The Role of Each Level of Employee for Occupational Health & Safety in Ottawa

Employers, supervisors and employees all have roles and responsibilities that ensure workplace health & safety. Ottawa is a highly industrialized location with many worksites all around the city. Proper occupational health & safety measures are essential for businesses in Ottawa to maintain best practices in a workplace environment.

Certain roles and responsibilities must be shouldered by relevant parties to ensure increased safety at work. This article will look closely into the defined roles of employees at all levels to maximize workplace safety.

Occupational Health & Safety Roles in the Workplace

Three parties have important roles to play in assuring standard occupational health and safety measures in their workplace. These parties are the:

• Employer,
• Supervisor
• Worker

When each of these parties performs their duties and responsibilities in accordance with the OHSA Act, proper workplace safety is achievable.

Roles of Each Party to Ensure Occupational Health and Safety in the Workplace

Employer’s roles

Contrary to popular belief, an employer is also an employee in their organization. Whatever affects the business will impact employers more than any other party. This is why it is important for employers to ensure their workplace is always safe for their employees. To maintain occupational health and safety in the workplace, employers should:

• Assess injury reports and provide necessary equipment for first aid care
• Provide workers with information about all workplace hazards and protective measures
• Create regular information sessions where workers learn about their rights, duties and responsibilities
• Hire experienced, competent supervisors to oversee employee operations
• Ensure that all machinery is maintained and does not possess any hazards to employees
• Maintain a detailed record of all workplace injuries and accidents for at least 36 months
• Make available safe work procedures for employees to mitigate risks associated with working in a hazardous environment
• Provide job-specific, thorough training to employees
• Act as additional support for supervisors

When employers fulfill the above-stated roles, it becomes easy to maintain a safe workplace for lower-level employees.

Supervisor

The supervisor is responsible for:

• Providing on-the-ground support for employers in maintaining a safe workplace environment
• Understanding the specifics of health and safety programs, inspections, investigations, and employee training
• Offering medical support to employees in the event of an accident or injury and drafting a detailed incident report

A competent supervisor has a full understanding of the legal obligations required to maintain a healthy and safe work environment. Performing these roles will become easier if a supervisor knows his/her duties.

Worker

A worker plays an integral role in the maintenance of health and safety on a job site. Workers must:

• Be aware of workplace hazards and report these potential threats to supervisors
• Use correct PPE and safety equipment to navigate a hazardous worksite
• Report accidents in a worksite to supervisors
• Abstain from working under the influence of drugs or alcohol

When workers meet the standards of their roles, chances of injuries dramatically reduce and an overall safer workplace is the final result.

Advanced Consulting & Training – Due Diligence Courses

Today’s workplace is filled with a variety of challenges and the roles and responsibilities of each worker have become increasingly more complex. At Advanced Consulting & Training we strive to make workplaces in Ottawa safer by offering a wide variety of courses to ensure workers are properly trained and informed when they show up to work. Manager due diligence, competent supervisor and worker due diligence are just a few of the courses we offer to help companies ensure occupational health and safety at their job sites.

If you’re interested in working with ACT to build a safer work environment for you and your employees, contact us today!