The Ontario government has committed to creating Canada’s first-ever Occupational Exposure Registry. This Registry will help address many of the 41 recommendations resulting from the Occupational Disease Landscape Review (released October 10, 2023).
The Registry will:
- track harmful exposure levels.
- help diagnose workplace diseases faster.
- improve worker compensation.
- reduce costs to the healthcare system.
The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) will work with the Occupational Cancer Research Centre
to collect and analyze data from existing Ministry industrial hygiene records, as well as work with healthcare providers and industry associations to gather new data and catalogue past and current occupational exposures across Ontario workplaces.
In addition, an Occupational Illness Leadership Table will be created. Composed of industry experts, worker advocates, medical professionals and workplace health and safety groups, this group will guide the implementation of the report’s recommendations.
The Registry is expected to be ready in 2025.
An occupational illness is a condition that results from exposure to a physical, chemical or biological agent in the workplace to the extent that normal physiological mechanisms are affected, and the health of the worker is impaired.
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Published: October 13, 2023
