Calgary employment lawyer Sarah Coderre explains that employees have the right to a safe workplace under the Occupational Health and Safety legislation. An employee needs to identify hazards in the workplace and take steps to reduce those hazards. If your boss asks you to do unsafe work, you have a right to refuse. If they still insist that you do it, you can file a complaint with the Occupational Health and Safety Board. The officer assigned to the complaint will generally issue a work refusal order, and will conduct an investigation to determine what the unsafe work condition complained-of was, and what should be done about it. The goal would be to get you back to work in a safe work environment. You are also protected from reprisal for making OHS complaints. Reprisal could include things like unfair treatment, discipline or termination of employment that the employer has done as retaliation for making a complaint. The officer could issue orders against the employer, such as for example, forcing them to pay money you have lost as a result of a retaliation. If you are an Alberta employee who feels your safety rights have been violated, you should speak to an employment lawyer from Bow River Law about your legal options.
All of Bow River Law LLP’s materials posted on YouTube are for legal information and discussion purposes only, and should not be considered legal advice. If you are in a legal situation, you should speak to a lawyer directly.
#OHS #safetyfirst #safeworkplace #occupationalhealthandsafety
