GI-2026-12-reg2: Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made Under the Canada Labour Code (Sound Levels)

If you run a federally regulated business — think trucking company, airline, rail operator, marine shipper, oil and gas operation, bank, or telecom — and your workplace gets loud, these rules will cost you money and administrative time. About 3,658 private-sector employers and over 200,000 workers are affected, including more than 3,300 small businesses (under 100 employees). Your biggest new cost will be setting up and running an annual hearing loss prevention program, which includes paying for employee hearing tests (estimated at roughly $110 per worker per year) plus program administration (about $73 per worker per year) — totalling an estimated $186 million in present-value costs across the private sector over 10 years. You'll also need to buy updated CSA technical standards (roughly $115–$169 each), provide and train employees on proper hearing protection if noise exceeds 85 dBA, post warning signs at 85 dBA instead of the old 87 dBA threshold, and conduct formal hazard investigations when noise hits 82 dBA. On the upside, you no longer have to file a one-time written report to the Head of Compliance and Enforcement when you can't keep noise below limits without hearing protectors.