Indoor Air Quality – Legislation

What does Canadian legislation state about the concentration of contaminants in indoor air for non-industrial workplaces?

Back to top

Many Canadian jurisdictions do not have specific legislation that deals with indoor air quality issues in non-industrial workplaces. In the absence of such legislation, the “general duty clause” applies. This clause, common to all Canadian occupational health and safety legislation, states that an employer must provide a safe and healthy workplace. Thus, making sure the air is of good quality is the employer’s duty.

However, there are often ventilation and other requirements that apply to indoor air in occupational health and safety legislation as well as from applicable Building Codes or other standard setting organizations such as the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Group, and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers  (ASHRAE).

Several organizations* have published recommended guidelines for indoor air quality. For example, the Government of Canada has prepared a number of publications on air quality. Note that indoor air reference limits (IARLs) have been published by Health Canada, and other organizations. Other guidelines recommend that contaminants be kept at or below one tenth of their listed OEL.

In addition, IAQ is stated or implied in most building codes as design and operation criteria. Building codes and health and safety legislation in Canada and the U.S. generally refer to a version of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers* (ASHRAE) Standard 62.1-Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality (or previous versions), or other acceptable standards.

Please see the OSH Answers Indoor Air Quality–General for more information.

*We have mentioned these organizations as a means of providing a potentially useful referral. You should contact these organizations directly for more information.