| Employers: The new Occupational Health and Safety Regulations are now live in Nunavut.
The new and improved Occupational Health and Safety Regulations are now live in Nunavut. The Regulations better support safe Northern workplaces for workers and employers. Those that were compliant with the previous General Safety Regulations should find the transition to the new Occupational Health and Safety Regulations to be a natural progression in their internal safety programs.
The new Regulations reflect how industries and technologies evolved throughout the past decades. They give workplaces a modern framework that is relevant to Northern operations today, and close any gaps that once existed between Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and other Canadian jurisdictions. By closing these gaps, employers operating in multiple territories or provinces will benefit from a better familiarity of OHS requirements. These Regulations apply to all businesses operating in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, with the exception of those that are Federally regulated.
The new Regulations see significant changes to language and layout, giving a clearer and more complete direction to ensure that workplace safety information is easily accessible by both workers and employers. Other changes are new requirements for hazard assessments; supervisor education; radiation; OHS Committees; First Aid; personal protective equipment; and additional protection for electrical workers, health care workers, and firefighters. Additionally, one major highlight of the new Regulations is the increased support for an Internal Responsibility System (IRS), which allows employers and workers to ensure safe workplaces together.
These Regulations represent a piece of legislation that every one of us in the North should take pride in. They're the result of hard work and commitment by the Ministers' Safety Advisory Committee, who participated in extensive engagement opportunities with Northerners over the last few years to bring these Regulations to where they are today.
It's important for organizations to review these Regulations to see how the changes will affect their work sites. The WSCC is available by phone and email to answer questions, and will also be conducting in-person information sessions in the major communities across Nunavut.
For additional information, including the new Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, visit our website at OHSRegs.ca.
Stay Safe,
Dave Grundy
President and CEO
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wscc.nt.ca / 1.800.661.0792 * wscc.nu.ca / 1.877.404.4407
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