Occupational Health and Safety, OHS 1023, Module #2

Stakeholders

Your name and date

 Learning Objectives
• Explain the roles of the key players/stakeholders - employers,
supervisor, workers, unions, and government. [C]
• Define the key stakeholders, employers, workers, unions, media
professionals, and governments, in the Occupational Health &
Safety system. [C] ©

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 Module Objectives
• Explain "Internal Responsibility System".
• Define the duties of employers, supervisors, workers, and explain
how Joint Health and Safety Committees can contribute to a safer
workplace.
• Describe the procedures for refusing to do unsafe work
• Define the key stakeholders, employers, workers, unions, media
professionals, and governments, in the Occupational Health &
Safety system

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 Recap
• Explain how OH&S affects us all
• Define OH&S, occupational injury, and occupational illness
• Explain the importance of OHS
• Describe the financial and social costs associated with
occupational injuries and illnesses
• Differentiate between codes, guidelines and standards

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 Internal Responsibility System (IRS)
• The IRS outlined in the OHSA establishes clear roles and accountability for
workplace parties with direct and contributory responsibility for health and safety.
• IRS requires that every individual working for an organization has direct
responsibility for health and safety as an essential part of his or her job.
• IRS is the main and necessary foundation for the success of OHS.
• The IRS requires every individual to perform health and safety based on their
work profile.
• Each person takes the initiative on diverse health and safety issues and work
towards solving problems and making improvements on an ongoing basis.
• As part of the IRS, a person does this individually as well as in cooperation with
peers at work.

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 Internal Responsibility System
CONTRIBUTORY CONTRIBUTORY
DIRECT
RESPONSIBILITY RESPONSIBILITY
RESPONSIBILITY
INTERNAL EXTERNAL

JOINT HEALTH & PRESIDENT UNIONS

SAFETY COMMITTEES

SAFETY MANAGER SAFETY

DEPARTMENTS ASSOCIATIONS

ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENTS
SUPERVISOR SUPPLIERS

PURCHASING
DEPARTMENTS
WORKER WSIB

Ministry of Labour

6 Vic Pakalnis - Ont. Ministry of Labour - 2007

 The Stakeholders

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 The Stakeholders
• Government
– Legislation
• Occupational Health & Safety Acts
• Workers’ Compensation Acts
– Support Knowledge Sharing and Research on OH&S
• E.g., Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) was established
by federal government to provide health and safety information to any worker
who requests it

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 The Stakeholders
• Employers
– Prepare written OH&S policy and display prominently in workplace
– Provide and maintain equipment, materials, and protective devices
– Ensure manner in which the work is performed is safe and environment
is free from hazards and serious risks

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 The Stakeholders
• Employees
– Perform duties and tasks in safe and responsible manner
– Wear protective equipment in compliance with company and legislative
regulations
– Report defective equipment and other workplace hazards to safety
professional, Joint Health and Safety Committee, or manager

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 Worker Rights
• The OHSA gives every worker three important rights:
1. You have the Right To Know
2. You have the Right to Participate
3. You have the right to refuse unsafe work

• The following link summarizes basic worker rights:

– Eye on Safety: Young Workers’ Rights, Canadian Centre for Occupational Heal
th and Safety (CCOHS)
(1min, 55sec)

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 The Stakeholders
• Organized Labour
– Take part in the joint occupational health and safety committee
– Bring emerging problems and issues in health and safety to attention of
government and employers
– Pressure other stakeholders to take corrective action
– Use collective bargaining process to incorporate health and safety
provisions in many contracts

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 Partnerships
• Alliances among stakeholders can help overcome barriers to OH&S
programs
– Emphasis of shared goals can facilitate partnerships
• Parties within a workplace can form effective OH&S partnerships
– E.g., employer, employees, and union
• Broader groups of stakeholders can also partner to promote OH&S
– E.g., workers’ compensation boards and industry safety associations

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 Occupational Health and Safety Professionals
• Individuals with a broad array of backgrounds can develop careers
in the OH&S field
– E.g., industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, workplace wellness
promotion, OH&S training
• Safety certifications, such as the CRSP® designation, help
companies identify individuals with relevant OH&S training
• Depending on their size and industry, companies may employ a
range of OH&S professionals or may delegate OH&S
responsibilities to an HR generalist and contract out specialized
OH&S services to third parties
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 Stakeholder Duties and Responsibilities: Employers

