New rules regarding asbestos
Canadian Press – December 27, 2023 / 6:45pm | Story: 464517
Photo: Canadian Press
Workers clean up broken glass after it fell from a building under construction in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 10, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Some British Columbia workers plan to push for changes on Jan. 1, including new rules for workers who work with asbestos and other requirements to help injured workers return to work. is.
In 2024, the province will become the first in Canada to require job sites to only hire licensed companies with employees qualified to remove asbestos.
When the move was announced last year, the government said the changes would create better safety standards to control exposure to asbestos, which can cause deadly lung disease.
WorkSafeBC launched its training program earlier this year, and online registration is now available for approved employers.
The latest in a series of changes to the state’s workers’ compensation law in 2022 will also take effect on January 1, giving employers and employees a legal obligation to help people return to work. .
Under the reform, businesses with 20 or more employees will have to provide workers with the same level of work they had before their injury once they are able to return to work.
WorkSafeBC says if a worker is unable to perform their pre-injury job but is fit to work in another capacity, employers must offer them the first suitable job that becomes available. .
Workers must not be unreasonably refused suitable work and must communicate with their employer and WorkSafeBC.
The law also requires employers to make necessary changes to the job or workplace to accommodate injured workers, unless they create an unreasonable hardship for the employer.
