Requirements of the New Brunswick Occupational Health and Safety Act require employers to address health and safety hazards at the workplace, including buildup of ice and snow. Section 102(8) of the General Regulations 91-191 states: “An employer and a contractor shall each keep outdoor passageways from becoming slippery by removing ice or snow and using materials such as ashes, sand or salt where necessary.” If an employee were to fall and injure themselves because the outdoor passageways were not kept from becoming slippery, they could be eligible for compensation. If you have raised the matter with your employer and it still has not been resolved, you can contact WorkSafeNB by calling 1 800 999-9775and file a complaint. Normally, a health and safety officer would investigate. If you wish for your complaint to remain anonymous, we will respect your wish.
If you have a concern about workplace safety, you have several options. First, we encourage workers and employers to work together to solve concerns. An effective safety solution is often best found by both parties. Identify the situation to your supervisor. Secondly, you can bring your concern to your workplace joint health and safety committee or health and safety representative. If the situation continues and you feel you or your co-workers are being asked to complete an unsafe task, you have the right to refuse unsafe work without fear or penalty. Here are the steps you must follow if you choose to exercise this right. Exercising this right is serious and should not be done lightly or as a routine method of solving workplace problems.
Results of accident investigations are only shared with internal staff, and not the public. However, once an accident investigation is complete, the file is presented to WorkSafeNB’s Accident Review Committee. Its members determine whether we should develop Hazard Alerts to advise the public, or whether we should advise that particular industry about the accident findings. They also decide whether charges are recommended. In addition, if staff identify accident trends or patterns, they can recommend prevention or compliance strategies, which may end up in a public awareness campaign, such as our current Safe Waste Collection campaign.
All incidents reported under the Occupational Health and Safety Act are available on our website. The incident list is updated monthly and contains two years of data. It is available from our home page by selecting the Incidents tab, and then selecting any of the more recent incidents listed. You can also receive the monthly report through E-News, our monthly electronic newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it. Fatalities, incidents and other statistics are also reported in our Annual Report.
No. Insurance rates are based solely on the relative hazards of the operation and the organization’s accident experience, not on whether workers have disabilities.
New Brunswick’s Occupational Health and Safety Act regulations have broad requirements for safe storage of materials (section 16). Another section (216–2(b) and 2(c)), prescribes the width of aisles when industrial lift trucks are used in the vicinity, a high probability in large box stores.
As for requirements for suggestions boxes, they are not mandatory. That being said, a member of the general public may voice the safety concern to an employee, manager or owner of the retail store. Any employee may report the concern to a supervisor or joint health and safety committee member.
Any workplace health or safety concern can be reported to WorkSafeNB at 1 800 999-9775.
Working to Well is a website (with videos and tips) to help you learn about the recovery and return-to-work process.
There are lots of things you can do to get better while we work on your claim decision. Follow your health care provider's instructions and learn about the claims process and injury recovery. Among our favourite tools are Working to Well, About Your Benefits and MyServices.
To be eligible for workers' compensation payments, you must work for an employer insured under WorkSafeNB and experience a work-related injury or illness. As part of the claims process, a WorkSafeNB employee will review several pieces of information before making a decision regarding your eligibility. If you are unsure, we encourage you to submit an Application for Workers’ Compensation Benefits.
In August 2020, WorkSafeNB simplified the process for employers to report a workplace injury or illness under the Workers Compensation Act. Simply complete the Employer Report of Injury or Illness as soon as possible, but within three days of learning of the incident, and email it to application-demande@ws-ts.nb.ca. You also have the option to print the form and submit it by fax to 1 888 629-4722 or by mail to our head office. If your employee would like to file for workers’ compensation benefits, they will need to submit the Application for Workers’ Compensation Benefits. Remember, you also have important reporting requirements under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. You must report certain accidents, injuries and near misses immediately. Learn more.
