Role of Joint Health and Safety Committees
One of the most important battles Alberta workers have won is the right to be involved in the workplace decisions that impact our safety. This generally takes the form of a joint health and safety committee with equal representation from workers and the employer.
After all, if strong health and safety provisions are not in place and enforced by the employer, it is workers who are in danger. Too many workplace fatalities could have been prevented with more proactive planning with direct input from workers on the job.
What is being taken away from you?
Alberta Bill 47 proposes radical changes to the workplace health and safety laws, including the thousands of joint health and safety committees (JHSCs) across the province. Here is a summary of those changes:
| Before Bill 47 | After Bill 47 |
|---|---|
|
All employers and worksites with more than 20 employees must have a JHSC |
Many worksites with more than 20 workers exempted from JHSC requirement |
|
Mandatory committee member training |
No training requirements |
|
Workers select their representatives |
Unclear how worker representatives are selected |
|
JHSC involved at every stage of prevention |
Limited JHSC involvement and roles |
What’s next?
This factsheet only describes some of the changes in Bill 47. On top of the radical changes to local union administration passed in Bill 32, Bill 47 is another government attack on our rights at work. Visit unifor.org/alberta to learn more.
