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About the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE)
AUPE and Government of Alberta Health
and Safety Program
This program celebrated its 25th Anniversary on October 1st, 2002. It
covers all employees of the government.
The entire program can be found at by clicking here.
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Changes to Alberta OHS Act, Bill 37
"Joint Worksite Health and Safety Committee
Contact Person Terms of Reference
Joint Worksite Health and Safety Committees are established at those
locations defined by de-partments, or Occupational Health and Safety,
Personnel Administration Office in consultation with AUPE. A worksite
may be a building(s), geographical area(s), organizational unit(s),
etc., in which public service employees' work.
The factors to be considered in defining an area as a worksite include
the following:
- degree of risk as determined by risk assessment;
- accident/injury experience;
- where there continues to be a significant number of valid health
and safety concerns for a committee to address.
Committees are required at non-administrative worksites
such as:
- Correctional Institutions;
- Patient Care Institutions;
- Worksites where employees are actively involved in major construction
projects;
- Worksites where employees are using potentially harmful or hazardous
chemicals or biological agents on a regular basis, e.g. laboratories;
- Worksites where trade people are regularly using tools and equipment
(maintenance, repair shops);
- Worksites where the degree of risk is moderate to high, based on
the type of equipment used, environmental conditions and past accident
experience;
- At other locations as defined by departments.
In general, joint worksite health and safety committees are not required
in administrative or other low risk worksites. At these locations, departments
may designate a Worksite Contact Person to fulfill the duties and responsibilities
of a Committee."* However, administrative or low risk gov-ernment
worksites can have and do have, Joint Worksite Health and Safety Committees.
Those worksites where AUPE members and their worksite manager(s) concur
that a Committee would be beneficial then set up their Committee in
accordance with the Safety Program.
*Excerpt from the Occupational Health and Safety Program
Have you ever had a Health and Safety Orientation? Text of the orientation
for all government employees is at http://www.pao.gov.ab.ca/index.cfm?file=health/orient-brochure/orientation-brochure
If you have questions regarding health and safety, first contact your
worksite Joint Health and Safety Committee. If you have further questions,
these can be referred to your Union staff member in your AUPE regional
office (info@aupe.org) or to D. Malayko,
Government Health and Safety contact at AUPE Headquarters ( d.malayko@aupe.org).
All government members are strongly urged to become familiar with
the health and safety program and become actively involved in the health
and safety of themselves and their co-workers.
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