Safety starts with you. Employers play a vital role in the safety of your teams. But not every employer understands their obligations.
The New Brunswick Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act sets out a variety of employer responsibilities designed to help ensure a healthy and safe work environment.
Definition of an Employer
A person who employs one or more employees or the person’s agent.
Employer responsibilities under the OHS Act:
- Take every reasonable precaution to ensure the health and safety of your employees.
- Comply with the OHS Act and regulations, and any order made in accordance with them.
- Ensure that your employees comply with the Act and regulations, and any order made in accordance with them.
- Ensure that at the place of employment the necessary systems of work, tools, equipment, machines, devices and materials are maintained in good condition and are of minimum risk to health and safety when used as directed by the supplier or in accordance with the directions supplied by the supplier.
- Acquaint an employee with any hazard to be found at the place of employment in connection with the use, handling, storage, disposal and transport of any tool, equipment, machine, device or biological, chemical or physical agent.
- Provide such information, instruction, training and supervision as are necessary to ensure an employee's health and safety.
- Ensure that work at the place of employment is competently supervised and that supervisors have sufficient knowledge of all of the following with respect to matters that are within the scope of the supervisor’s duties:
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- The OHS Act and regulations under this Act that apply to the place of employment;
- any safety policy for the place of employment;
- any health and safety program for the place of employment;
- any health and safety procedures with respect to hazards in connection with the use, handling, storage, disposal and transport of any tool, equipment, machine, device or biological, chemical or physical agent by employees who work under the supervisor’s supervision and direction;
- any protective equipment required to ensure the health and safety of the employees who work under the supervisor’s supervision and direction; and
- any other matters that are necessary to ensure the health and safety of the employees who work under the supervisor’s supervision and direction.
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8. Ensure that work at the place of employment is sufficiently supervised.
9. Provide and maintain in good condition such protective equipment as is required by regulation and ensure that such equipment is used by an employee in the course of work.
10. Co-operate with a committee, where such a committee has been established, a health and safety representative, where such a representative has been elected, and with any person responsible for the enforcement of this Act and the regulations.
11. Post a copy of the OHS Act and regulations in a prominent place where workers can see them.
12. Draft and implement policies and procedures which become the safety program in the workplace.
13. If the employer has 20 or more employees regularly employed in New Brunswick, the companies must establish a safety policy and a health and safety program. If the employer has 20 or more employees regularly employed in a workplace, a JHSC must be formed.
Resources
Supervisor
Start with safety – your responsibilities
