Safety roles and responsibilities
Last updated: January 18, 2023
From deputy ministers to supervisors to front-line staff, we are all workers. We all have safety rights and responsibilities.
Contribute to a safe workplace by following safe work procedures, reporting unsafe conditions or incidents, and being prepared to respond to a workplace injury or emergency.
These are your roles and responsibilities:
- Understand your workplace health and safety requirements
- Inspect equipment and the workplace regularly
- Be alert for hazards
- Report unsafe work practices and conditions to your supervisor right away
- Report incidents/accidents, near misses, injuries and illnesses to your supervisor right away
- Follow safe work practices and procedures
- Cooperate with others to promote occupational safety and health
Safety rights
All workers have 4 safety rights:
The right to know
You have a right to know what hazards are present in the workplace, and to be given the information, training and supervision you need to protect yourself.
The right to participate
You have a right to participate in keeping your workplace healthy and safe. This may include selecting or being a health and safety representative or committee member. You also have a right to report unsafe conditions and practices.
The right to refuse unsafe work
You must refuse work that you think could be dangerous to yourself or your co-workers. Review how to refuse unsafe work.
The right to protection from prohibited action
An employer or Union, or a person acting on behalf of the employer or Union, must not take or threaten a prohibited action against a worker exercising any OHS duty or right as required under the Workers Compensation Act, Part 2, Division 6.
