What’s New?

Provides information and links to news releases, updates on programs and services, upcoming events and more.

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code Review 2023-26

The government of Alberta recently updated 13 parts of the OHS Code including Part 11: First aid, Part 16: Noise exposure and Part 18: Personal protective equipment. Over the next 3 years, the review will continue. It’s an opportunity to improve health and safety outcomes for workers and streamline requirements to reduce unnecessary administrative burden.

The OHS Code is a regulation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS Act) that had not been extensively updated since 2009. Proposed updates to the code will reflect how workplaces are changing and consider new best practices, standards and technological advances.

Albertans will be engaged to provide feedback over multiple phases on proposed updates. The OHS Act requires government to publish a plan to review the OHS Code every 3 years.

Annual priority reviews always focus on:

  • Issued OHS allowances, approvals, acceptances and recognitions.
  • Accepted OHS recommendations from public fatality requirements (if any).
  • OHS items in current work plan under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.
  • Correction of errors and modernizing language.

In 2023-24, priority reviews will include the following:

  • Part 27: Violence and Harassment
  • Part 33: Explosives (continuation)
  • Part 36: Mining (continuation)
  • Occupational exposure limit (OEL) review

In 2024-25:

  • Part 3: Specifications and Certifications
  • Part 4: Chemical Hazards, Biological Hazards, and Harmful Substances, including review of OELs
  • Part 6: Cranes, Hoists and Lifting Devices
  • Part 10: Fire and Explosion Hazards
  • Part 18: Personal Protective Equipment
  • Part 26: Ventilation Systems
  • Part 28: Working Alone
  • Part 34: Forestry

In 2025-26:

  • Part 2: Hazard Assessment, Elimination and Control
  • Part 3: Specifications and Certifications
  • Part 4: Chemical Hazards, Biological Hazards, and Harmful Substances, including review of OELs
  • Part 7: Emergency Preparedness and Response
  • Part 12: General Safety Precautions
  • Part 14: Lifting and Handling Loads
  • Part 24: Toilets and Washing Facilities
  • Part 26: Ventilation Systems
  • Part 28: Working Alone
  • Part 30: Demolition
  • Part 32: Excavation and Tunneling
  • Part 34: Forestry
  • Part 35: Health Care and Industries with Biological Hazards

Bill 47: Ensuring Safety and Cutting Red Tape Act, 2020

This bill amends the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Radiation Protection Act and the Workers’ Compensation Act to simplify language and remove unnecessary barriers for job creators without making substantive changes to workers’ rights and protections.

Bill 47 brings balance to workplaces and helps ensure workers can rely on a sustainable compensation system if they get ill or injured on the job.

Key Changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act

  • Removes duplication and redundancy throughout the act to make it easier to understand and follow for job creators and workers.
  • Removes the requirement for health and safety committees and representatives to be on work sites with multiple employers and a prime contractor, such as construction sites
    • Prime contractors will be required to have a contact to coordinate health and safety issues between employers and workers
    • Occupational health and safety directors will still be able to require a committee or representative be present on any work site
  • Renames discriminatory action complaints to ‘disciplinary action complaints’ to avoid confusion with human rights laws
    • Allowing occupational health and safety officers to dismiss complaints of questionable merit before starting an investigation
  • Clarifies definitions and reporting requirements of potentially serious incidents
  • Clarifies rules and definitions around dangerous work refusals to make it easier to follow so that serious health and safety concerns can be resolved more quickly

Key Changes to the Radiation Protection Act

  • Incorporates radiation protection laws into the Occupational Health and Safety Act to provide clarity for employers and workers and make them easier to follow

Key Changes to the Workers’ Compensation Act

All workers have access to coverage for work-related psychological injuries through the normal WCB claim process. Presumptive coverage for psychological injuries will only apply to firefighters, police officers, sheriffs, correctional officers, paramedics and emergency dispatchers.

Reversal of costly changes made in 2018 ensure programs and services remain sustainable and affordable. Additional changes include the following:

  • Reinstated an insurable earnings cap for injured and ill workers
  • Limited presumptive coverage for psychological injuries to firefighters, police officers, peace officers, correctional officers, paramedics and emergency dispatchers
    • Other types of workers still have access to coverage for work-related psychological injuries through the normal claim process
  • Returned the Workers’ Compensation Board’s responsibility to calculate cost of living adjustments, rather than basing them automatically on the Alberta consumer price index
  • Restored a voluntary system for reinstating an injured worker
  • Maintained injured workers’ right to choose a physician for a medical exam
  • Removed the requirement for employers to contribute to health benefit plans for injured workers who are off work
  • Continued to allow the Workers’ Compensation Board to have oversight of the Accident Fund to address the needs of injured workers and employers
  • Moved services provided by the Fair Practices Office and the Medical Panels Office to other organizations to reduce duplication and save money

News

WorkRight Alberta

Work Right Alberta is a joint Employment Standards and Occupational Health and Safety public awareness campaign intended to:

  • promote an instill a cultural attitude of willing compliance;
  • generate greater awareness of existing OHS and ES legislation and minimum standards;
  • encourage greater compliance with applicable legislation and ‘better-than-minimum’ practices, and
  • create greater awareness of Employment Standards and Occupational Health and Safety resources, tools
  • and services amongst employers and workers.

For more information visit WorkRight Alberta.

Employer Records Website

The employer records website has been updated and improved to make it easier for Albertans to find the safety information they need.  Users can search and sort 155 000 employers by their lost-time claims, disabling injury rates and locations.

For access visit Employer Records.