April 30, 2020, the Ontario government, in collaboration with provincial health and safety associations, released the Health and Safety Association Guidance Documents for Workplaces During the COVID-19 Outbreak.

These guidance documents follow the government’s announcement of the development of a framework for reopening the economy following the COVID-19 outbreak emergency closure measures. The framework, which does not include any commitment to a formal timeline, provides an incremental outline for relaxing the emergency measures currently in place.

In preparation for the reopening of workplaces, the guidance documents provide sector-specific best practices to support employers in ensuring workers remain safe in the workplace during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The sectors included in the guidance documents are:

• Construction

• Transportation

• Utilities

• Healthcare

• Hospitality

• Office

• Transit

• Police and fire services

• Retail

• Food retail

• Funeral

• Manufacturing

• Auto

• Film/TV

• Tourism

• Agriculture

Employers may want to take the guidance documents into consideration when creating return-to-work policies once the emergency measures are relaxed.