High Hazard Work Notifications

If you or your company are using the High Hazard Work Notification e-service for the first time, you will need to take a couple steps to get started:

• High Hazard Work Notification Users: Log in to WSCC Connect. Once you are logged in, request permission to access the ‘High Hazard Notifications’ user role. Follow these steps to request access to an online e-service.
• Access Administrators*: An employer’s WSCC Connect Access Administrator grants user access to online e-services, including ‘High Hazard Notifications’. Once logged in, they can approve any requests for access or they can select ‘Manage Users’ to add a user.
  • Repeat the process for any other users that will need to submit or edit High Hazard Work Notifications for your business.

Reminder: Individuals with access permission to High Hazard Work Notifications will be able to see any information associated with these reports. The employer is responsible for determining who should have access to this service.

* The employer’s Access Administrator is typically someone responsible for office management or submitting the employer’s Annual Payroll Report to WSCC.

OHS Regulations for the NWT and Nunavut provide a provision for employers who are not able to submit the notification by the 30-day requirement. For this exemption, the submission must be made as soon as reasonably possible. Along with the notification, you are required to submit an explanation in your submission for the reason for delay. Some examples of acceptable reasons for a delayed notification are:

• Your business was just awarded a contract, and the project start date is under 30 days away. 
• A situation has arisen requiring an emergency start date for work. E.g. construction work that is required due to a natural disaster or unforeseen event.

If you have any questions about your timeline for submitting a High Hazard Work Notification, please contact the WSCC and ask to speak to the Officer on duty.

You are able to submit a High Hazard Work Notification in Inuktitut or any of the official languages of Nunavut or the NWT. To submit a request, email your notification to the Chief Safety Officer (CSO) with the following information: 

• Project name
• Project owner, including contact information
• Project contact (if different), including contact information
• Site address or GPS location, please include any additional description of the work site location (e.g. The shed at the back of the property)
• Indicate the type of high hazard work that is occurring:
  • Quarry, Crushing, or Blasting
  • ⁠Powerline Construction or Maintenance
  • ⁠Earthworks, Excavation, or Road Construction
  • ⁠Sandblasting
  • ⁠Demolition or Renovation
  • ⁠Commercial or Residential Construction
  • ⁠Radiation
• Include a description of work that you will be doing (e.g. Manually removing flooring from 8 x 10 room, pouring cement, erecting scaffolding, creating anchor points on the roof, etc.)
  Project start date and project end date
• Project start date and project end date 

Please note: If the details of your work changes, you are responsible for logging into your WSCC Connect account and updating your current notification or create a new one if required (e.g. if the scope of work changes the type of high hazard work being completed). 

Once your project starts, you may receive a site inspection based on the project information you have provided. It is important that all of the information is accurate and up-to-date.  

 

Work activities that are considered to present a significant risk to workers are considered high hazard work. The WSCC Connect tool has seven categories that correspond with the legislated reporting requirements, which are:

• Quarry, Crushing, or Blasting
• ⁠Powerline Construction or Maintenance
• ⁠Earthworks, Excavation, or Road Construction
• ⁠Sandblasting
• ⁠Demolition or Renovation
• ⁠Commercial or Residential Construction
• ⁠Radiation

There is a requirement under Nunavut and NWT health and safety legislation for employers to notify the WSCC of high hazard work projects and activities a minimum of 30 days before the start date or as soon as reasonable possible (see What if I can’t provide 30 days notice?). If the work that you are about to undertake fits into any of these categories, you must submit a High Hazard Work Notification to the Chief Safety Officer at the WSCC through the established notification process. 
 

If the work you do does not fall under one of the types of high hazard work listed in the WSCC Connect tool, you do not have to submit a notification. However, all employers still have a responsibility to provide a healthy and safe workplace for all of their employees.
 

The person responsible for the worksite is required to submit the High Hazard Work Notification. This person or business is at times referred to as the ‘principal contractor’. However, the individual who can submit the notification could be the owner of the company, a site supervisor, the project manager in charge of the work, or the person responsible for safety on the job site. 

If you are an employer who has hired a contractor to take on the project work, it is the employer’s responsibility to submit the High Hazard Work Notification unless you have designated the responsibility to a sub-contractor in charge of the project through your project contract. The principal contractor may still be held liable if the sub-contractor does not comply with this regulation. So, it is good practice to ensure that they have followed and documented correct procedures. 

Once you have submitted your High Hazard Work Notification via WSCC Connect, you will receive a confirmation email, which will include a High Hazard Work Notification number. When your project start date arrives, print off this confirmation and post it on your job site’s safety board. We also recommend filing a copy in your digital or printed records. 

If you need to make any updates to your notification (e.g. changing the project end date), simply log in to WSCC Connect and open the High Hazard Work Notification tool. There, you will find a record of past and current notifications for your business. Open the notification you want to edit, make the necessary changes, and click ‘save’. You will receive a confirmation email of your update. Ensure that you print off any updates and post the email confirmation along with the original notification.

Project End Date

You will receive email notifications five working days before the end of your project. If the project is still ongoing, it is important that you log in to WSCC Connect and make updates as soon as possible, as you will no longer be able to make edits after the reported end date.

The final notification will be emailed to you once your project end date has passed. If at this point your project is still ongoing, you will be required to submit a new High Hazard Work Notification, which will result in project delays. 
 

You can log in to WSCC Connect at any time to access a record of all ongoing and past High Hazard Work Notifications. For any current High Hazard Work Notifications, you can edit and resubmit any additional notes, details on the work being undertaken, and date changes that occur up to the close of your project. 

If the type of work changes or your project has already closed, you will need to submit a new High Hazard Work Notification.*

* Please keep in mind that any new notifications that are submitted less than 30 days before the start date of the work may result in project delays. 

Once you click on the High Hazard Work Notification icon, you will be directed to a selection tool where you can choose either ‘Demolition and Renovation’ or ‘Residential and Commercial Construction’. Both categories contain asbestos as possible activities you can select as part of the scope of work.