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Changes to HSC & HSR in Alberta

Date: Friday Dec 13, 2019 - Thursday Dec 31, 2020
Time: None
Location: Alberta

DID YOU KNOW? Alberta Employers will no Longer be Required to have a Health and Safety Committee or Representative at Every Work Site!

On Friday, December 13, Alberta Labour announced two new rules providing employers flexibility to meet the unique needs of each workplace. The two changes are as follows:

Reduction in Training

  • Part 1 Health & Safety Committee (HSC) and Health & Safety Representative (HS Reps) training is no longer a mandatory requirement for HSC Co-Chairs and HS Reps; and
  • Part 2 training remains a mandatory requirement for HSC Co-Chairs and HS Representatives and will now be known as “Joint HSC/HS Representative Training.” It is still required to receive this training from a government-approved training provider like AMHSA.

Committee Requirement

  • Employers now need to count the number of total workers across all work sites to determine if an HSC or HS Representative is required (versus having them at each work site). If that total number of workers is over 20, only one committee is needed. Separate work site committees can still be maintained if they are working for you. [Sections 16(1) and 17(1) of the OHS Act].

How do you know if this affects you?

If you didn’t need a committee or a representative as a result of the initial legislation introduced in 2018, you may be impacted by this change. The following is an example of what is now required based on the new changes:

  • 5 - 19 total employees = Need 1 Health & Safety Representative
  • 20+ total employees = Need 1 Health & Safety Committee

These changes will need to be in place by January 31, 2020.

Employer Acceptances Issued by Alberta Labour

Are you an employer who was issued an approval from Alberta Labour to vary the practices and procedures of a Joint Work Site Health and Safety Committee? If so, your order may now be nullified.  

If the approval allowed a multi-site employer to have one Joint Work Site Health and Safety Committee this approval is no longer in effect. Employers are now required to count their workers collectively among all sites to determine if a Joint Work Site Health and Safety Committee is required. Therefore, an acceptance granted to allow a multi-site employer to have just one Joint Health and Safety Committee would no longer be required.

Alberta Cities Safety Council Meeting

Date: Tuesday Dec 03, 2019
Time: 10 am - 3 pm
Location: Cambridge Hotel, Red Deer

Upcoming News & Events

◙ National Day of Mourning

Date: April 28, 2024
Location: Canada

The National Day of Mourning is not only a day to remember and honour those lives lost or injured due to a workplace tragedy, but also a day to collectively renew our commitment to improve health and safety in the workplace and prevent further injuries, illnesses and deaths.

For more information, visit https://www.ccohs.ca/events/mourning/ 

◙ Aquatic Health and Safety Awareness: Types of Fall Protection, Including Guardrails

Date: April 30, 2024
Time: 11:00-12:00
Location: Online

The Aquatics Health and Safety Awareness campaign is designed to raise awareness of occupational health and safety concerns for those working in and around aquatic facilities, and to provide free and accessible resources to workers (including vulnerable/new/young workers), supervisors, pool facility operators, and organizations. The webinars are no cost, open to all attendees, and will be recorded and made available following the event.

This 45-minute webinar is presented by a fall protection engineering expert that will review when a fall protection plan and fall protection training are required. The subject matter expert will also discuss the hierarchy of controls specific for fall protection, and the types of systems, such as guardrails, travel restraint, fall arrest, and control zones. This general understanding is fundamental before creating a fall protection plan and implementing its systems.  Following the webinar, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of our subject matter expert.

  • Review when fall protection is required.
  • Outline the hierarchy of controls specific for slips, trips, and falls.
  • Identify the types of systems involved in the fall protection plan, such as: guardrails, travel restraint, fall arrest, and control zones.
  • Review Alberta OHS legislation - specifically, water danger [AB OHS Code 157], Fall Protection Plan [AB OHS Code140(1)], Instruction of workers [AB OHS Code141(1) and 141(3)], and fall protection hierarchy [AB OHS Code139(3) to 13(8)].

Visit our Aquatic Health and Safety Awareness Website for additional resources, including safety talks and information posters.

Presented by AMHSA & High Engineering

Date: April 30, 2024
Time: 11:00 - 12:00 (MST)

REGISTER NOW

When registering, you’ll have the option to select individual webinars or register for all three. To register multiple attendees at once, we have a bulk registration spreadsheet that can be filled out and returned to [email protected].

◙ Alberta Health & Safety Conference

Date: May 01, 2024 - May 02, 2024
Location: Feltham Centre, NAIT, Edmonton, AB

The Health & Safety Conference Society of Alberta (HSCSA) is excited to announce the dates of their upcoming 2024 conference: Wednesday, May 1 & Thursday, May 2, 2024 at the Feltham Centre (CAT) at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton, Alberta.

Watch https://hsconference.ca/ for details.

◙ NAOSH Week

Date: May 06, 2024 - May 11, 2024
Location: Canada

Find tools to help you plan and promote your Safety and Health Week events. Combine with organization-wide involvement, support and enthusiasm for your keys to success. 

Visit https://www.safetyandhealthweek.ca/english/ for more