Manitoba’s Premier Brian Pallister has announced that Manitoba has become the first province to harmonize occupational safety and health regulations in several key areas to reduce barriers to interprovincial trade and increase labour mobility, while maintaining protections for workers.
The amendments to The Workplace Safety and Health Regulation include:
- updating first-aid kits and first-aid certifications in accordance with newly developed CSA standards as part of a national system for workplace first aid;
- extending baseline hearing test requirements from within 70 days of hire to up to six months and replace annual hearing reports with requirements to report every two years;
- clarifying existing requirements for the provision and use of several types of PPE including high-visibility safety apparel, hearing protection, life jackets and personal flotation devices; and
- ensuring a secondary air supply is carried on the person or within arm’s reach for workers working in dangerous atmospheres.
Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health is working to implement the amendments. For more information about these amendments please visit Workplace Safety and Health’s Frequently Asked Questions about the Harmonization of Occupational Safety and Health Enforcement Amendments.
Read the full news release announcing the changes here.
Please contact us at safety@constructionsafety.ca or 204-775-3171 for clarification as needed.
