On November 3, 2022, the Government of Saskatchewan introduced amendments to the occupational health and safety (OH&S) provisions of The Saskatchewan Employment Act. In late 2021, the Saskatchewan Chamber provided the government with input into these amendments. Read the submission here.

The SCC is pleased that the government incorporated some of its recommendations into the amendments. Specifically, the Chamber supports the expanded definition of a worker to include secondary and post-secondary students and the clarification of the authority of occupational health officer to take photos and recordings during workplace inspections. The Chamber is also supportive of the amendment granting OH&S officers the right to exclude the nominee from investigation interviews.

Unfortunately, the amendments did not address all of the Chamber’s recommendations. Specifically, the Chamber recommended that the requirement for OH&S committees be linked to industry and injury rates as opposed to the number of employees; this provision was not changed in the amendments and occupational health committees continue to be mandatory for workplaces with 10 or more employees. The SCC had also urged the government to look at developing provisions that would have allowed for deferred prosecutions, voluntary compliance agreement, and penalty payment options outside of the general revenue fund, no changes were made in this regard. The SCC will continue to advocate to ensure OH&S regulations work for both employers and employees without undue administrative burden.

A copy of the Bill 91- An Act to amend the Saskatchewan Employment Act is available here.