Health and Safety
Q & A
A frequently-asked
question about health and safety
(#1 in a
series)
Q:
The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) says that a workplace with 20
or more workers who are “regularly employed” is entitled to a Joint Health
and Safety Committee, while a workplace with 6 to 19 workers who are
“regularly employed” is entitled to a Health and Safety Representative.
What does “regularly employed” mean?
A:
“Regularly employed” refers to the number of
workers who are employed for a period of more than three months. This
includes permanent full-time staff, permanent part-time staff, casual and
contract staff, and seasonal workers. It also includes managers and
supervisors.
There may
be situations where there is a high turnover of staff and a number of
different workers fill a particular position, with each person working for
less than three months. If the term of the position exceeds three months,
that position is included for the purpose of determining whether a health
and safety representative or joint health and safety committee is required.
It doesn’t matter that no single worker occupied the position for more than
three months.
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