Due Diligence
Due diligence in workplace safety refers to the legal standard requiring employers to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities.
What Is Due Diligence?
Due diligence is both a legal defence and a proactive obligation. Under Canadian OHS legislation, employers, supervisors and directors can be held personally liable for safety failures. Demonstrating due diligence means proving that all reasonable steps were taken to identify hazards, assess risks, implement controls, train workers and enforce compliance.
Elements of Due Diligence
- Foreseeable hazard identification and risk assessment
- Written policies, procedures and safe work procedures
- Adequate worker training and competency verification
- Regular workplace inspections and audits
- Prompt corrective action on identified deficiencies
- Documented evidence of all the above
Documentation Is Key
In the event of a prosecution, the strength of a due diligence defence rests entirely on documentation. If an inspection, training session, or corrective action was not documented, it effectively did not happen in the eyes of the law.
Build Your Due Diligence Record
Make Safety Easy automatically timestamps and archives every inspection, training record, incident report and corrective action, creating a comprehensive, audit-ready due diligence trail.