Canada Worker Health and Safety
Overview
Please review the information below and then return to the Worker Health and Safety Awareness course.
Applicable Laws
Occupational Health and Safety Regulation
Government Office
WorkSafeBC
General Inquiries: (604) 273-2266
Health & Safety Questions and Worksite emergency reporting: (604) 276-3100; 1-888-621-7233
http://www.worksafebc.com/
Rights
Of the Worker:
- Report any unsafe work or unsafe conditions in your workplace
- Refuse any unsafe work
- Be informed of rules and procedures to prevent bullying and harassment in the workplace
- Report any bullying or harassment you witness to your employer or to WorkSafeBC
- Raise health and safety concerns
- Participate in occupational health and safety meetings without financial penalty
Duties
Of the Worker:
- Take reasonable care to protect the health and safety of the worker and others who may be affected by the worker’s acts or omissions at work
- Comply with BC health and safety law
- Carry out work in accordance with established safe work procedures
- Use or wear protective equipment, devices and clothing as required
- Not engage in horseplay or similar conduct that may endanger the worker or any other person
- Ensure that the worker’s ability to work without risk to that worker’s health or safety, or to the health or safety of any other person, is not impaired by alcohol, drugs or other causes
- Report to the supervisor or employer:
- Any violation of law of which the worker is aware
- The absence of or defect in any protective equipment, device or clothing, or the existence of any other hazard, that the worker considers is likely to endanger the worker or any other person
- Cooperate with the joint committee or worker health and safety representative for the workplace
- Cooperate with BC regulators
- Report unsafe or harmful conditions or acts to a supervisor or employer
Of the Supervisor:
- Ensure the health and safety of all workers under the direct supervision of the supervisor
- Be knowledgeable about BC OHS law applicable to the work being supervised
- Comply with BC OHS law
- Ensure that the workers under the supervisor’s direct supervision:
- Are made aware of all known or reasonably foreseeable health or safety hazards in the area where they work, and
- Comply with BC OHS law
- Consult and cooperate with the joint committee or worker health and safety representative for the workplace
- Cooperate with BC regulators
Of the Joint Health and Safety Committee:
- To identify situations that may be unhealthy or unsafe for workers and advise on effective systems for responding to those situations
- To consider and deal with complaints relating to the health and safety of workers
- To consult with workers and the employer on issues related to occupational health and safety and occupational environment
- To make recommendations to the employer and the workers for the improvement of the occupational health and safety and occupational environment of workers
- To make recommendations to the employer on educational programs promoting the health and safety of workers and compliance with BC OHS laws and to monitor their effectiveness
- To advise the employer on programs and policies required under the regulations for the workplace and to monitor their effectiveness
- To advise the employer on proposed changes to the workplace, including significant proposed changes to equipment and machinery, or the work processes that may affect the health or safety of workers
- To ensure that accident investigations and regular inspections are carried out as required by BC law
- To participate in inspections, investigations and inquiries as provided in BC law
- To carry out any other duties and functions in BC law
Joint Committees
Employers with 20 or more regularly employed workers must establish a joint health and safety committee
- There must be at least 4 members
- It must consist of worker representatives and employer representatives
- At least half the members must be worker representatives who do not exercise managerial functions
- There must be 2 co-chairs, one selected by the worker representatives and the other selected by the employer representatives
Employers with 9 to 19 workers can designate a worker health and safety representative
- The representative must not exercise managerial functions
- The representative has the same duties as joint health and safety committees
Right to Refuse Procedures
A worker must not carry out any work process or operate any tool, appliance or equipment if that person has reasonable cause to believe that to do so would create an undue hazard to the health and safety of any person.
The worker must immediately report the circumstances of the unsafe condition to the worker’s supervisor or employer.
The supervisor or employer receiving a report must immediately investigate the matter and ensure that any unsafe condition is remedied without delay, or if, in the supervisor’s or employer’s opinion, the report is not valid, must inform the person who made the report.