3. In this Act,

(a) "aggrieved person" means an employer, constructor, contractor, employee, self-employed person, owner, supplier, provider of an occupational health or safety service, architect, engineer or union at a workplace who is directly affected by an order or decision;

(b) "analyst" means a person appointed as an analyst by the Minister pursuant to this Act;

(c) "Board" means the Labour Board established under the Labour Board Act;

(d) "committee" means a joint occupational health and safety committee established pursuant to this Act;

(e) "compliance notice" means a response, in writing, to an order of an officer, describing the extent to which the person against whom the order was made has complied with each item identified in the order;

(f) "constructor" means a person who contracts for work on a project or who undertakes work on a project himself or herself;

(g) "contractor" means a person who contracts for work to be performed at the premises of the person contracting to have the work performed, but does not include a dependent contractor or a constructor;

(h) "contracts for work" includes contracting to perform work and contracting to have work performed;

(i) "Council" means the Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Council established pursuant to this Act;

(j) "dependent contractor" means a person, whether or not employed under a contract of employment and whether or not furnishing the person's own tools, vehicles, equipment, machinery, material or any other thing, who performs work or services for another on such terms and conditions that the person is

(i) in a position of economic dependence upon the other,

(ii) under an obligation to perform duties mainly for the other, and

(iii) in a relationship with the other more closely resembling that of an employee than an independent contractor;

(k) "Deputy Minister of Labour and Advanced Education" includes a person designated by the Deputy Minister of Labour and Advanced Education to act in the stead of the Deputy Minister;

(l) "Director" means the Executive Director of Occupational Health and Safety or any person designated by the Executive Director pursuant to this Act to act on behalf of the Executive Director;

(m) "Director of Labour Standards" means the Director of Labour Standards under the Labour Standards Code;

(n) "Division" means the Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Department of Labour and Advanced Education;

(o) "employee" means a person who is employed to do work and includes a dependent contractor;

(p) "employer" means a person who employs one or more employees or contracts for the services of one or more employees, and includes a constructor, contractor or subcontractor;

(q) "former Act" means Chapter 320 of the Revised Statutes, 1989, the Occupational Health and Safety Act;

(r) "health and safety" includes both physical and psychological health and safety;

(s) "Minister" means the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education;

(t) "occupation" means any employment, business, calling or pursuit;

(u) "officer" means an occupational health and safety officer appointed pursuant to this Act and includes the Director;

(v) "owner" includes a trustee, receiver, mortgagee in possession, tenant, lessee or occupier of lands or premises used as a workplace and a person who acts for, or on behalf of, an owner as an agent or delegate;

(w) "police officer" means

(i) a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or

(ii) a member or chief officer of a police force appointed pursuant to the Police Act;

(x) "policy" means an occupational health and safety policy made pursuant to this Act;

(y) "practicable" means possible, given current knowledge, technology and invention;

(z) "program" means an occupational health and safety program required pursuant to this Act, unless the context otherwise requires;

(aa) "project" means a construction project, and includes

(i) the construction, erection, excavation, renovation, repair, alteration or demolition of any structure, building, tunnel or work and the preparatory work of land clearing or earth moving, and

(ii) work of any nature or kind designated by the Director as a project;

(ab) "reasonably practicable" means practicable unless the person on whom a duty is placed can show that there is a gross disproportion between the benefit of the duty and the cost, in time, trouble and money, of the measures to secure the duty;

(ac) "regularly employed" includes seasonal employment with a predictably recurring period of employment that exceeds four weeks, unless otherwise established by regulation or ordered by an officer;

(aca) "repeatedly" means occurring more than once within the preceding three year period;

(ad) "representative" means a health and safety representative selected pursuant to this Act;

(ae) "self-employed person" means a person who is engaged in an occupation on that person's own behalf and includes a person or persons operating a sole proprietorship but does not include a dependent contractor;

(aea) "serious injury" means an injury that endangers life or causes permanent injury;

(af) "supplier" means a person who manufactures, supplies, sells, leases, distributes or installs any tool, equipment, machine or device or any biological, chemical or physical agent to be used at or near a workplace;

(ag) "union" includes a trade union as defined in the Trade Union Act that has the status of bargaining agent under that Act in respect of any bargaining unit at a workplace, and includes an organization representing employees where the organization has exclusive bargaining rights under any other Act in respect of the employees;

(ah) "workplace" means any place where an employee or a self-employed person is or is likely to be engaged in any occupation and includes any vehicle or mobile equipment used or likely to be used by an employee or a self-employed person in an occupation.

