Occupational Health and Safety Committee (a) The parties agree that a joint occupational health and safety committee will be established. The Committee shall govern itself in accordance with the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations made pursuant to the Workers Compensation Act. The Committee shall be between the Employer and the Union, with equal representation, and with each party appointing its own representatives. The Union agrees to actively pursue with the other Health Care unions, where more than one union is certified with the Employer, a joint union/employer committee for the purposes of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. (b) Employees who are members of the Committee shall be granted leave without loss of pay or receive straight-time regular wages while attending meetings of the Joint Committee. Employees who are members of the Committee shall be granted leave without loss of pay or receive straight-time regular wages to participate in joint workplace inspections and joint accident investigations at the request of the Committee pursuant to the WCB Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. Committee meetings, workplace inspections and accident investigations shall be scheduled during normal working hours whenever practicable. (c) The Occupational Health and Safety Committee shall have as part of its mandate the jurisdiction to receive complaints or concerns regarding workload problems which are safety-related, the right to investigate such complaints, the right to define the problem and the right to make recommendations for a solution. Where the Committee determines that a safety-related workload problem exists, it shall inform the Employer. Within 21 days thereafter, the Employer shall advise the Committee what steps it has taken or proposes to take to rectify the safety-related workload problem identified by the Committee. If the Union is not satisfied with the Employer's response, it may refer the matter to the Industry Trouble shooter for a written recommendation. (d) No employee shall be disciplined for refusal to work when excused by the provisions of the
Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee The Employer and the Union recognize the role of the joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee in promoting a safe and healthful workplace. The parties agree that a Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee shall be established for each Employer covered by this Collective Agreement. The Committee shall govern itself in accordance with the provisions of the Industrial Health and Safety Regulations made pursuant to the Workers’ Compensation Act. The Committee shall be as between the Employer and the Union, with equal representation, and with each party appointing its own representatives. Representatives of the Union shall be chosen by the Union membership or appointed by the Union. All minutes of the meetings of the Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee will be recorded in a mutually agreeable format and will be sent to the Union. The Union further agrees to actively pursue with the other Health Care Unions a Joint Union Committee for the purposes of this Article. The Employer agrees to provide or cause to be provided to Employer members of the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee adequate training and orientation to the duties and responsibilities of committee members to allow the incumbents to fulfil those duties competently. The Union agrees to provide or cause to be provided to Union members of the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee adequate training and orientation to the duties and responsibilities of committee members to allow the incumbents to fulfil those duties competently. Such training and orientation shall take place within six (6) months of taking office.
Health and Safety Committee The Employer and the Union agree that they mutually desire to maintain standards of safety and health in the Home in order to prevent injury and illness. (a) A joint management and employee health and safety committee shall be constituted, with representation of at least half by employees from the bargaining unit, which shall identify potential dangers, recommend means of improving the health and safety programs and obtaining information from the Employer or other persons respecting the identification of hazards and standards elsewhere. The committee shall normally meet at least once a month. Scheduled time spent in such meetings is to be considered time worked. Minutes shall be taken of all meetings and copies shall be sent to the Employer and to the Union. Two (2) representatives from the Joint Health and Safety Committee, one (1) from management and one (1) from the employees, shall make monthly inspection of the workplace and equipment and shall report to the health and safety committee the results of their inspections. In the event of accident or injury, such representatives shall be notified, and if available, shall assist in investigating and report as soon as possible to the committee and to the Employer on the nature and causes of the accident or injury. Furthermore, such representatives must be notified of the inspection of a Ministry of Labour inspector and shall have the right, if on shift, to accompany him on his inspections. Scheduled times spent in all such activities shall be considered as time worked. Employees who are not direct care employees will be made aware of special procedures required of them to deal with these circumstances. The parties agree that all employees are aware of the requirement to practice universal precautions in all circumstances. (b) Union staff or Union Health and Safety advisors or consultants shall be provided access to the workplace, with the approval of the Administrator if required to attend Health and Safety Committee meetings, or for inspecting, investigating or monitoring the workplace. (c) Union members of the Health and Safety Committee shall be entitled to time off from work with no loss of seniority or earnings to attend seminars sponsored by government agencies or the Union for instruction and upgrading on Health and Safety matters. Such time off shall be at the discretion of the Administrator and shall not be the subject matter of a grievance. (d) The Joint Health and Safety Committee and the representatives thereof shall have reasonable access to the annual summary of data from the Workers' Compensation Board relating to the number of work accidents, fatalities, the number of lost workday cases, the number of non-fatal cases that required medical aid without lost workdays, the incidence of occupational injuries, and such other data, as the Workers' Compensation Board may decide to disclose. (e) The Employer shall make all affected direct care employees aware of residents who have serious infectious diseases. The nature of the disease need not be disclosed. Employees who are not direct care employees will be made aware of special procedures required of them to deal with these circumstances. The parties agree that all employees are aware of the requirement to practice universal precautions in all circumstances.