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.
Policy Grievance – Union Grievance The Union may institute a grievance alleging a general misinterpretation or violation of this Agreement by the Employer by submitting a written grievance at Step No. 1 within twenty (20) days after the circumstances have occurred. This section shall not apply to disciplinary grievances or application of competitive clauses under this Agreement.