Harmonized H&S standards on the horizon

Governments across the country are aiming to synchronize requirements in a bid to make things easier for interprovincial employers.

Health and safety compliance could be about to get significantly easier for some employers as governments across Canada consider harmonizing provincial requirements.

Late last week, provincial and territorial labour ministers gathered for an annual meeting with federal Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk to discuss the contentious topic.

British Columbia's Labour Minister Shirley Bond says many companies do business across provinces and struggle to meet the unique health and safety regulations in each jurisdiction.

According to Bond, provincial ministers presented the federal government with a working plan of how to move forward on creating harmonized regulations.

Mihychuk confirmed a two-year plan to unify standards was being considered but said the government wanted to speed up the process.

Labour ministers also discussed developing a more co-ordinated approach to addressing mental-health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder in the workplace.
  • Written with contribution from the Canadian Press
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