B.c. Acts To Protect Young And New Workers

WorkSafeBC has announced changes (to Part 3 of this province’s Occupational Health & Safety Regulations) pertaining to new and young workers.  These changes are specifically intended to address the extraordinarily high injury rates amongst these categories of employees.

As of July 26, 2007 every employer hiring new or young workers will have to comply with new Regulations relating to orientation and training.  All employers will be required to ensure young or new workers are given health and safety orientation and training, specific to their workplace, before they begin work.

In the Regulations, a “young” worker is any worker who is under 25 years of age.  A “new” worker is anyone who is: new to the workplace; returning to a workplace at which hazards in that workplace have changed; affected by a change in the hazards of a workplace; or relocated to a new workplace (if the hazards in that workplace are different from the hazards in the worker’s previous workplace).

The required orientation and training must address 13 subject areas.  These include information on workplace heath and safety rules, hazards to which the worker may be exposed (including risks from robbery, assault, or confrontation), working alone, personal protective equipment, and violence in the workplace.

The complete list of required topics is available on WorkSafeBC’s web site at:
http://www.worksafebc.com/regulation_and_policy/public_hearings/fall_2006_public_hearing/law_40_40_20.asp
To assist employers in achieving timely compliance with the new safety requirements in Part 3 of the Regulations, B.C.’s Employers' Advisers Office will be presenting information sessions free of charge during the month of June.  The Employers' Advisers Office may be contacted at 1-866-855-7575 or at http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/eao/.