Occupational Health and Safety Representatives

The occupational health and safety representative is the main way for workers to participate in small, high-hazard workplaces where occupational health committees are not required. A representative is the liaison between the employer and coworkers, and brings worker concerns to the attention of the employer.

The law says employers must appoint an occupational health and safety representative for a place of employment that:

• has 5 to 9 workers
• is a high-hazard workplace

The role of the occupational health and safety representative is to:

• participate in the control of health and safety hazards in the workplace and
• address worker concerns about health and safety in the workplace 

The employer must ensure that the occupational health and safety representative has enough time to carry out his/her duties during normal working hours, with no lost of pay or other benefits.

The legislation requires occupational health and safety representatives to be designated in the following places of employment:

Types of places of employment:

• hospitals, nursing homes and home care
• metal foundries and mills

Places of employment at where the following types of work are performed:

• aerial crop spraying, operation of  helicopters, water bombing
• autobody and automotive paint repairing, bumper electroplating, rust proofing, auto glass installation, auto vinyl roofing and fibreglassing boats and autos
• wholesale baking, dairy production, soft drinks and food preparation and packaging
• building construction
• camp catering
• farming and ranching
• forestry work (other than pulp and paper production)
• forwarding and warehousing as a business
• hard rock mining, shaft sinking and cross cutting
• metal manufacturing and machining, marble works, concrete block and ready mix manufacturing
• oilwell servicing
• oil and gas drilling, well servicing with a rig, water well drilling
• processing meat, poultry and fish
• road construction and earthwork, urban sewer and water construction, tunneling
• trucking