Technical Standards and Safety Authority Strike Update

While the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) remains hopeful an agreement can be reached soon with OPSEU — the union representing inspectors who have been on strike since July 21 — comprehensive plans are in place for us to continue the delivery of our safety mandate.

From the TSSA:

Please find the latest website posting concerning the OPSEU strike below, published on the TSSA website Sept. 2, 2022.
https://www.tssa.org/Modules/News/index.aspx?lang=en&newsId=12b498d3-dfee-4d2c-90f6-47e7c4f89f92

While the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) remains hopeful an agreement can be reached soon with OPSEU — the union representing inspectors who have been on strike since July 21 — comprehensive plans are in place for us to continue the delivery of our safety mandate.

All TSSA’s non-inspection services such as engineering, examinations and licensing, etc. remain available. Expedited and rush engineering reviews are not available until the strike concludes.

TSSA continues to provide services for critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and long-term care homes. Every effort is being made to minimize any disruption to businesses as much as possible.

During the strike, non-union employees, such as supervisors with the required training, certification and experience, are performing inspections. In many cases, these are TSSA’s most highly qualified inspection experts. TSSA has also engaged additional contractors with the required certification to complete inspections.

The strike commenced before the parties had a chance to reach an agreement. TSSA has engaged in good faith negotiations with OPSEU since the fall of 2021 in an effort to finalize a first collective agreement for inspectors.

“In order to prevent a strike, the TSSA provided OPSEU a full proposal which includes all terms for a first collective agreement and offers inspectors a continuation of their excellent health, dental and pension benefits, as well as salary increases for each year of the proposed two-year agreement,” said Laura Desjardins, Vice President, Human Resources with TSSA.

TSSA offered a fair contract and remains available to answer OPSEU’s questions. TSSA’s approach has been to bargain in good faith and reach a fair settlement that is consistent with its operations as a not-for-profit regulator. Unfortunately, the union stopped negotiating directly with TSSA after the first few meetings and gave indications of their strike intentions early on.

TSSA is concerned with misinformation being shared during this strike. “We know there has been quite a bit of misinformation circulating, most of which is unrelated to the strike,” said Alexandra Campbell, spokesperson for TSSA. “We want to be clear – the strike has not impacted the nature of our safety inspections. TSSA has implemented a comprehensive contingency plan that prioritizes safety. All required inspections are being performed by qualified individuals, including all amusement rides operating with a valid permit.”

As a not-for-profit and self-funded organization that delivers public safety services across Ontario, TSSA recently took action in response to misleading comments that undermine Ontarians’ confidence in public safety. In recent weeks, some have taken to social media and other forums to spread misinformation. In response, TSSA has advised these parties to cease and desist.

As a safety regulator, TSSA utilizes a broad range of safety services, many of which are not affected by the labour disruption, including the following: adopting codes and setting standards; licensing, engineering, registration, certification and examinations; data analytics and risk evaluation; and public education and consumer information.

Owners of devices, sites and businesses regulated under the Technical Standards and Safety Act remain responsible for maintaining and operating devices safely and for reporting incidents immediately. For incident reporting, call TSSA at 1-877-682-TSSA (8772) and choose Option 1 to reach the Spills Action Centre (open 24 hours a day, seven days a week).

If you require an inspection for a critical business need, contact our Inspection Scheduling Team Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at:

For BPV/OE: [email protected]

For Fuels: [email protected]

For Elevating, Amusement and Ski Devices: [email protected]

Toll-free: 1-833-937-8772

Please be prepared with the following information before calling to request an inspection and avoid sending multiple requests for the same job:

  • Billing name, address and address for the inspection
  • Contact name, email and telephone number
  • Any Special Safety Training required to access the inspection site

You can email TSSA at [email protected] or call 1-877-682-TSSA (8772) for assistance.

TSSA sincerely apologizes for any disruption caused by this strike, and we thank you for your patience during this time.

Other Media Coverage: https://globalnews.ca/news/9005551/opseu-sefpo-170-safety-inspectors-walked-off-job-thursday/

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