Chapter 2

Act: Federal, provincial, or territorial law that constitutes the basic regulatory
mechanism for occupational health and safety
Regulations: Explain how the general intent of the act will be applied in specific
circumstances
Guidelines and Policies: More specific rules that are not legally enforceable
unless referred to in regulation or act
Standards and Codes: Design-related guides established by agencies such as the
CSA or the ANSI
All Canadian OH&S legislation include the following elements:
- An act
- Power of enforcement
- The right of workers to refuse to do unsafe work
- Protection of workers from reprisals
- Duties and responsibilities assigned to employers and others
Some of them include mandatory establishment of joint labor/management health
and safety committees, health and safety policies, accident-prevention programs,
and advisory councils on occupational health and safety
Duties and Responsibilities of The Major Stakeholders
Employers Responsibilities:
- Ensuring equipment is provided and maintained
- Appointing a competent supervisor
- Providing information in a medical emergency
- Informing supervisors and workers of possible hazards
- Posting the OH&S Act in the workplace
- Preparing and maintaining a health and safety policies and reviewing it
annually
Prescribed: Something to be undertaken because of legal or employer
requirement, such as a rule or direction
Constructor: A person or company that oversees the construction of a project and
that is ultimately responsible for the health and safety for all workers
- Duty to notify authority of a specified time. Sometime require written notice
of project to be filled outlining the approximate cost, scope, commencement
dates, etc
Duties of Supervisors
 - Supervisor: Broadly interpreted to a person who has charge of a workplace
and authority over a worker
o Can be union members, association members covered under a
collective agreement, plant managers, general managers, lead hands,
forepersons school principals, or self-employed individuals
o Having the authority to promote or recommend promotions, to
discipline workers, or to have schedule to assign work
o Competent supervisor familiar with OHS Act and regulations and have
knowledge of potential hazards and so on
- Duties include
o Ensuring that workers comply with OHS Act and regulations
o Ensuring that workers use or wear safety equipment, devices, or
clothing
o Advising workers of possible hazards
o Providing written instructions if applicable
o Taking every reasonable precaution to ensure the protection of workers
- Workers duties include:
o Complying with the OHS act and regulations
o Properly using the safety equipment and clothes provided
o Reporting hazards, such as defective equipment, to the supervisor
o Reporting any contraventions of the act or regulations

Joint Health and Safety Committees

- Primary function: Provide a nonadversarial atmosphere in which labor and
management can work together to create a safer and healthier workplace.
Joint committees are structured in such a way that equal or better
representation is required from workers who do not exercise managerial
responsibilities
o Each workplace that needs a committee has to have one management
member and one worker

Provisions for stopping work take 2 forms, one bilateral, the other unilateral
A dangerous circumstance is defined as:
- A provision of the act or the regulation is being contravened
- The contravention presents a danger or a hazard to a worker
- The danger or hazard is such that any delay in controlling it may seriously
endanger a worker
After completing a training program the worker should understand the purpose and
origin of WHMIS and be able to
- Identify WHMIS hazard symbols
- Read WHMIS supplier and work labels
- Read and apply the applicable information on an MSDS
3 Principles Rights of Employee