[S.N.S. 2000, c. 28, s. 86; 2010, c. 66, s. 2; 2010, c. 37, s. 117; 2011, c. 24, s. 2; 2016, c. 14, s. 1; 2024, c. 10, s. 11]

13. (1) Every employer shall take every precaution that is reasonable in the circumstances to

(a) ensure the health and safety of persons at or near the workplace;

(b) provide and maintain equipment, machines, materials or things that are properly equipped with safety devices;

(c) provide such information, instruction, training, supervision and facilities as are necessary to the health or safety of the employees;

(d) ensure that the employees, and particularly the supervisors and foremen, are made familiar with any health or safety hazards that may be met by them at the workplace;

(e) ensure that the employees are made familiar with the proper use of all devices, equipment and clothing required for their protection; and

(f) conduct the employer's undertaking so that employees are not exposed to health or safety hazards as a result of the undertaking.

(2) Every employer shall

(a) consult and co-operate with the joint occupational health and safety committee, where such a committee has been established at the workplace, or the health and safety representative, where one has been selected at the workplace;

(b) co-operate with any person performing a duty imposed or exercising a power conferred by this Act or the regulations;

(c) provide such additional training of committee members or the representative as may be prescribed by the regulations;

(d) comply with this Act and the regulations and ensure that employees at the workplace comply with this Act and the regulations; and

(e) where an occupational health and safety policy or occupational health and safety program is required pursuant to this Act or the regulations, establish the policy or program.

(3) The employer at a subsea coal mine shall provide such additional resources or information for the committee as may be prescribed by the regulations.

(4) Every employer shall, in accordance with the regulations, establish and implement a policy respecting the prevention of harassment in the workplace.

[N.S. 2007, c. 14, s. 7; 2010, c. 66, s. 5; 2024, c. 10, s. 13]

27. (1) Where

(a) five or more employees are regularly employed by an employer other than a constructor or contractor;

(b) five or more employees are regularly employed directly by a constructor or contractor, not including employees for whose services the constructor or contractor has contracted;

(c) the regulations require an occupational health and safety policy; or

(d) an officer so orders,

the employer shall prepare and review, at least annually, a written occupational health and safety policy, in consultation with the committee or representative, if any.

(2) Where this Act or the regulations do not require there to be a committee at a workplace, consultation on the development of the policy shall be carried out by the employer and shall include discussion of the proposed policy at one or more workplace health and safety meetings involving the employees.

(3) The policy shall express the employer's commitment to occupational health and safety and shall include

(a) the reasons for the employer's commitment to health and safety;

(b) the commitment of the employer to co-operate with the employees in pursuing occupational health and safety; and

(c) the responsibilities of the employer, supervisors and other employees in fulfilling the commitment required pursuant to clause (b).

[In force July 1, 1997]

28. (1) Where

(a) twenty or more employees are regularly employed by an employer other than a constructor or contractor;

(b) twenty or more employees are regularly employed directly by a constructor or contractor, not including employees for whose services the constructor or contractor has contracted; or

(c) the regulations require an occupational health and safety program,

the employer shall establish and maintain a written occupational health and safety program, in consultation with the committee or representative, if any, that is adapted to the circumstances of the organization for the purpose of implementing the employer's policy, this Act and the regulations.

(2) The program shall include

(a) provision for the training and supervision of employees in matters necessary to their health and safety and the health and safety of other persons at the workplace;

(b) provision for the preparation of written work procedures required to implement safe and healthy work practices, including those required pursuant to this Act, the regulations or by order of an officer, and identification of the types of work for which the procedures are required at the employer's workplace;

(c) provision for the establishment and continued operation of a committee required pursuant to this Act, including maintenance of records of membership, rules of procedure, access to a level of management with authority to resolve health and safety matters and any information required under this Act or the regulations to be maintained in relation to a committee;

(d) provision for the selection and functions of a representative where required pursuant to this Act, including provision for access by the representative to a level of management with authority to resolve health and safety matters;

