Ontario Launches First-of-its-Kind Occupational Exposure Registry

Ontario has officially debuted a new digital Occupational Exposure Registry (OER), making it the first province in Canada to provide workers with a dedicated platform to track workplace hazards. This tool addresses a long-standing gap in labor safety: the “latency period” of occupational diseases, which often take years or decades to manifest.

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What the Registry Does

The platform serves as a permanent, portable “health diary” for workers. Since company records can be lost or businesses may close over time, this registry ensures that evidence of exposure stays in the worker’s hands.

• Hazard Tracking: Workers can log exposure to high-risk substances like asbestos, silica, lead, and mercury.
• Detailed Documentation: Users can record the duration of exposure, the specific task being performed, and whether protective equipment (PPE) was provided.
• WSIB Support: By maintaining a digital paper trail, workers have a much stronger foundation for future Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) claims if they become ill later in life.

Privacy and Security

• Worker-Owned: Employers do not have access to an individual’s personal logs.
• ServiceOntario Integration: The system uses secure login protocols to protect sensitive health and employment data.
• Research Benefits: Aggregated, anonymous data from the registry will help the Ministry of Labour identify “hot spots” for hazardous work and improve provincial safety regulations.

Summary of Benefits

Feature	Benefit
Portability	The record follows you from job to job for your entire career.
Evidence	Provides a timestamped record that is harder to dispute years later.
Health Awareness	Encourages workers to stay informed about the risks of specific materials.