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Policy decisions finalized at the July, 2003 WCB Board of Directors meetings

The following resolutions were finalized by the WCB Board of Directors in July 2003. For information about the function and mandate of the Board of Directors, please see Governing Structure.

Occupational Exposure Limits

The Board of Directors has approved amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, the Regulations for Agricultural Operations, and the Industrial Health and Safety Regulation, pertaining to occupational exposure limits.

A public hearing on the proposed regulatory amendments was conducted between February 21, 2003 (date of notice) and April 10, 2003 (due date for written submissions). Oral hearings were conducted in Prince George on March 25, 2003 and in Richmond on March 27, 2003.

The regulatory amendments reference the Threshold Limit Values ("TLVs") established by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists ("ACGIH") for determining a worker's exposure to hazardous chemical substances. The new regulation provides an exception where it is determined that a specific TLV is not appropriate for adoption in British Columbia, or where no TLV has been developed for a particular substance.

The Board of Directors has approved policy to provide for exposure limits for specific substances notwithstanding the TLVs. 169 substances are currently listed.

To support the regulatory and policy amendments, an internal review committee (PDF 34kb) will be established. This committee will be responsible for facilitating an ongoing review of exposure limits provided for in policy and proposed new TLVs developed by the ACGIH.

The amendments come into force October 29, 2003.

A strikethrough version of the regulatory amendments is available. This version of the regulatory amendments is provided as a convenience to readers and is not the version of the amendments approved by the Board of Directors.

You may also examine the complete resolution.

For further information on this issue, please contact the Prevention Division at 604 276-3100 or toll free within B.C. at 1 888 621-7233.

Amendments to Reduce Duplication and Redundancy in Occupational Health and Safety Regulations

The Board of Directors has approved amendments to reduce duplication and redundancy in the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation and the Regulations for Agricultural Operations. In addition, the amendments incorporate a 1998 Supreme Court of British Columbia decision that restricts the WCB's jurisdiction in aircraft operations.

As required by section 226(1) of the Workers Compensation Act ("Act"), the WCB held a public hearing on the regulatory amendments on March 25, 2003 in Prince George; and on March 27, 2003 in Richmond. The proposed amendments taken to public hearing consisted of ten categories of amendments:

  1. Standards acceptable to the Board (PDF 227kb) - substituting one general section for the statements in many regulations that allow the WCB to accept alternative standards.
  2. Manufacturer's instructions (PDF 198kb) - removing specific provisions that repeat general duty provisions in the OHSR relating to following manufacturer's instructions.
  3. Employer's authorization (PDF 10kb) - removing specific provisions that repeat general duty provisions in the OHSR relating to authorizing the use of equipment.
  4. Load capacity (PDF 32kb) - removing specific provisions that repeat general duty provisions in the OHSR relating to the capacity of buildings, structures and equipment to withstand the loads or stresses imposed upon them.
  5. Training (PDF 168kb) - removing specific provisions that repeat general duty provisions in the Act relating to the training of workers.
  6. Supervisors (PDF 10kb) - removing specific provisions that repeat general duty provisions in the Act relating to the duties of supervisors.
  7. Internal cross-references (PDF 87kb) - removing provisions whose sole function is to provide a cross-reference from one part of the WCB's regulation to another part.
  8. External cross-references (PDF 85kb) - removing references to the statutes and regulations of other agencies that apply in any event.
  9. Aircraft Operations (PDF 44kb) - removing provisions relating to aircraft operations which have been determined to be within federal, not provincial, jurisdiction.
  10. Miscellaneous (PDF 25kb) - removing provisions that duplicate other parts of the Act or OHSR that would apply in any event.

The Board of Directors has approved nine of the ten categories of amendments. The proposed amendments that repeat general duty provisions in the Act relating to the training of workers were withdrawn in response to submissions received about the value of retaining repetition of training requirements.

The regulatory amendments provide an opportunity to streamline the current regulations, maintain a reasonable standard for protection of worker health and safety, and enable the WCB to meet its statutory obligation to review regulations on an ongoing basis. The amendments come into force on October 29, 2003.

A strikethrough version of the regulatory amendments is available at:

This version of the regulatory amendments is provided as a convenience to readers and is not the version of the amendments approved by the Board of Directors.

You may also examine the complete resolution.

For further information on this issue, please contact the Prevention Division at 604 276-3100 or toll free within B.C. at 1 888 621-7233.

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