July 15, 2020
- Adoption of the agenda
The Co-chair welcomed three new Employer Side representatives: Arik Payette, from Treasury Board Secretariat, Nancy Porteous, from Health Canada and Jean-Rock Tourigny from Public Services and Procurement Canada.
The agenda was adopted. - Presentation
GC Workplace – Integrated Workplace Solutions, Public Services and Procurement Canada
M. DeKelver, Manager at Integrated Workplace Solutions, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), provided a presentation update on the GCWorkplace Activity-Based Working (ABW) Pilot Program. Following feedback on Workplace 2.0, PSPC is promoting a more advanced model of working and piloted the ABW model with TBS authority to pay for all workplace fit up costs. Objectives include studying improvements to employee engagement, designs for inclusion, accessibility, and wellness with choice and ergonomics; and providing flexibility to meet the various needs of employees in the workplace, empowered in an environment of trust. The pilot commenced about a year ago and included 19 projects with the participation of 3000 employees across 10 client organizations nationally. Authority to complete the pilot project delivery was extended from March 31, 2018 to September 30, 2018 after consultation with TBS.
The PSPC has consulted with various clients such as OHS and HR representatives, central agencies, employee members, union representatives, and stakeholder committees such as the TBS executive committee, and the Privy Council Office (PCO).
The program established an integrated team to deliver the new workplace solution which included OHS partners throughout the design and operation. Data that was presented showed a pre- and post-occupancy assessment which measured the change in employee’s perception to the effectiveness of the workplace and their satisfaction. The data was collected six months before implementation and again at three, six and twelve months after implementation and the analysis was presented as a bar-chart for visual representation. The sample size was 400 employees with a response rate of 50-60%. The program has introduced ergonomic work stations to replace fixed workstations and envisions an increase in the amount of employee engagement and collaborations while reducing the number of individual areas. There will be ongoing consultation by using utilization monitoring for these spaces to measure the usage of these implementations. To aid in the transition to GCWorkplace ABW Program, a Playbook has been designed for departments and agencies.
With respect to PSPC consultations, several Committee members emphasized the need for SWOHS Committee involvement at all stages, including throughout the program implementation and analysis. The Committee can offer invaluable expertise and is in a position to help interpret and communicate data appropriately and to arrive at a model that members are comfortable with. The program is interdepartmental and therefore, the committee reiterated the importance of their involvement.
Telecommuting was discussed in terms of integration within the ABW framework. Several Committee members expressed an interest in changes to managers’ views regarding telework and the emphasis that is often placed on employee presence in the workplace. Telework and activity-based working are creating a culture shift and the Committee commented on the importance of asking clients about their readiness for change and communicating this change to the appropriate policy committees. It was suggested that the departments and unions need to be more involved with this program and that there be questions developed for policy committees to be able to accommodate their department accordingly.
M. DeKelver addressed questions regarding gender neutral bathrooms and accessibility noting that the program would arrange for an inclusive environment for employees. He confirmed that if a specific design element is needed, the design committee would engage with the clients to provide a positive workplace fit for each department.
Subsequent steps were further defined to address the Committee’s involvement as a partner with the program. The next phase will include collaboration with the Committee to provide input into the report which will be shared with TBS.
Today, the Committee made suggestions to:- Become a partner with the PSPC Activity-Based Working program and include the appropriate policy committees into the final development in the fall.
- Ensure that the minimum requirements to the Labour Code are met and that OHS is considered while implementing and analyzing the data.
- Create a sub-committee for the activity-based working program.
- Hazard Prevention Program (HPP)
A. Peart informed the Committee of inconsistencies that have been observed between various departments’ Hazard Prevention Programs (HPPs). Section 19 of the HPP guidelines is important because it is evaluative and preventative. One inconsistency is the length of HPPs, ranging from departments providing 300 page documents to the provision of fewer than two page documents, which presents a challenge for an inspector. The quality of the HPPs is also a concern and the Committee discussed potential solutions to improve the consistency and content in these documents. It was suggested that the Committee could create samples of HPPs and provide clear guidelines around the methodology.
In addition to the provision of HPPs models, the importance of opening a line of communication with departments for them to ask questions during the process was also recommended. TB has examples of HPPs that could be brought to the next meeting to be discussed and examined as a group to deduce the strong HPPs from the weak ones and to create examples that can be shared externally. - SWOHS Training Sub-Committee
The Training sub-committee that was formed to assist in developing a common OHS curriculum for the Public Service reported the need to strengthen connections with the Joint Learning Program JLP and the Canadian School of Public Service. The sub-committee also expressed the need for more volunteers and F. Murphy volunteered to be a new member. - Update from the Sub-Committee on Competent Persons
The sub-committee on competent persons has been meeting regularly and has been connecting with investigators on the competent persons list. Recently, C. Ormsby has retired and C. Seeton will co-chair the sub-committee with A. Peart. An invitation is extended to other Committee members to join this sub-committee.- Competent Persons Selection Process Survey
The sub-committee has administered the survey on the competent persons selection process and received 27 responses from policy co-chairs. The sub-committee will need to assess the survey results. A. Payette volunteered to help with this task.
- Competent Persons Selection Process Survey
- Guarding Minds at Work Survey (GM@W)
The GM@W Survey has been translated and is to be piloted with two volunteer organizations, the National Energy Board (NEB) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). B. Kingston suggested that the pilot should be conducted in a region at Correctional Services Canada (CSC), in addition to the two volunteer organizations. Members of the subcommittee will provide a general update to the Committee.
B. Christianson raised a concern involving the privacy impact and the steps that will be taken to ensure confidentiality. The sub-committee stated that this will be assessed when the pilot commences. The next step is for the sub-committee to liaise with Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) to validate the questions that were added to the Public Service survey. A. Peart is continuing to work on an answer key for the survey and will update the Committee once completed. - Bill C-65 (standing item)
The Committee agreed that Bill C-65 should continue to be monitored and remain a standing item on the agenda until stated otherwise. The Committee recognizes that the Bill does not guarantee confidentiality given that a complainant would have to be named in court as part of the delivery of the results. The lack of confidentiality is a significant concern. B. Kingston commented on the possibility of the Bill being struck down in court and the Committee agreed that this will be an issue that will have to be monitored continuously. - Asbestos
J.R. Tourigny reported on the asbestos inventory that has been gathered and the issues that have been encountered. Departments have been given a deadline of September 26, 2018 to update their inventories which will be made public. The Committee was informed of the issues surrounding the gathering of data at various job-sites, including property outside of Canada, residences, fisheries, or other areas that are not technically buildings. In addition, legal advice is being sought for situations involving telework. The DG and the Custodian Committee have been updated on the inventory progress and updates are expected to be ongoing. - Legionella
Feedback received from Health Canada regarding the protocol in place for legionella was positive and legionella is being managed as usual. The Committee indicated that the communiqué should be issued automatically on a yearly basis. A request was made to review previous minutes to identify the date of issuance. April 31st or May 1st was suggested as a date for the circulation of the communiqué. - Round table
The Committee noted the departure of Bob Kingston and thanked him for his outstanding contribution to the SWOHS Committee and its mandate. - Next Meeting
- November 15, 2018
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 11:43 a.m.