📚 Guide by Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety — Work Safety Lowdown — a Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety guide for Canadian oil & gas, construction, and industrial workers. Written and reviewed by Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC, Calgary lead safety instructor.
🔗 Related Safety Mom courses & guides: H2S Alive Calgary · Standard First Aid Calgary · Oil Sands Safety Certs · Instructor: Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC
Employers have a lot on their plates when it comes to the day-to-day management of a business. As such, one area that may get easily overlooked is keeping up with health and safety issues that pose a problem in the office. Here are a few examples of what be overlooked in your workplace—and what the potential implications are for your health and safety if they continue to be ignored:
1) Accident books and notification of at-work incidents.
Any company that employs more than ten people is required by law to keep an accident book, and in certain cases, to notify the HSE when accidents or injuries occur in the workplace. Examples of accidents that must be reported to the HSE include major
injuries, occupational diseases, injuries that last over seven days, and deaths. The accident book not only helps to prevent future accidents from occurring in the workplace, it can be a vital resource if employees file accidents at work claims later on
2) Health and safety law poster and employer’s liability insurance poster.
By law, companies are required to display the HSE health and safety poster in the workplace, or provide each worker with a pocket card equivalent. Likewise, companies are required to hang certification of employer’s liability insurance so that employees know they are covered for at-work accidents and injuries. While hanging these posters might not seem like an important component of workplace safety, they provide vital information about British health and safety laws to employees. Companies can be fined for neglecting to post them.
3) Overlooking the health and safety of at-home workers.
It is a common misconception for employers to think they don’t have to pay attention to the health and safety of at-home workers. But even when a contracted employee is out of sight, employers are still responsible for mitigating risks and potential hazards in their home office. This may mean something as simple as a cable tidy to prevent tripping or ensuring the employee has a clear escape route in the event of a fire or another emergency. Failure to assess these risks can put an employee in great danger—and cost the company a lot of money in the long run.
4) Ignoring human factors in the office.
A company’s commitment to its employees’ safety extends beyond the physical threats and hazards to emotional and psychological ones. While it’s easy to overlook these factors, they can be extremely dangerous to an employee’s health. Your company should have clear policies in effect regarding bullying, sexual harassment, and discrimination to help ensure the safety of its employees in all situations.
Tip: It can be hard for managers to find the time to keep up with the myriad of health and safety issues in the workplace. Delegating the management of these issues to other supervisors can be a huge help in keeping the workplace safe. Free podcasts, e-newsletters, and RSS feeds can keep a busy manager apprised of the hot topics as well.
By Taylor Smith. Smith is a HR management and recruitment employee within the private sector industry
Additional Safety Knowledge
Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Framework
Alberta’s workplace safety system is built on the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the OHS Regulation, and the OHS Code (which contains the detailed technical requirements). The three-legged framework applies to virtually all Alberta workplaces except federally regulated industries (which follow Canada Labour Code Part II). Workers have three fundamental rights: the right to know about hazards, the right to participate in safety decisions, and the right to refuse unsafe work without reprisal.
Employer, Supervisor, and Worker Responsibilities
- Employers must ensure the health and safety of workers, provide instruction and training, maintain equipment, and prepare a health and safety program (mandatory for workplaces with 20+ regular workers).
- Supervisors must take all reasonable steps to protect workers, ensure workers use required equipment and follow procedures, and advise workers of hazards.
- Workers must protect their own health and safety and that of co-workers, use required equipment, cooperate with the OHS system, and report hazards or incidents.
Failure to fulfill these duties can result in administrative penalties, orders, prosecution, and in severe cases criminal charges under the federal Criminal Code (Bill C-45).
Hazard Assessment — The Foundation of Workplace Safety
Every task should begin with a hazard assessment. Formal assessments identify hazards, evaluate risk (probability multiplied by severity), and prescribe controls following the hierarchy: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE. Field Level Hazard Assessments (FLHAs) are completed for each shift or task change. Job Safety Analyses (JSAs) document safe procedures for repetitive or non-routine work.
Work Safety Lowdown — Ongoing Competency
Safety competency is not a one-time event. Workers require initial training before first exposure to a hazard, refresher training when procedures change, and periodic competency verification. Employer records must include worker names, training dates, course content, trainer identification, and assessment results. Alberta OHS inspectors routinely review training records during inspections and incident investigations.
Content reviewed by Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC — lead safety instructor at Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety Calgary, an Energy Safety Canada Authorized Training Provider.
