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 Act
Occupational Health and Safety Act Regulations
Government Office
Occupational Health & Safety Division
Nova Scotia Labour and Advanced Education
Telephone: (902) 424-5400; 1-800-952-2687
http://novascotia.ca/lae/healthandsafety/
Rights
Of the Worker:
- The right to know about workplace hazards
- The right to participate in keeping the workplace safe
- The right to refuse work they believe is unsafe
Duties
Of the Worker:
- Take every reasonable precaution to protect the employee’s own health and safety and that of other per sons at or near the workplace
- Cooperate with the employer and with the employee’s fellow employees to protect the employee’s own health and safety and that of other persons at or near the workplace
- Take every reasonable precaution in the circumstances to ensure that protective devices, equipment or clothing required are used or worn
- Consult and cooperate with the joint occupational health and safety committee or the health and safety representative
- Cooperate with government officials
- Comply with NS law
Of the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee:
- Functions include the cooperative identification of, and effective systems to respond to, workplace hazards; auditing of compliance with health
and safety requirements in the workplace; receipt, investigation and prompt disposition of matters and complaints with respect to workplace health and safety, and others.
Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee
Employers with 20 or more regularly employed employees must establish a joint occupational health and safety committee. At least half the members must be worker representatives who are not connected to management.
Employers with 5-19 workers can designate at least one worker health and safety representative. The representative must not be connected to the management of the workplace. The representative has the same functions as the joint occupational health and safety committee.
Right to Refuse Procedures
If an employee believes that any condition, device, equipment, machine, material or thing or any aspect of the workplace is or may be dangerous to the employee’s health or safety or that of any other person at the work place, the employee must immediately report it to a supervisor. If it is not remedied, report it to the committee or the representative. If still not remedied, report to the local regulator.