Although an employer may appeal a Ministry of Labour inspector's rescission (withdrawal) of a compliance order that he or she wrote to an employer under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Ontario Labour Relations Board cannot suspend that rescission – effectively reinstating the order – until the appeal is decided, the OLRB has held.
In July 2014, an MOL inspector issued 4 orders against the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services. In August, the inspector rescinded 3 of those orders.
The union, Ontario Public Service Employees Union, appealed the rescission of the 3 orders and asked the OLRB to suspend the inspector's rescission of those 3 orders pending the result of the appeal. Effectively, the union was asking for the orders to be reinstated while the appeal was being argued.
The OLRB refused to suspend the rescission of the 3 orders. It stated that the OLRB has authority to suspend the operation of an order, but not of a non-order. The MOL inspector's rescission of the order was equivalent to not issuing an order. There was nothing to suspend.
This means that where an MOL inspector withdraws a compliance order under the OHSA, the order will remain withdrawn unless and until the OLRB, after hearing the full appeal, reinstates the order.
Ontario Public Service Employees Union v Ontario (Ministry of Youth and Children Services), 2014 CanLII 75073 (ON LRB)
For more information, visit our Occupational Health & Safety Law blog at www.occupationalhealthandsafetylaw.com
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