About Occupational Health & Safety

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) promotes health and safety through partnerships, resources, education and enforcement of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

What does OHS do?

Occupational Health and Safety:

• offers explanations on the minimum legislated standards;
• provides health and safety advice and information to employers and workers; and
• ensures compliance with the minimum legislated standards through partnerships, complaint resolution, investigations of incidents and targeted inspections.

OHS is different than the WCB

• OHS is a branch of the government (part of Employment and Immigration) while the WCB is an independent organization that is entirely funded by employer contributions.
• OHS focuses on prevention of workplace injuries and illnesses while the WCB is an insurance program that helps injured workers return to work and obtain compensation for lost wages.
• For more information about the WCB, go to www.wcb.ab.ca.

Does the OHS Act apply to you?

The OHS Act applies to most workers and employers in Alberta. The main exceptions are:

• domestic workers, such as nannies or housekeepers;
• federal government employees;
• workers in federally regulated industries, such as banking, interprovincial transportation, and telecommunications; and
• farmers and certain agricultural workers.

The Act sets standards for the protection of workers throughout the province. Employers are obligated to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers on the site. Workers have an obligation to work safely and cooperate with their employer to keep the workplace safe.