• General Duty Provision

– Primary duty directly articulated in the OH&S Act
– OH&S acts across Canada have the general duty provision requiring
employers to take every reasonable precaution to ensure employee
safety
• Prescribed Duty:
– A particular duty to be undertaken because of health and safety
regulation

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 Stakeholder Duties and Responsibilities: Employers

• General employer duties:

– Take every reasonable precaution to ensure employee safety
– Appoint a competent supervisor
– Provide information in a medical emergency
– Inform supervisors and workers of possible hazards
– Post the OH&S act in the workplace
– Prepare and maintain health and safety policy and review annually
– Prepare policies regarding workplace violence and workplace harassment

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 Stakeholder Duties and Responsibilities: Contractors

• Constructor (or primary contractor)

– Oversees the construction of a project and is ultimately responsible for
the health and safety of all involved workers
• Similar responsibilities to those outlined for employers

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 Stakeholder Duties and Responsibilities: Supervisors

• Supervisor
– Anyone who has charge of a workplace and authority over a worker
• An OH&S Act may include a general duty provision for supervisors
to ensure the health and safety of workers under their supervision
• Prescribed duties include:
– Ensuring workers comply with OH&S regulations, ensuring workers use or
wear safety equipment, devices, or clothing, and advising workers of
possible hazards

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 Stakeholder Duties and Responsibilities: Workers
• Workers’ duties include:
– Take reasonable precautions to ensure their own and others’ safety
– Comply with OH&S Act, regulations, and policies
– Properly use safety equipment provided
– Report hazards, such as defective equipment, to a supervisor
– Report any contraventions of the act or regulations

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 Joint Health and Safety Committees
• Required by law in most jurisdictions
– Where not required there are special provisions for committees to be created
• Help enact the internal responsibility system
• Provide non-adversarial atmosphere in which labour and management can
work to create a healthier workplace
• OH&S acts regulate the formation, composition, training, and certification
requirements for the JHSC
• Duties of the JHSC:
– Hazard recognition, risk assessments, record keeping, and responding to employee
concerns
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 Joint Health and Safety Committees
JHSC Requirements Across Canadian Jurisdictions
Regulatory Requirement Jurisdictions Included
20 or more employees Federal, British Columbia*, Manitoba, Ontario*,
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward
Island, Yukon, Northwest Territories/Nunavut

10 or more employees Newfoundland, Saskatchewan

Workers can request a JHSC with written notice Quebec
(more than 20 employees)

At the Responsible Minister’s Request Alberta

*Special Provision to request JHSC for employers with a smaller number of employees

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 Work Refusals
• Every jurisdiction provides workers
the right to refuse unsafe work
without fear of reprisal
• Can refuse work tasks if they have
reasonable cause to believe the
action would bring harm to
themselves or to others
• Workers should follow established
procedures to report a work refusal
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 Work Refusals
• Limits
– Essentially, a worker does not have right to refuse unsafe work if:
• That work is normal condition of employment
• The refusal places another person’s life in jeopardy
– Some jurisdictions specify certain professions in its legislation on limited
rights to refuse
• For example, Ontario legislation specifically identifies professions including police
officers, fire fighters, and health care workers

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 Work Refusal Procedure
• [Link]

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 Stop-Work Provisions
• Some jurisdictions have provisions to stop work in dangerous
circumstances
• Dangerous circumstances, for example Ontario legislation, is
described as follows:
– A provision of the act or the regulation is being contravened
– The contravention presents a danger or hazard to a worker
– The danger or hazard is such that any delay in controlling it may seriously
endanger a worker

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 IRS Video

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 References
• Kelloway, Management of Occupational Health and Safety, 7th
Edition. Nelson Canada series in Human Resource Management.
• Occupational Health and Safety Act of Ontario, with regulation
851 for Industrial Establishments, Latest edition
(Carswell/ThompsonReuters)

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 Summary
• Explain "Internal Responsibility System".
• Define the duties of employers, supervisors, workers, and explain
how Joint Health and Safety Committees can contribute to a safer
workplace.
• Describe the procedures for refusing to do unsafe work
• Define the key stakeholders, employers, workers, unions, media
professionals, and governments, in the Occupational Health &
Safety system

28 Course Name, Module # Your name

 Accessibility Check
• File / Check for Issues / Accessibility Checker
• Correct any errors

29 Course Name, Module # Your name