‘Easy to understand’: Alberta announces update to provincial OHS laws

Minister of Labour and Immigration Tyler Shandro issued a statement on the updated Occupational Health and Safety Act and revised regulations taking effect in Alberta on Dec. 1.

“The updated Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act and revised regulations will help ensure healthy and safe workplaces, which will help attract investment and support Alberta’s Recovery Plan,” he said in a news release.

“Hard-working Albertans go to their jobs every day expecting to come home safely at the end of their shifts. That is why Alberta revised its OHS laws so they are easy to understand, follow and involve everyone.”

A list of the changes is available here.

OHS laws are in place to help improve the health and safety of every workplace, said Shandro.

“But for too long, these laws were often viewed as to-do lists. We’ve changed that by listening to job creators and workers. As always, the OHS laws continue to provide the fundamental rights and protections to help ensure every worker on every work site is working in a healthy and safe environment. This will never change. The health and safety of workers is always a priority for OHS.”

“Workplace health and safety is in everyone’s interest. The financial cost of workplace injuries and illnesses is too high. The human cost is even higher. By making OHS laws easier to understand and follow, we can reduce these costs through improved workplace health and safety. We can ensure that Albertans can come home safely from work each day.”