This email contains important information about your recent appointment as a worker Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) representative within BC Parks, including a meeting requiring your attendance next week on Tuesday, February 2nd. Please read in full.

First, we want to thank you for taking on the important role of OHS rep in your region and work group. You are critical in supporting your fellow BCGEU members, ensuring that health and safety issues in your region are addressed, and that we (as a union, in cooperation with the Employer) are building safer and healthier BC Parks worksites.

Secondly, as a worker OHS rep, you are a valued member of your worksite’s Joint Occupational Health and Safety (JOHS) committee alongside the Employer representatives. Your ability to communicate with other BC Parks OHS committee members is imperative. 

We are committed to helping you succeed in your role. So, to provide you with the necessary training and information, as well as a chance to connect with all other BC Parks OHS reps from across the province, we request your attendance at a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, February 2 at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. 

Access the Zoom meeting on Tuesday, February 2 at 10:00 am here: https://zoom.us/j/94038231208?pwd=QW15VjMwTUU3MzZzMEtYREI1bVJIQT09
Meeting ID: 940 3823 1208
Passcode: 139165

Please note: We have worked with your Employer to approve leaves for this meeting. So if you are working Tuesday morning, you will be paid to attend the meeting. We really hope you're able to attend!

Please respond to this email to confirm your attendance on Tuesday, February 2.

Finally, it is important that you have the context of occupational health and safety issues in BC Parks to be successful in your new role. Please read on to understand the significance of your recent appointment, details about your role, and what to expect as your committee gets started.

If you have questions, please respond to this email. See you on February 2nd.

In solidarity,
Rob Davis, BCGEU Component 20 Vice President
Megan Scott, BCGEU Occupational Health and Safety Officer
 

BC Parks Worker OHS Reps: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why is my appointment as an OHS rep significant?

As you may know, recently there’s been significant developments related to worker safety in BC Parks. In September 2020, WorkSafeBC ordered BC Parks to establish joint health and safety committees, and in December, BCGEU representatives came to an agreement with the employer to establish new local and regional committees, as well as a provincial OHS committee for BC Parks. 

These new JOHS committees, of which you are a part, will be established and begin meeting starting at the end of this month or the beginning of February. OHS committees consist of both employer and worker representatives, and OHS legislation requires that the worker representatives are selected according to the union's process. The BCGEU's process is for the chairperson of each union local to appoint worker OHS representatives. 

So, over the past few weeks a group of BCGEU members from BC Parks have been working hard to reach out to staff and identify members to serve as worker representatives on the new BC Parks committees. You have probably had a phone call from a member of your BC Parks organizing committee, and/or an email from your local BCGEU area office.  

The response to this outreach has been incredible. More than 70 Parks members like you volunteered to serve as a worker health and safety representatives. Clearly, you and other BC Parks staff are not only concerned about workplace safety, but also willing to step up to make improvements as OHS committee members. 

How do I know what committee have I been appointed to? 

This is the list of BC Parks OHS reps for the whole province. In it, you will find your name and the committee you've been appointed to. Some folks have been appointed to more than one committee. Some committees have been in place already, and some committees are new. 

In the next 2-4 weeks, you will receive a letter from the BCGEU confirming your appointment as a worker OHS representative. Please keep this letter for your records. Another letter will also be sent from the BCGEU to your manager confirming your appointment. Your local BCGEU area office may reach out to you to confirm details about your worksite and contact information, and ask you to sign a BCGEU membership card if you haven't done so already. 

What is a JOHS committee? 

A Joint Occupational Health and Safety (JOHS) Committee is a formal avenue for safety concerns in the workplace to be addressed. It supports the employer’s duty to ensure a healthy and safe workplace by bringing together representatives of the employer and workers. They work cooperatively to identify and help resolve these issues and concerns in the workplace.
Committees advise and make recommendations to the employer to implement plans, policies, or procedures to make the workplace safer. 

The detailed requirements for JOHS committees are set out in this section of the Workers' Compensation Act and in Article 22.3 of the collective agreement.

Why are these committees being established now? And why so many? 

