‘Ensuring lifesaving equipment is where it’s needed to keep them safe is one more way we’re creating safer workplaces’
May 26, 2025
Ontario will soon require automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) at construction sites—part of a new provincial push to enhance worker safety.
“Our government is protecting Ontario workers that are building our province by requiring AEDs on construction sites,” says David Piccini, minister of labour, immigration, training and skills development. “Our skilled workers are at the centre of our government's plan to build highways, energy and key infrastructure. Ensuring lifesaving equipment is where it’s needed to keep them safe is one more way we’re creating safer workplaces.”
The proposed amendments would mandate AEDs at construction projects expected to last three months or more and employ at least 20 workers.
AEDs are portable electronic devices used to restart a person's heart after it has stopped beating. When used in conjunction with CPR during the first few minutes following a cardiac arrest, AEDs can increase survival rates by more than 50 per cent, according to the province.
Cardiac events—including sudden cardiac arrest—are among the leading causes of workplace fatalities, and construction workers face higher risk. More than 15 per cent of inspection reports involving “cardiac” or “heart attack” incidents were related to the construction sector, based on Ministry of Labour...
Tensions between India and Pakistan are well-known, including accusations over water sharing under the Indus Waters Treaty. China, while not a party to that treaty, controls the upper reaches of r...