Occupational Health & Safety

The primary goal of the Occupational Health and Safety Division is accident and illness prevention. OHS recognizes that all workers have a fundamental right to a workplace that neither impairs their health nor imperils their safety. This is achieved by working with stakeholders to establish, promote an enforce workplace practices, standards and procedures.

  • Memorandum of Understanding between WorkplaceNL and Digital Government and Service NL (232 KB)
  • What’s New
    • In March 2024, a number of amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act were proclaimed. Effective March 1, 2024:
      • Employers with 20 or more workers at a worksite will require and occupational health and safety committees and a program.
      • Employers with fewer than 20 workers at a worksite require an occupational health and safety policy and worker representative.
      • Where there are fewer than six workers at a worksite, the employer is to appoint a workplace health and safety designate.

      These changes will make it easier for smaller workplaces to comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, without compromising the health and safety of their workers. These amendments will also harmonize the requirements for occupational health and safety committees with most other jurisdictions throughout the country and with the Government of Canada.

    • The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has adopted new Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) first aid kit requirements based on the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) guidelines, providing clear provisions for first aid kits for employers to follow. The amended Regulations will come into effect on January 1, 2021. The Provincial Government has included a clause that provides employers with a grace period of one year to bring their first aid kits in line with the CSA Standard. The new guidelines ensure OHS requirements for first aid kits are harmonized among all Canadian jurisdictions for common OHS safety standards and aligned with the National Occupational Health and Safety Reconciliation Agreement. This consistency helps organizations to more easily operate and provide safe work environments in multiple provinces. OHS legislation currently requires employers to have first aid kits in their workplaces. Based on the amendment to the legislation, employers must reassess the risks of their workplace to ensure their current kit is suitable based on CSA standard Z1220-17. Businesses can obtain a copy of the standards from the CSA.
    • Cannabis and the Workplace (220 KB)
    • OHS Mineral Exploration Guide 2014 (1 MB)
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