Yellowknife, NT (September 6, 2016) – Today, the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut releases the Occupational Health and Safety Program Guide for Small Businesses, a new initiative to assist small businesses in developing their own Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Programs.
The WSCC defines a small business as an operation with less than 20 employees. While small businesses in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are generally not required to develop a formal OHS Program, having a program is a best practice.
According to the Safety Act and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulations, all businesses must develop and implement safe work procedures and train workers to maintain a safe workplace. The Occupational Health and Safety Program Guide for Small Businesses describes how a business can build their own OHS Program and includes samples and templates they can customize for their use.
To complement the Guide, the WSCC has a newly created role, an OHS Specialist who can assist businesses in developing an OHS Program for their organization. The OHS Specialist will work directly with small businesses to support them to build a new OHS Program, or to identify gaps and improve upon existing OHS Programs. In addition to one-on-one assistance, the OHS Specialist will also be available to conduct workshops. Businesses are encouraged to contact the OHS Specialist to ensure they have a functioning OHS plan in place.
"We are excited to provide this guide and new tools for small businesses", says Dave Grundy, WSCC President and CEO. "No business is too small for safety. This step-by-step guide to developing an OHS Program ensures that OHS is manageable. Having a safety program is taking care of your business."
The Occupational Health and Safety Program Guide for Small Businesses is available for download at wscc.nt.ca or wscc.nu.ca. To reach our OHS Specialist, email ohsregs@wscc.nt.ca or call 1-800-661-0792.
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For more information, contact:
Kim Walker
Manager, Communications
Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission
Northwest Territories and Nunavut
T: (867) 920-3846