New headgear and hi-vis requirements in place What you need to know about changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation
By Don Schouten Senior Prevention Advisor, WorkSafeBC
Mobile equipment To improve safety and compliance, all of Part 16 (Mobile Equipment) of the OHS Regulation has been reorganized and streamlined for better flow and access to information. The provisions of Part 16 have also been modernized for current practices and standards. More than 150 issues were analyzed during this seven-year revision project, resulting in 64 key changes and new requirements. The amendments also harmonize mobile equipment provisions across other parts of the OHS Regulation. Keeping up to date on regulation changes If you’re a worker, it’s important to keep up to date on changing health and safety protocols. If you have any questions about how the changes are being implemented, speak to your site supervisor. WorkSafeBC continues to work with employers to ensure the changes required by regulation updates are understood and implemented, but it’s your responsibility to ensure you understand and follow the regulation, ask questions if you’re unsure, and refuse unsafe work. Work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths are preventable. Prevention is about creating a workplace where everyone is empowered to exercise their responsibility for health and safety — to ensure their own health and safety and that of their colleagues. Whether you’re an employer, worker, union representative, or part of an industry association, everyone shares responsibility and has a part to play.
When it comes to health and safety on job sites, we all play a part in ensuring everyone goes home at the end of the day. WorkSafeBC supports workers and employers so that one day we may see a British Columbia free from workplace injury, disease and death. This support includes updating the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation as necessary to make sure it accurately reflects today’s changing worksites and job hazards. Several amendments to the OHS Regulation that took effect on Sept. 1, 2021, directly impact the construction industry. These amendments include changes to requirements for safety headgear, high-visibility apparel and mobile equipment. Safety headgear When it comes to falling, flying or thrown objects, a hard hat is an important piece of personal protective equipment (PPE). And while hard hats are frequently used as a protective device on construction sites, the change to the regulation will assist in ensuring they are the correct level of protection. The revisions to the OHS Regulation require employers to follow the hierarchy of controls to control the risk of head injury. This means eliminating the risk from falling, flying or thrown objects if possible. If you cannot eliminate the risk, then you must apply engineering or administrative controls to reduce the risk. Workers must wear safety headgear if it is not practical to eliminate the risk of head injury or reduce the risk to the lowest level possible using other controls. An OHS guideline has also been developed to help you understand this new regulatory requirement, and to provide support in identifying and controlling the risk of head injury from overhead hazards. High-visibility apparel As motor vehicle incidents continue to be a leading cause of workplace injuries throughout our province, it’s critical that workers are visible on the jobsite. An important update to the regulation is an amendment to the requirements for high-visibility apparel for workers who are exposed to the hazards of vehicles or mobile equipment. The amendments to this section align the requirements for such apparel to adopt the current Canadian Standards Association standard, CSA Z96-15, High-Visibility Safety Apparel.
Visit worksafebc.com/searchable-regulation
for full details of the amended OHS Regulation, as well as for OHS guidelines that provide additional information and support.
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