Business news
Employers prepare for increased obligations regarding health and safety with Bill 59 coming into effect
Sophie Demers
Companies with over 20 employees are obligated to have a health and safety committee as well as a prevention representative.
Sponsored by Minister of Labour, Employment and Social solidarity, Jean Boulet, this bill aims to modernize the occupational health and safety regime with regards to prevention of workplace and employment injuries and compensation for such injuries.
Employers will be required to update their prevention policies with regards to occupational diseases and injuries in order to keep employees safe due to a new update to project Bill 59. Businesses and employers are encouraged to stay up to date with the changes that will be required by the bill and start their action plan.
Notable updates are the addition of Lyme and Parkinson’s disease to the list of occupational diseases recognized by the bill. The expansion of mechanisms of prevention and employee participation to all sectors according to the size of the establishment and the level of risk of the activities conducted will also be implemented. The employer will be responsible for developing the program and the update provides sanctions for employers who fail to comply with these obligations.
Introduced in October 2020, The bill's objective is to increase prevention, create an accessible and effective system, and offer more support for business and workers. The bill allows for the creation of a committee in charge of making recommendations to the Minister or Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST), allows individuals to contest decisions made by the Commision concerning them and allows for students who are shadowing or doing work training to be covered under the act, among other changes.
This is a notable change as the legislation that regulates the bill, the Act respecting industrial accidents and occupational diseases and the Occupational Health and Safety Act, have not been significantly amended for 35 years.
