Safety & Problem Solving
It’s important to remember that safely executing work is about finding the safest way to do the job, within reason. Safety isn’t always black and white, and provincial legislation refers to doing what’s reasonable and practicable.
Safety professionals should work with supervision and management to find a solution to complete the job safely while complying with legislation. Often completing a job hazard assessment helps work through the process of executing the work safely while agreeing on how to do so the safest way.
Some legislation is not left up to interpretation. For example, the height at which fall arrest equipment is required, it does not allow for interpretation to what it reasonable and practicable. And more often than not, industry dictates more stringent requirements than the provincial legislation.
It’s important to remember that complying with OH&S Legislation is about ensuring that workers are kept safe on the job. It’s about ensuring that organizations are due diligent. Working together to ensure that problems are resolved positively will ensure that both these outcomes are met.
