Federally regulated employers carry reporting duties most provincial employers do not, and the annual filing deadline is 1 March. This checklist covers the two annual reports, the committee structure, and the programs the Labour Program expects to see behind them.
How to use it. Confirm first that you are federally regulated — banking, telecommunications, broadcasting, inter-provincial transport, pipelines, First Nations band councils, grain elevators, uranium mining and federal Crown corporations are covered. Then work through each section and record where the evidence lives. To print: Click "Print" below → select Portrait orientation → enable Background graphics in print settings → Print. To fill in: Print and complete by hand, or use your browser's "Save as PDF" and fill the fields in any PDF editor.
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Federal OHS Compliance
Canada Labour Code Part II · Federally regulated employers
HSE ADVISOR CANADA hseadvisor.ca
Employer / organisation:
Sector:
Completed by:
Position:
Date:
Reporting year:
1. Are you federally regulated?
Banking
Telecommunications and broadcasting
Inter-provincial transportation — trucking, rail, marine, air
Pipelines
First Nations band councils
Grain elevators
Uranium mining
Federal Crown corporations
Other federal work, undertaking or business:
If none of these apply, this checklist is not yours. Provincially regulated employers follow their own province’s OHS legislation instead, and the reporting duties below do not apply.
2. Annual reports — due 1 March
Requirement
What good looks like
Y / N / N-A
Evidence or gap
Hazardous Occurrence Report submitted
Covers work-related fatalities, disabling injuries, near misses with serious injury potential, structural failures, fires, explosions, electrical contact and dangerous substance releases.
Harassment and Violence Report submitted
Annual report due on or before March 1 (WHVPR s. 36). Covers all occurrences, including those resolved through negotiated resolution or conciliation.
Nil report filed where there were no incidents
A year with nothing to report still requires a report. Failing to file is itself a violation.
Submission confirmation retained
Keep proof of filing and the date.
Underlying records reconcile to the report
Your internal incident log matches what you filed.
No incidents does not mean no report. This is the single most commonly missed federal obligation. A nil return is still a return, and failure to submit is a compliance violation in its own right.
Filing record for this year:
Report
Period covered
Date submitted
Submitted by
3. Committees and representatives
Requirement
What good looks like
Y / N / N-A
Evidence or gap
Correct structure for your size
Policy committee at 300 or more employees (Canada Labour Code s. 134.1). Workplace committee at each workplace with 20 or more employees (s. 135). Health and safety representative at each workplace with fewer than 20 employees (s. 136).
Membership and selection documented
Including how employee members were selected.
Meets at required frequency
With minutes retained.
Members trained
Committee and representative education delivered and recorded.
Complaint resolution process
The internal complaint resolution process is documented and workers know it.
4. Harassment and violence prevention
Requirement
What good looks like
Y / N / N-A
Evidence or gap
Workplace assessment completed
Joint assessment of harassment and violence risk factors, with mitigation measures.
Prevention policy in place
Developed jointly and covering all required elements.
Resolution process documented
Negotiated resolution, conciliation and investigation pathways defined.
Training delivered
Employees within 3 months of starting, then at least every 3 years (WHVPR s. 12(4)). The designated recipient before taking on the role, then every 3 years (s. 12(5)). The employer at least every 3 years (s. 12(6)).
Support measures communicated
Employees know what support is available.
Records retained
Records kept for 10 years (WHVPR s. 35(2)).
5. Hazard prevention program
Requirement
What good looks like
Y / N / N-A
Evidence or gap
Hazard identification and assessment
Documented methodology and current assessments.
Preventive measures by hierarchy
Elimination and engineering controls before administrative controls and PPE.
Employee education
Delivered on the hazards identified, with records.
Program evaluation
Reviewed at least every three years and after any change.
Ergonomics addressed
Ergonomics-related hazards included in the assessment.
6. Other obligations to confirm
Requirement
What good looks like
Y / N / N-A
Evidence or gap
Right to disconnect policy (Canada Labour Code Part III amendment, not yet in force)
Watch for the in-force date. The amendment will require a written policy on work-related communication outside working hours; employers will have one year to comply after it takes effect.
First aid and emergency provisions
Attendants, supplies and procedures meeting the federal regulations.
Refusal to work procedure
The Part II work refusal process is documented and understood by supervisors.
Administrative monetary penalties
Be aware the Labour Program has signalled penalty amounts are under review for both labour standards and OHS violations.
Federal OHS requirements sit in the Canada Labour Code Part II and the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, not in provincial OHS law. Confirm the current wording of both before relying on any line above.
7. Findings and corrective actions
#
Finding
Action required
Owner
Due
Federal OHS Compliance Checklist · HSE Advisor Canada · Free to use and adapt.
Federal OHS Compliance Checklist · Version 1.2 · Reviewed October 2026 · HSE Advisor Canada. Free to use and adapt. General guidance, not legal advice.
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This resource is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm every requirement against the current regulation in your jurisdiction before relying on it.