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Ministry of Labour |
Ministère du Travail |
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After careful consideration of the information submitted during the consultation period, Minister Stockwell announced on June 21, that Ontario has adopted into regulation the proposed limits for 202 substances, effective September 30, 2000.
In addition to the 202 substances referred to above, new OELs for two additional substances will come into effect within two years. The proposed limit for Petroleum Coke (total dust) will be effective December 31, 2001, and that for Glutaraldehyde on June 30, 2002.
The OELs for Benzene and 1,3-Butadiene are being reduced to an interim limit effective Septemer 30, 2000, and the Ministry will continue consultations to identify a practical implementation date for the limit proposed last November 16.
The Ministry will also continue consultations to identify a practical implementation date for the proposed limits for Carbon monoxide, Formaldehyde, Manganese, Ozone, Poly vinyl chloride dust, Styrene, and Wood dust, not otherwise classified. The Ministry determined that implementation of the proposed limit for these substances, plus Benzene and 1,3-Butadiene would not be practical at this time, based on the information provided in the written submissions of respondents during the consultation period.
The Ministry has also reorganised the Regulation respecting Control of Exposure to Biological or Chemical Agents, (O.Reg. 833), the regulation which contains most of Ontario's OELs (excepting the Designated Substances), by collapsing the five lists of substances in various parts of the regulation into one alphabetised list within Part 4 of the regulation. We felt that a single alphabetised list of substances services Ontario's workplace parties better.
Six of the substances for which new OELs have been adopted are Designated Substances. The regulations for these substances have been updated in terms of the methods of air sampling and analysis, and the Ministry has published an updated Code for Respiratory Equipment for each. The Codes for Medical Surveillance have not been updated at this time.
The Ontario Gazette is available on the internet at:
http://www.ontariogazette.gov.on.ca
Copies of the July 15, 2000 Ontario Gazette which contains the amendments can be purchased at the Government Bookstore:
Publications Ontario
880 Bay Street
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 1N8
416-326-5300
1-800-668-9938
http://www.gov.on.ca/MBS/english/publications/
Copies of the respective regulations and new Codes for Respiratory Equipment for the respective DSR can also be obtained from:
Publications Office
Ministry of Labour
400 University Ave., 7th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 1T7
416-326-7731
Fax:416-326-7745
E-mail: pubsale@gov.on.ca
The Ministry will continue to work with the Health and Safety Associations to communicate the various occupational health and safety regulations and to assist Ontario businesses to identify novel, innovative, cost-effective ways of complying with the OELs.
It is anticipated that the Ministry will start consultation to develop a process for maintaining Ontario's OELs in the fall, as announced previously by the Minister.
The table of new and revised OELs is available on the Ministry of Labour Web site in PDF format:
http://www.gov.on.ca/lab/ohs/00-oelte.pdf 
Please note that the table respecting Part 4 of Regulation 833 includes the substances being moved from Parts 5, 6, 7, and 8 into Part 4. Some of these latter substances do not have revised OELs.