Introducing Occupational Health & Safety Month!

This month, we introduce a new series focusing on occupational health and safety ("OH&S") issues to help employers ensure health and safety in the workplace and avoid penalties under the Workers' Compensation Act and Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (the "Regulation").

First, do you have a written Occupational Health & Safety program? The Regulation requires that all employers with a workforce of 50 or more workers, or with 20 or more workers in a workplace with a high or moderate risk of injury must have a written OH&S Program.  (You can find out your workplace's assigned hazard rating here.)  When investigating a workplace safety incident, one of the primary considerations WorkSafeBC takes into account when deciding whether to levy a penalty against an employer is whether the employer has an OH&S Program that conforms to all the requirements of the Regulation.