Canadian Occupational Safety

August/September 2016 7 Alberta not ensuring compliance with safety orders: Auditor S ix years after his initial audit, the auditor gen- eral of Alberta has found the province still has not fully implemented pro- cess improvements to ensure employers are following all occupa- tional health and safety orders issued to them. While the Depart- ment of Labour was successful in implementing most of the 2010 rec- ommendations around "promoting and enforcing compliance" — such as implementing a new inspection reporting system, pursuing administrative penalties and developing an escalating compliance policy — Merwan Saher was not satisfi ed with its extension policy. The depart- ment approves time extensions for employers to fi x safety violations specifi ed in compliance orders issued by the department. "Some department staff provided employers with multiple time extensions to fi x problems, contrary to departmental operating procedures," said Saher. "(And) Officers documented time extensions on stop-work and stop-use orders when none were required." Saher again recommended the department have clear procedures for OHS offi cers when they give employers and workers extra time to fi x work site health and safety problems, specifi cally: • obtaining and documenting a manager's approval • documenting the number of times an extension can be given • ensuring extensions are given only when necessary. "Without adequate systems to enforce compliance with occupational health and safety legislation for those employers and workers who persistently fail to comply, the health and safety of workers continue to be exposed to otherwise avoidable risks," said Saher in his report. "Employers who choose not to comply with OHS orders may gain an unfair advantage over employers who spend the time and resources to deal with and avoid contraventions." Alberta Minister of Labour Christina Gray said this is something her government is working on. "Operational procedures are being reviewed around time frames for compliance, approvals for extensions and employer progress reports so it can be more effective going forward," she said. The report also found the labour department was failing to monitor, measure and report on its progress against OHS program goals and objectives and assess the cost effectiveness of programs. The auditor general repeated his recommendation for these processes. "The lack of evaluation and reporting on OHS programs means the minister of labour cannot assure Albertans that programs are achieving desired results and providing value," it said. Gray said her government will work hard to implement the outstanding recommendations of the auditor general and she asked for a followup audit in one year. a single centre of expertise to support organizations within the federal public service in creating a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. The centre of expertise would provide a road map to help organizations align with the national standard by providing support, establishing best practices, developing communications strategies, establishing partnerships with key organizations and identifying factors and gaps that may affect the psychological health and safety of the workforce. "The government is committed to restoring a cul- ture of respect for and within the public service. We will continue to work with public sector unions to improve how we address mental health issues in the workplace. The recommendations by the joint task force will contribute to healthier workplaces for federal public servants across Canada," said Scott Brison, president of the Treasury Board. The task force found there was a need to improve communication between service-wide OHS units and organization policy committees to ensure appropriate oversight, guidance and information-sharing. It also said that deputy heads needed to be held accountable for establishing, staffi ng and oversee- ing organizational OHS committees, as well as ensuring the committees are trained and equipped to fulfi ll their mandate. Minimum training includes committee orientation training, hazard analysis, workplace inspections, and hazardous occurrence investigation and reporting. The government said the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, along with federal departments and agencies, will act on the report's recommenda- tions in the coming months. 6 in 10 employees have chronic disease or condition: Survey E mployers may be underestimating the impact of chronic disease in the workplace and the workplace's negative affect on employees' ability to manage their conditions, found the Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey. The 500 health benefi t plan sponsors surveyed from across Canada estimated that just 32 per cent of their employees have a chronic condition; however, 59 per cent of the 1,500 employees surveyed reported having at least one chronic disease or condition, climbing to 79 per cent among those aged 55 to 64. The three most common conditions are high blood pressure (21 per cent), high cholesterol (19 per cent) and mental illness (19 per cent). Seven in 10 employers would like to have a better understanding of the burden of chronic disease in their workplace. Thirty-eight per cent of employees with a chronic disease said their condition has caused them to miss work or made it harder to do their jobs. On the fl ip side, 33 per cent also reported the work environment negatively affects their ability to manage their condition. More than 8 in 10 (84 per cent) employees with chronic conditions would like to know more about their conditions and how to treat them. It can take months or even years to change behaviours that are an important part of treatment for chronic disease, such as losing weight. While employees are ultimately responsible for their own health, research shows that people are more successful when they are not alone — for instance by taking advantage of health-care coaching sessions or support groups. "Medical evidence and claims data confi rm that personal knowledge does not always translate into action when it comes to chronic disease management. When additional resources and supports are in place, people can do much better," said Loretta Kulchycki, member of the Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey advisory board and vice-president of group marketing at Great-West Life. The workplace has an impact on healthy behaviours, particularly when it comes to stress management. The survey also found that job satisfaction can make a difference when it comes to employees choosing to do something to improve their health. However, currently, the workplace falls short on certain key indicators for psychological health and safety, such as reasonable workloads, found the survey. Two-thirds (67 per cent) of employees reported their workloads are reasonable and 66 per cent said their supervisors support them in getting their work done. The survey also found individuals with access to health and wellness programs at work are far more likely to be satisfi ed with their current jobs (80 per cent) than those without such programs (66 per cent). Four in 10 workers reported their work environment has a negative impact on stress management, jumping to 68 per cent among those who are dissatisfi ed with their jobs. Flexible work arrangements are fi rst on employees' wish list for wellness support; employers, meanwhile, would like to take more direct action on health through personal services such as health-care coaching. "Flexible work arrangements and other HR policies are practical actions that can make an important difference and where costs need not be a barrier," said Nathalie Laporte, advisory board member and vice- president of product development, marketing and strategy at Desjardins. To support personal wellness, employees would most like their employers to offer fl exible work arrangements (41 per cent), subsidies for gym memberships or fi tness classes (36 per cent) and healthy foods and snacks at work (36 per cent). Employers would most like to offer access to health-care professionals who would assess personal health and risks for illnesses (35 per cent), a fi tness centre or gym at work (29 per cent) and access to coaching sessions with a health-care professional (27 per cent).

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