Overview
Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) legislation requires employers do everything they reasonably can to protect the health and safety of their workers.
This means:
- ensuring your workers have the skills and training needed to do their jobs in a healthy and safe manner
- providing competent supervisors
- preventing violence and harassment in the workplace
- informing your workers of all the health and safety hazards at the job site
- setting up safe work practices and ensuring these practices are followed
- providing safety equipment and training
- properly labelling and storing dangerous chemicals
- investigating serious injuries and incidents
- investigating potentially serious incidents (PSI)
- working with the health and safety committee or representative
- meeting OHS and Employment Standards Code requirements
Employing young workers
Know that they are:
- more likely to get hurt at work
- less likely to ask questions because they want to make a good impression
To help ensure the safety of young workers, employers and supervisors should:
- spend ample time training and supervising young and new workers
- provide emergency procedure and job-specific safety training before any work is assigned
- pair young workers with experienced, safety-conscious workers
- regularly check to ensure that everyone follows the health and safety rules
- instruct them on how to report dangerous work or health concerns, and explain why immediate reporting of hazards or incidents is important
- encourage young workers to ask questions and talk with their supervisors
- lead by example – wear protective equipment and demonstrate safe work habits
Employment Standards
Alberta’s Employment Standards laws spell out the rights and responsibilities of employees and employers for:
- payment of earnings
- hours of work and overtime
- vacations and general holidays
- maternity and parental leaves
- termination of employment
The rules apply to employees of all ages with some restrictions for young workers for their protection.
Resources
- OHS Act, Regulation and Code
- Occupational Health and Safety – Employer’s Guide
- Employees Under Age 18
- Are Students and Volunteers Workers?
- Adolescent work permits
- Work site health and safety committees and representatives
- Harassment and violence in the workplace
Contact
To connect with OHS:
Phone: 780-415-8690 (Edmonton)
Toll free: 1-866-415-8690
TTY: 780-427-9999 (Edmonton)
TTY: 1-800-232-7215