In British Columbia, all employers, regardless of their size, are required by law to provide a safe working environment. They must ensure that all employees are properly trained and supervised; they must work with employees to identify hazards in the workplace and ensure that hazards are eliminated, isolated or minimized.
Every workplace in BC must provide a first aid program and supplies, first aid training for responders, and accessible first aid kits. A workplace is defined as anywhere your employer requires you to be as part of your job, whether on-site or off-site. This includes places such as the lunchroom, the parking lot, any motor vehicle you drive as part of work, and any equipment you use such as a forklift, ladder or step stool. Your vehicle is also a workplace as you drive from site to site.
Employers and employees are required to set goals around health and safety and then work together to achieve them. Everyone has a part to play in improving health and safety in the workplace.
All workers in British Columbia have 4 basic Occupational Health and Safety rights (OH&S):
- The right to know about hazards in the workplace
- The right to participate in OH&S activities
- The right to refuse unsafe work
- The right to no retaliation(discipline or being fired) for raising OH&S concerns
You can make your workplace safer by:
- Being involved in the process to improve health and safety. For example; offer to sit on your health and safety committee or to be the workplace first aid attendant,
- Sticking to correct procedures and using the right equipment,
- Wearing the appropriate protective clothing and equipment if required,
- Helping new employees, trainees and visitors to the workplace understand the right safety practices and why the practices exist, and
- Communicating any safety concerns to your employer.
- Keep an eye out for unsafe premises and equipment,
- Inadequate or misused safety equipment,
- Bad work practices and,
- Lack of information about equipment or workplace processes.