutional
    • mixed-use
    • oil and gas
    • pipeline
    • power
    • residential
    • retail
    • tourism/recreation

  • Areas of focus

    Specific areas of focus for this program plan will be:

    • prime contractor obligations
    • internal responsibility system
    • hazard assessment, elimination and control
    • employer duties for equipment, work site infrastructure, or excavation
    • competency of supervisors
    • the right to meaningful participation in the control of hazards
    • the right to refuse dangerous work
    • availability of worker training, procedures, reports, plans, required equipment, equipment inspections and supplies
    • tasks associated with caught, contact or struck with object, tools or equipment (mechanism of injury)

  • OHS Code changes

    Relevant code changes are:

    • Part 27 – Violence and Harassment
    • Part 33 – Explosives
    • Part 37 – Oil, Gas and Geothermal Energy
    • Miscellaneous parts of the OHS Code
      • Part 18 Personal Protective Equipment
      • Part 5 Confined Space
      • Part 10 Fire and Explosion Hazards
      • Part 11 First Aid
      • Part 31 Diving Operations
      • Part 40 Utility Workers – electrical
      • Part 41 Work Requiring Rope Access
      • Schedule 2, Tables 5, 6 and 7

Our Frequently Asked Questions resource provides more information about the Major Projects Program.

Previous program reports

Resources

Contact

Connect with OHS:

Phone: 780-415-8690 (Edmonton)
Toll free: 1-866-415-8690 
TTY to voice: 711
Voice to TTY: 1-800-855-0511

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