The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development is updating its regulations related to crane usage and operation on construction sites,

Amendments to various crane-related provisions of O. Reg. 213/91 (Construction Projects) under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) include:

• Clarifying or adding new design, installation, maintenance, inspection, and record-keeping requirements.
• Requiring more comprehensive inspections of tower cranes, including referencing the Professional Engineers of Ontario's practice standard for tower crane review, and clarifying and expanding the role and responsibilities of professional engineers in the design, erection, and inspection of tower cranes.
• Introducing new, and updating existing, references to relevant national and international standards relating to the design and operation of tower cranes.
• Addressing advances in technology, including adding and amending requirements that take into account specific operational needs for self-erecting tower cranes.
• Clarifying requirements for cables, slings and rigging that apply to all cranes and cover hoisting operations by other equipment.

Amendments to O. Reg. 420/21 (Notices and Reports Under Sections 51 to 53.1 of the Act - Fatalities, Critical Injuries, Occupational Illnesses and Other Incidents) under the OHSA have also been approved. The amendments will add a new requirement for the Ministry to be notified of a failure to control a crane or a load, including any rigging failure, and for an engineer’s report on the cause of the incident. 

Most amendments will come into force on January 1, 2024. Other requirements, including those that may require equipment upgrades, will come into force on January 1, 2025, to provide stakeholders with additional time to comply with the changes. The Ministry held previous public consultations on proposed amendments relating to tower cranes and other cranes. These changes are driven by industry groups representing both management and labour, while ensuring red tape is kept to a minimum without compromising worker safety.

For more information on the amendments, please see the amending regulations O. Reg. 241/23 and O. Reg. 242/23. The amendments have been consolidated into the e-Laws version of O. Reg. 213/91 and O. Reg. 420/21. For more information on employer responsibilities under the OHSA, please review the OHSA webpage or contact the Ministry’s Health and Safety Contact Centre at 1-877-202-0008.