The province will be conducting an inspection blitz in the region with the focus of keeping young and new workers safe.
Ontario Labour Minister Monte McNaughton announced on Monday that the Ministry of Labour will be inspecting up to 150 workplaces in Waterloo Region and surrounding area.
The inspections began last week and will go until the end of August.
“New workers are three times more likely to be injured during their firsth month on the job,” McNaughton said. “That’s why we’re doing this. Families should expect that when their sons and daughters go to work each day, they’ll come home safely.”
The announcement by the minister was made at Bingemans, which employs hundreds of young workers every summer.
The focus of the inspections will be on retail, restaurant, food, beverage, hospitality, and recreation services.
“Any death or injury on the job is one too many,” McNaughton said. “We can and we must do better to protect all workers in Ontario.”
Between 2014 and 2018, 24 workers below the age of 25 in Ontario lost their lives on the job.
A similiar provincial blitz last summer led to 7,000 work orders.
