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.
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY 34.01 The parties recognize the need for a safe and healthy workplace. The Employer shall be responsible for providing safe and healthy working conditions. The Employer and Employees will take all reasonable steps to eliminate, reduce or minimize all workplace safety hazards. Occupational health and safety education, training and instruction provided by the Employer, shall be paid at the Basic Rate of Pay, to fulfill the requirements for training, instruction or education set out in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Regulation or Code. (a) There shall be an Occupational Health and Safety Committee (Committee), which shall be composed of representatives of the Employer and representatives of the Local and may include others representing recognized functional bargaining units. This Committee shall meet once a month, and in addition shall meet within 10 days of receiving a written complaint regarding occupational health or safety. An Employee shall be paid the Employee’s Basic Rate of Pay for attendance at Committee meetings. A request to establish separate committees for each site or grouping of sites shall not be unreasonably denied. The Employer shall provide training at no cost to all Employees on the Committee to assist them in performing their duties on the Committee. Training shall be paid at the Employee’s Basic Rate of Pay. (b) Minutes of each meeting shall be taken and shall be approved by the Employer, the Local, and other bargaining groups, referred to in (a), prior to circulation. (c) The purpose of the Committee is to consider such matters as occupational health and safety and the Local may make recommendations to the Employer in that regard. (d) If an issue arises regarding occupational health or safety, the Employee or the Local shall first seek to resolve the issue through discussion with the applicable immediate supervisor in an excluded management position. If the issue is not resolved satisfactorily, it may then be forwarded in writing to the Committee. (e) The Committee shall also consider measures necessary to ensure the security of each Employee on the Employer’s premises and the Local may make recommendations to the Employer in that regard. (f) (i) Should an issue not be resolved by the Committee, the issue shall be referred to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). A resolution meeting between the Local and the CEO, or designate(s), shall take place within 21 calendar days of the issue being referred to the CEO. The CEO or designate(s) shall reply in writing to the Local within seven (7) calendar days of the resolution meeting.
Health and Safety Committee 29.01 The Employer and the Union agree that they mutually agree to maintain standards of safety and health in the facility in order to prevent injury and illness. 29.02 A Joint Health and Safety Committee shall be continued with at least fifty percent (50%) of its membership representative of the bargaining unit. 29.03 The Committee will assist wherever possible in the promotion of safe work practices, identify and communicate to employees and the Employer potential hazards and recommend methods of improving accident prevention programs. 29.04 The Committee shall endeavour to meet at least bi-monthly and more frequently as the need arises. Scheduled time spent in such meetings is to be considered time worked. Minutes shall be taken of all meetings and copies shall be provided to the Employer and Committee members 29.05 One (1) or more Committee-appointed representative(s), on a rotating basis, shall make monthly inspections of the workplace and equipment and shall report to the Joint Health and Safety Committee the results of the inspection. 29.06 In the event of serious injury, a Committee-appointed representative shall be notified as soon as possible and shall investigate and report to the Committee and the Employer on the nature and causes of a serious accident, or such potentiality, and recommend corrective action. 29.07 Committee representatives must be notified of an inspection by a Ministry of Labour inspector and shall have the right to accompany her on her inspection. Scheduled time spent in all such activities shall be considered time worked. 29.08 The Joint Health and Safety Committee members shall have access to the annual summary of data from the WSIB relating to number of work accident fatalities, the number of lost time accidents, the number of lost workdays, the number of accidents that required medical aid without lost time, the incidence of occupational injuries and such other data as the Workers’ Compensation Board may decide to disclose. 29.09 The Union agrees to endeavour to obtain the full cooperation of its membership in the observation of all accident prevention policies and procedures. 29.10 Prior to implementing new accident prevention policies and procedures, they will be discussed at the Committee level.
Occupational Health and Safety Act The Employer, the Union, and the Employees recognize they are bound by the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, S.N.S. 1996, c.7, and appropriate federal acts and regulations. Any breach of these obligations may be grieved pursuant to this Agreement.