Ahead of our attendance at the Alberta Health and Safety conference, we answer some of the most frequently asked questions around health and safety in Canada.
Is there lone working legislation in Canada?
According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), someone is a lone worker “when they cannot be seen or heard by another person”.
Quebec, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Yukon have not yet enacted legislation regarding employers’ responsibilities toward their lone workers. However, most provinces do have lone worker regulations set in place.
Most common lone worker regulations in Canada:
- Conduct a hazard assessment to identify existing or potential hazards that may affect the workers
- Develop a written procedure for checking the well-being of workers, as well as the severity of emergencies
- Implement appropriate measures to control hazards
- Enforce an appropriate check-in strategy
- Develop an emergency response plan
If your business operates in British Columbia (with the exception of mines and federally chartered workplaces), you are legally required to comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (OHSR) set out by WorkSafeBC. The purpose of the OSHR is to promote occupational health and safety and to protect workers from work-related risks to their health, safety and well-being.
Does legislation differ across Canada?
Although legislation differs across Canada, most provinces have similar health and safety regulations in place to protect workers. You can read more about your province’s specific legislation via the links below:
Alberta legislation
British Columbia legislation
Manitoba legislation
Newfoundland and labrador legislation
New Brunswick legislation
Northwest territories legislation
Nunavit legislation
Prince Edward Island legislation
Saskatchewan legislation
What is a lone worker safety solution?
A lone worker safety solution is a way for you to monitor and protect staff that work in dangerous environments or by themselves. Lone worker solutions can come in many forms such as apps, mobile devices, body cameras and fobs. Many companies opt to use apps as they are cost-effective and do not require additional devices or hardware, other than an employee’s smartphone. Apps can also be used anywhere at any time.
How does the StaySafe app help?
StaySafe helps you meet your duty of care by ensuring your workers can access help when they need it. StaySafe’s lone worker app has dedicated features that help managers monitor their workers’ safety. Employees are able to start a timed session before they begin a period of lone work or travel.
The check-in feature prompts workers to check in at regular intervals during their shift and a panic alert can be triggered if help is needed. If an employee is being forced by an attacker to terminate the app, a ‘false pin’ can be entered to appear as if the session has been canceled when, in fact, a panic alarm has been triggered.
The app also features a man down alarm that will send an alert through the hub if a lone worker has not moved for a prolonged period of time. StaySafe helps you meet your duty of care by ensuring your workers can access help when they need it.
For more information on our StaySafe app, click here.
