Health and safety: workplace rights and duties, WHMIS and shift work

Why guards need health and safety knowledge

Guards are workers themselves, often working nights or alone, and they patrol areas where hazards appear first. They must protect their own health, spot and report hazards, and respond when hazardous materials are involved.

Workplace health and safety law

Each province has its own act (Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act - OHSA; BC Workers Compensation Act and OHS Regulation; Alberta OHS Act). The core ideas are the same everywhere:

Party	Main duties
Employer	Provide information, instruction, training and supervision; supply and maintain equipment and protective devices; take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances; have health and safety policies (including on workplace violence and harassment)
Supervisor	Make sure workers follow the law and use protective equipment; tell workers about hazards; take every reasonable precaution
Worker	Work safely and follow the law; use required protective equipment; report hazards and contraventions to the supervisor or employer; not remove safety devices; no horseplay

Worker rights

1. The right to know about hazards (training, labels, safety data sheets).
2. The right to participate (joint health and safety committee or representative).
3. The right to refuse unsafe work - in Ontario under OHSA s.43, a worker may refuse work they believe is likely to endanger them; they report to the supervisor, an investigation follows and, if unresolved, a ministry inspector decides. (Some limits apply to workers whose normal job involves danger, such as police and firefighters.)
4. Protection from reprisal for exercising these rights.