Pinchin Environmental Newsletter (PEN #30)

Manitoba has a New Safety and Health Regulation!

(click here for Pinchin Safety & Health Regulation Awareness Sessions)

Manitoba Labour and Immigration – Workplace Safety and Health Division announced it’s new Occupational Safety and Health Regulation on November 1, 2006 - The Workplace Safety and Health Regulation 217/2006 made under The Workplace Safety and Health Act (C.C.S.M. c. W210).

By introducing this new legislation, Manitoba Labour is progressing on the mandate to make Manitoba workplaces safer as initiated in 2001 by Bill 27 – The Safer Workplaces Act that amended the Workplace Safety and Health Act.

The Workplace Safety and Health Regulation takes effect on February 1, 2007 and is the result of a four-year consultation and review process. The grace period for compliance started on October 31, 2006 and ends on February 1, 2007. The review process included input from employers, employees and technical representatives. The new regulation includes input from this review process but also makes changes to remain consistent with other regulatory agencies in the western provinces.

The new regulation is divided into forty-four parts, each addressing a stand-alone issue. Many of the parts have been addressed by previous regulations and/or guidelines. There are a number of entirely new parts that have not been addressed in Manitoba workplaces to date.

Our Summary Table is a Pinchin summary of the Workplace Safety and Health Regulation 217/2006 showing a list of the parts included in the regulation. We have provided additional information beside each part indicating whether the part is new or part of an existing regulation. To obtain the full copy of the Workplace Health and Safety Act please visit http://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/statutes/ccsm/w210e.php.

Seminars

Pinchin will be providing additional information on many of the parts and requirements of this new regulation. A series of seminars will be scheduled to discuss specific parts such as:

As noted above, the new regulation totally re-works the existing legislation. A number of new parts not previously addressed are included in the new regulations such as musculoskeletal injuries, Oil and Gas and Firefighters.

There are also some changes to the existing legislation that have triggered control measures to be reduced such as noise exposure from 90 dBA to 85 dBA.

We hope to see you at the regulatory seminars which start in early in 2007. To be added to the mailing list for the above noted sessions and future newsletters, please sign up for our free newsletters.

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