According to OHS legislation in British Columbia, Joint Occupational Health and Safety committees must be established at worksites where there are 20 or more workers. Our collective agreement says that where there are 10 or more workers doing high hazard work, a committee is required. 

In September 2020, WorkSafeBC conducted an inspection at a BC Parks worksite, and also gathered information about BC Parks provincially – you can read WorkSafeBC’s report here

WorkSafeBC determined that BC Parks had not established committees at worksites where they were required, and thus ordered them to do so. Further, WorkSafeBC said that establishing a central JOHS committee for BC Parks would be "appropriate and beneficial."

In December 2020, the BCGEU and the employer agreed to a proposal for an OHS committee structure in BC Parks that includes local committees in larger worksites, a regional committee with representatives from every worksite in each region, and a provincial committee - review the proposed Template Terms of Reference here. 

The BCGEU's view is that the work of many BC Parks staff, and especially park rangers, is high risk and is often isolated from bigger worksites where local JOHS committees are established. Creating committees regionally and provincially for BC Parks will more effectively address safety concerns, issues and incidents across the province by allowing information to flow locally to regionally to provincially and then back down.

What is the role of worker health and safety (OHS) reps?
Worker health and safety (OHS) representatives are safety leaders at BCGEU worksites. Read this helpful "job description" for BCGEU OHS reps on the BCGEU OHS website here. 

In short, the key aspects of your role are: 

• To represent workers on the JOHS committee  
• To advocate on behalf of workers in health and safety matters
•  To keep members informed on workplace health and safety matters
• To communicate significant health and safety problems to your steward and the union staff person

It is important to know that your role is not: 

• To decide on or to develop OHS policies and procedures. (your committee will provide feedback, advice and recommendations, but the employer is responsible for this) 
• To enforce workplace safety rules (managers and supervisors are responsible to do this)

What should we do/expect at our first couple of meetings? 

BC Parks regional committees should have their first meeting in the last week of January/first week of February. The employer has told the BCGEU that Regional Managers will be setting the first meeting, and inviting worker reps using the list provided by the BCGEU. 

The first task for your committee is to develop a terms of reference. A terms of reference sets out the committee's membership and how it will operate. The BCGEU and the employer have agreed on a template terms of reference for the regional committees. This template should provide a clear guide for your committee to get started.  

The worker representatives on the committee will also need to elect a worker co-chair. The co-chair's duties are outlined in the template terms of reference. 

Am I going to be getting training? 

The OHS regulation requires that committee members receive training within the first six months of joining an OHS committee. OHS committee training for BCGEU members in government is delivered jointly by the BCGEU and the BC Public Service Agency. 

The BCGEU is working with the employer to organize training for BC Parks OHS reps by Spring 2021. The details about the training (dates, times, etc.) will be confirmed in the next few weeks. 

Where can I find more information about JOHS committees? 
Resources for committee members are available on ohs.bcgeu.ca. OHS reps can also contact [email protected] for assistance. 

The BC Public Service Agency's website has OHS information and resources here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/careers-myhr/all-employees/safety-health-well-being/workplace

WorkSafeBC's website has resources for committee members and a searchable version of OHS legislation & regulations. 

How were OHS reps chosen for these new committees? 

Members of the BC Parks organizing group conducted outreach to BC Parks staff across the province, to hear about their work, their health and safety concerns, and to ask members whether they would be interested to be OHS reps. 

Based on this work, the chairpersons for each BCGEU union local appointed members to BC Parks OHS committees, as per the BCGEU's established process. The union's aim was to appoint a broad cross-section of front-line BC Parks staff that are passionate about safety. The inclusion of auxiliary staff on Parks OHS committees was also a key priority, as these members are one of the largest work groups in BC Parks, and do much of the highest risk field work.

What about the provincial JOHS committee? How will reps be chosen for this committee? 

The BC Parks Provincial JOHS committee will include worker representatives from each region of the province, including auxiliary employees and a representative from the Provincial Services Branch. 

The committee will have its first meeting later in February, after the regional committees have had a chance to meet. 

The worker co-chairs from each BC Parks regional committee (or another worker rep elected from among the worker reps on the regional committee) and an auxiliary employee that is an OHS rep on the regional committee from each region will join the provincial committee.