Pre-Start Health and Safety Review

The employer is responsible for ensuring that all requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations comply within the workplace. Even where a Pre-Start Health and Safety Review is not required or an exemption from the requirements of Section 7 applies, the employer must ensure that workers are protected before operating any apparatus, structure, protective element or process in the workplace.

As per Regulation 851, Occupational Health and Safety Act PHSR shall be conducted by a professional engineer or in some cases by a knowledgeable person. PSRs are intended to identify potential hazards to employees in a factory and recommend remedial measures to control or remove these potential hazards before an apparatus, structure, protective element or process is operated or used in that facility.

In a factory environment, Pre-Start Health and Safety Review is trigrred when there is an addition or modification to the process or equipment involving any item from the following table.

Items	Circumstances
1	Flammable liquids are located or dispensed in a building, room or area.
2	Any of the following are used as protective elements in connection with an apparatus:1. Safeguarding devices that signal the apparatus to stop, including but not limited to• safety light curtains and screens• area scanning safeguarding systems• radio frequency systems and capacitance safeguarding systems• safety mat systems• two-hand control systems• two-hand tripping systems and single or multiple beam systems2. Barrier guards that use interlocking mechanical or electrical safeguarding devices
3	Materials, articles or things are placed or stored on a structure that is a rack or stacking structure
4	A process involves a risk of ignition or explosion that creates a condition of imminent hazard to a person’s health or safety.
5	The use of a dust collector involves a risk of ignition or explosion that creates a condition of imminent hazard to a person’s health or safety
6	A factory produces aluminum or steel or is a foundry that melts material or handles molten material
7	The construction, addition, installation or modification relates to a lifting device, travelling crane or automobile hoist
8	A process uses or produces a substance that may result in the exposure of a worker in excess of any occupational exposure limit.

Reference Links:

Ministry of Labor – www.labour.gov.on.ca

Professional Engineers of Ontario – www.peo.on.ca

Canadian Society of Safety Engineers – www.csse.org

Canadian Standard Association – www.csagroup.org

Occupational Health and Safety Act – https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90o01