The Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Division is dedicated to maintaining up to date OH&S laws. To achieve this goal, the OH&S Division, in concert with the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education´s OH&S Advisory Council, has embarked on an ambitious schedule that would see all OH&S regulations reviewed on a five-year cycle.
Reviews of Existing Regulations
The following regulations are
currently under review:
Fall Protection and
Scaffolding Regulations
General Blasting Regulations
Occupational Health Regulations
Temporary Workplace Traffic Control Regulations
OH&S Appeals Panel Regulations
Consideration of New Regulations
The Division is currently
considering regulating, and is developing draft regulations, for the
following areas:
Indoor Air Quality
Joint Occupational Health and Safety
Committees
Occupational
Diving
Violence in the
Workplace
| Year | Regulations Under Review |
|---|---|
| 2004 |
Appeal Panel Regulations Disclosure of Information Regulations General Blasting Regulations Occupational Safety General Regulations Workplace Hazardous Information System Regulations |
| 2005 | No regulation reviews scheduled |
| 2006 | Occupational
Health and Safety First Aid
Regulations Temporary Workplace Traffic Control Regulations |
| 2007 | Occupational Health Regulations |
The reviews or considerations of new or revised regulations could have up to 6 steps. How many steps are involved in reviewing or considering new regulations depends on the complexity, the potential effect on workplaces and the level of interest shown by labour and management groups.
The 6 steps in the regulation review/consideration process are:
Process Scoping
Labour and management are
asked for comments on the proposed regulation.
Based upon the comments, the Department, in consultation with the OH&S Advisory Council decides which steps to include in the review/consideration process and develops a workplan for the process.
Working Group
If the Department and the OH&S Advisory Council determine that the regulation warrants, one or more working groups will be created. These groups will be asked to review the regulation in detail and make specific and comprehensive recommendations.
Internal Draft Regulation Created
After receiving the working group´s advice, the Department prepares a draft regulation. This is reviewed by both the Department and the OH&S Advisory Council.
External Draft Regulation Created and Distributed
Based upon the Department´s and the OH&S Advisory Council´s reviews, a new draft of the regulation is created and made available to all workplaces. Labour and management are again invited to make comments on the regulation.
Final Consideration of the Regulation
Based upon all the recommendations from labour, management and the OH&S Advisory Council, the Department creates a final version of the regulation. This version is considered by Cabinet, who may accept, amend or decline the regulation.
Public Notification
Assuming Cabinet accepts a new or changed regulation, the Department will ensure that workplaces are made aware of the change and have access to copies of the new regulation. If the changes are significant, the Department will put on a series of presentations to inform people of the changes.