MB - Effective February 1, 2007 the province will operate under new workplace health & safety regulations that will consolidate existing regulations and address deficiencies in the current regulations.

Special requirements have also been added to attend to emerging workplace safety and health issues. Among other things, the regulations will require employers to:

• address safety and health risks related to violence and harassment in the workplace;
• assess and address the risk of musculoskeletal (ergonomic) injury where this risk is known to be present, reasonably obvious or identified; and
• address significant risks to safety and health in specific industries including construction, firefighting, oil and gas work, forestry and health care.

Key changes include:

1. General Requirement
   The new regulation will emphasize the importance of developing safe work procedures, training workers on these procedures and ensuring workers comply with them.

2. Musculoskeletal Injuries (ergonomics)
   New regulatory requirements spell out the employer's duty to conduct a risk assessment, in consultation with the safety and health committee or representative, where a risk of musculoskeletal injury:

   • is known to be present,
   • is reasonably obvious, and
   • has been identified.

   If the assessment identifies a risk to workers, control measures must be implemented.

3. Asbestos

   • An asbestos control plan must be developed and implemented.
   • All asbestos-containing material in a workplace is to be identified by signs, labels or other effective means.
   • An inventory of material in the workplace containing asbestos must be created and maintained.

4. Confined Space Work
   Safe work procedures must provide specific details on:

   • safe access to and egress from a confined space;
   • personal protective equipment required (including respiratory protection);
   • designation of a standby worker;
   • emergency response; and
   • ventilating and testing.

5. Harassment and Violence in the Workplace

   • The employer must identify and assess the risk of violence in the workplace and instruct workers about the risk.
   • A violence prevention policy and a harassment prevention policy must be developed, implemented and posted in the workplace. Policies must provide information on specific procedures to be followed if violence or harassment occurs.

Labour and Immigration Minister Nancy Allan said the new regulations are the product of an extensive four-year review and consultation process with stakeholders including employer, employee and technical representatives. The majority of changes under the new regulations modernize existing duties and clearly communicate requirements previously enforced through general provisions of the Workplace Safety and Health Act.

More infomation on the Workplace Safety and Health Act and Regulations will be available:

• on the Workplace Safety and Health Division's website, in hard copy, or on CD-ROM;
• in the SAFE Work newsletter, distributed to over 35,000 Manitoba workplaces in Nov. 2006; and
• in a brochure safety and health officers will distribute to employers during site visits/inspections.
• Updated and new supporting publications (e.g. regulation summaries, codes of practice, guidelines and technical bulletins) relating to the regulation will be prepared and also available to stakeholders on the division's website, in hard copy or on CD-ROM.

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