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WorkSafeBC amends regulations for working alone or in isolation
Richmond, B.C., October 5, 2007— WorkSafeBC has announced amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Regulation to improve health and safety for individuals working alone or in isolation. The amendments will require mandatory pre-payment at gas stations throughout the province and introduce new requirements to protect workers working alone.
The amendments formally acknowledge the potential for violence and injury facing individuals who work alone, particularly those in late night retail establishments such as gas stations and convenience stores, and provide positive steps toward addressing these dangers and protecting vulnerable workers.
It’s important to note that one requirement in particular - the mandatory prepayment requirement which became known as “Grant’s Law” - was initiated following the tragic death of Grant DePatie, a young worker who was killed when trying to prevent a ‘gas and dash’ robbery while working alone late at night at a Maple Ridge gas station.
“The DePatie family has been courageous and tireless in their efforts to raise awareness of the dangers facing people who work alone late at night,” said Roberta Ellis, WorkSafeBC vice-president, Policy, Investigations and Review. “We have all been moved by their commitment to protecting workers who may be at risk of violence due to their location and hours of work.”
The new requirements will be effective February 1, 2008 and include:
Mandatory prepayment of fuel
Under the amended regulations, customers must prepay for fuel sold in gas stations and other retail fuelling outlets throughout BC, 24 hours a day/seven days a week.
New safety procedures and requirements for workers at late night retail premises
The amendments also introduce late night retail safety procedures and requirements. This affects any gas station, retail fuelling outlet, convenience or other retail store open to the public between 10 pm and 6 am. If a worker is assigned to work alone or in isolation in these environments and there is any risk of harm from a violent act to the worker, the employer must develop and implement a written procedure to ensure the worker’s safety in handling money. The worker must also be trained in the written procedure.
Where workers are employed in late night retail premises, the new regulation will require that the employer do one or both of the following: they must prevent physical access to the worker by way of a locked door or a barrier that protects the worker, and/or schedule more than one worker to work during late night hours.
New safety procedures and requirements for all workers working alone or in isolation
Employers are also required to identify hazards and eliminate or minimize the risk from any hazards that are identified. The regulation lays out the usual occupational health and safety controls, which include engineering the risk out and examining administrative practices to eliminate or minimize the risk.
“These amendments make a strong statement about the value that the community places on all workers - especially those who are vulnerable to acts of violence,” said Ellis. “WorkSafeBC thanks all stakeholders – employers, workers, associations, law enforcement and labour representatives for their thoughtful input.”
Serving 2.2 million workers and about 190,000 employers, WorkSafeBC is a provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors and funded by employers. WorkSafeBC was born out of a compromise between BC's workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers or fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. WorkSafeBC is committed to a safe and healthy workplace and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits to workers injured as a result of their employment.
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For more information, contact: |
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| Donna Freeman Manager, Corporate Public Affairs WorkSafeBC 604 276-3141 or e-mail Donna.Freeman@worksafebc.com |
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