(e) a hazard identification system that includes

(i) evaluation of the workplace to identify potential hazards,

(ii) procedures and schedules for regular inspections,

(iii) procedures for ensuring the reporting of hazards and the accountability of persons responsible for the correction of hazards, and

(iv) identification of the circumstances where hazards must be reported by the employer to the committee or representative, if any, and the procedures for doing so;

(f) a system for workplace occupational health and safety monitoring, prompt follow-up and control of identified hazards;

(g) a system for the prompt investigation of hazardous occurrences to determine their causes and the actions needed to prevent recurrences;

(h) maintenance of records and statistics, including reports of occupational health and safety inspections and occupational health and safety investigations, with provision for making them available to persons entitled to receive them pursuant to this Act; and

(i) provision for monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of the program.

(3) The employer shall make available a copy of the program

(a) to the committee or representative, if any; and

(b) on request, to an employee at the workplace.

31. It is the function of the committee to involve employers and employees together in occupational health and safety in the workplace and, without restricting the generality of the foregoing, includes

(a) the co-operative identification of hazards to health and safety and effective systems to respond to the hazards;

(b) the co-operative auditing of compliance with health and safety requirements in the workplace;

(c) receipt, investigation and prompt disposition of matters and complaints with respect to workplace health and safety;

(d) participation in inspections, inquiries and investigations concerning the occupational health and safety of the employees and, in particular, participation in an inspection referred to in Section 50;

(e) advising on individual protective devices, equipment and clothing that, complying with this Act and the regulations, are best adapted to the needs of the employees;

(f) advising the employer regarding a policy or program required pursuant to this Act or the regulations and making recommendations to the employer, the employees and any person for the improvement of the health and safety of persons at the workplace;

(g) maintaining records and minutes of committee meetings in a form and manner approved by the Director and providing an officer with a copy of these records or minutes on request; and

(h) performing any other duties assigned to it

(i) by the Director,

(ii) by agreement between the employer and the employees or the union, or

(iii) as are established by the regulations.

[S.N.S. 2010, c. 66, s. 8]

33. (1) At a workplace where no committee is required pursuant to Section 29 and where the number of persons employed is five or more, the employer shall cause the employees to select at least one health and safety representative from among the employees at the workplace who are not connected with the management of the workplace.

(2) At a project where no committee is required pursuant to Section 29 and where the number of persons employed is five or more, a constructor shall cause the employees to select at least one health and safety representative for the purposes of the project from among the employees at the project who are not connected with the management at the project.

(3) At a workplace where fewer than five persons are employed, the Director may

(a) consult with the employer and employees at the workplace regarding whether a representative should be selected at the workplace; and

(b) order that a representative be selected by the employees from among the employees at the workplace who are not connected with the management of the workplace.

(4) Where an order respecting the selection of a representative is given pursuant to subsection (3), the employer shall ensure that the representative is selected and functioning in accordance with this Act within fifteen days of receipt of the order.

(5) An employee who is a representative is entitled to such reasonable time off from work as is necessary to carry out the employee's functions as a representative, and such time off is deemed to be work time for which the employee shall be paid by the employer at the applicable rate.

(6) It is the function of the representative to be involved, on behalf of the employees together with the employer, in occupational health and safety in the workplace and, without restricting the generality of the foregoing, includes

(a) the co-operative identification of hazards to health and safety and effective systems to respond to the hazards;

(b) the co-operative auditing of compliance with health and safety requirements in the workplace;

(c) receipt of and co-operation with the employer in the investigation and prompt disposition of matters and complaints with respect to workplace health and safety;

(d) participation in inspections, inquiries and investigations concerning the occupational health and safety of the employees and, in particular, participation in an inspection referred to in Section 50;

(e) advising on individual protective devices, equipment and clothing which, complying with this Act and the regulations, are best adapted to the needs of the employees;

(f) advising the employer regarding a policy or program required by this Act or the regulations and making recommendations to the employer, the employees and any person for the improvement of the health and safety of persons at the workplace; and

(g) performing any other duties assigned to the representative

(i) by the Director,

(ii) by agreement between the employer and the employees or the union, or

(iii) as are established by the regulations.