April 17, 2018
The Service Wide Committee on Occupational Health and Safety (SWOHS) met at 9:30 a.m. in Room 718, West Tower, 240 Sparks Street, with Don Graham presiding.
- Adoption of the agenda
The agenda was adopted. - Presentation: An update on the upcoming Federal Innovation Centre for Mental Health and Well-being – National Mental Health Innovation Centre
R. Leblanc, Director of Workplace Management & Health and P. Collin, Project Manager Mental Health and Wellness Innovation Centre, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), provided a presentation on the new Canadian Innovation Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace which is set to open in the New Year. In line with the recommendations of the Joint Task Force to address mental health in the workplace, this joint initiative between ISED, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) seeks to establish a Centre to promote psychological health, safety and well-being in all aspects of the workplace through collaboration, inclusivity and respect. The idea was initially proposed in January 2017 with a goal to provide a physical space where employees can access mental health and well-being resources and activities (i.e. seminars and workshops) with leading experts in the field. Following consultation with various stakeholders during the development and planning stages, the Centre will begin its construction in December with an aim to open its doors in early February 2018. The Centre will be located on the main level of the C.D. Howe Building, 235 Queen Street, Ottawa, ON and will incorporate modern work spaces and technology which will enable employees across the country to access its services. The Centre will offer a broad range of programs addressing all aspects of mental health and it will continue to welcome feedback and suggestions on new programs to offer to individuals as well as departments. The Centre has received enough funding to open its doors and begin providing an array of programs; however, in order to sustain its operations, the Centre is seeking collaboration from both unions and employers to promote its presence, support its operations and contribute to the development of further programming.
The Committee commended the team for their work on the Centre and will be eager to attend a tour in the New Year. In terms of gaining support, it was recommended that the Centre broaden their visibility by presenting to the Heads of HR, OHS Committees across the Public Service, as well as the presidents of the unions at the next NJC quarterly meeting. C. Ormsby, TBS, offered to post the presentation online in order to increase awareness. The Committee suggested as program development progresses, that visible union/management collaboration be prominent in order to increase legitimacy, validity and participation among employees. A question was asked regarding how the Centre would relate to the Centre of Expertise on Mental Health in the Workplace. It was indicated that discussions have taken place between the two Centres and while both are open to collaborating; further discussions would need to take place regarding how the two could evolve. - Presentation: GCWorkplace Vision and Introduction to the (OHS) Playbooks supporting client organizations’ journey to adopting GCWorkplace principles
M. DeKelver, Workplace Solutions – Real Property Services, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), provided a presentation on GCWorkplace which is an initiative prompted by Blueprint 2020 and seeks to modernize the workplace through innovation, technology and activity based working. Playbooks are the tools accompanying GCWorkplace and are intended to guide organizational stakeholders through this workplace modernization and transformation. Both GCWorkplace and the Playbooks are guided by the following 7 principles: Flexible, Efficient, Healthy, Collaborative, Digital, Green and Inclusion. Through the use of technology and optimized modernized workspaces, the goal is to foster a more positive experience for employees and improve overall health and wellness. Over $60 million has been invested in modernizing the department’s workplace and this will benefit approximately 2700 people. Implementation is expected to begin in March 2018. With this modernization however, come new safety and security challenges. As workspaces become more flexible and technologically advance, employees can occupy many different work points and therefore, it was recognized that an OHS Playbook would need to be developed to help address these new challenges. In that regard, considerations have already been given to issues such as the following: validating that new workplaces meet OHS standards prior to implementation; assessments on the impact to mental health; the ability to fulfill duty to accommodate requirements and ensuring equipment complies with employee needs; identification of tools and personnel in cases of an emergency; identifying new procedures which outline the responsibilities of both employees and managers and providing access to the training they need.
The Committee noted that this is a tremendous cultural shift from the traditional workplace and while ambitious, planning and implementation should have involved greater consultation with employee organizations. Consultation builds trust and in turn, acceptance and recognition of a joint objective. Committee members indicated that this project may see some resistance as employees were not consulted and do not understand how these changes will benefit them. Furthermore, from a legal standpoint, the OHS implications flowing from this modernization project require legitimate consultation with employees in order to meet requirements under the Code. In addition to this, from an accessibility perspective, modernization of the workplace should have included consultation with employment equity groups such as the NJC Joint Employment Equity Committee. As this initiative moves forward, the Committee stressed the need for proper consultation and ensuring the ability to measure the success and effectiveness of the initiative. The Committee offered to facilitate links between the PSPC and the appropriate consultative bodies should they require. - Presentation: Joint Learning Program (JLP) - Occupational Health and Safety Joint Study
R. Lépine and C. Gilbert, Co-Directors, Joint Learning Program, requested to come before the Committee to seek technical advice on the conduct of its joint study to identify the training needs of health and safety committees in the Federal Public Service as well as the appropriate mechanisms for any required training in line with the NJC Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Directive and the Canada Labour Code Regulations on Policy Committees, Work Place Committees and Health and Safety Representatives. This study was mandated following the MOU between TBS and the PSAC for the PA, SV, TC, and EB collective agreements. This study will help define learning objectives for OHS committee members and identify skills and behaviors they need to promote health and safety in the workplace. In support of this study, the Committee recognized that there is a severe lack of centralized training available for employees and particularly OHS Committee members. The Committee has continuously acknowledged that any sort of centralized training must be jointly developed and the JLP study is an ideal starting point. C. Ormsby, TBS, and D. St-Jean, PSAC, agreed to work closely with the JLP and provide any assistance that may be required; however, the Committee recommended that the JLP research, review and validate the studies currently available in order to better understand the current landscape, identify the gaps and decide where resources can be best spent. The Committee encouraged the presenters to look at departments with good training programs in place (i.e. NRC) and see how they can be adopted, improved and then implemented in other departments. - Presentation: Bill C-65
Brenda Baxter, Director General, Workplace Directorate and Barbara Moran, Director General, Strategic Policy, Analysis and Workplace Information, Labour Program, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) provided a presentation on Bill C-65, which received its first reading on November 7, 2017 and seeks to amend legislation such as the Canada Labour Code to provide new protections for all federally regulated workers, including Parliamentarians and their staff from harassment and violence in the workplace. Currently, there are two separate regimes which deal with workplace violence and sexual harassment (Part II and Part III of the Code). Both have different requirements, application and mechanisms for resolution, which creates an imbalance in the treatment of these two issues. They apply to different workplaces and neither applies to Parliament. The proposed changes seek to establish a comprehensive regime that would deal with the full spectrum of harassment and violence (physical and psychological), and would apply to federally regulated private sectors, the public service and employees on the Hill. It would also require employers to investigate, record and report harassment and violence, as well as providing support to employees affected by it, whereas currently there is no requirement to do so. The Bill also proposes to bring forth stronger privacy protections in order to encourage more employees to report complaints of sexual harassment or violence. The proposed changes seek to create cultural change in Canadian workplaces to prevent harassment and violence, and to respond to and support employees when it happens. In order to support this change, if passed, the Government plans to put in place measures such as: awareness building on harassment and violence, education and training tools for employees and employers, and a 1-800 line to help employees navigate the process and support employers in putting in place policies and processes. Workplace committees will be expected to play a key role in ensuring a safe workplace. The Bill is currently awaiting its second reading in the House.
The Committee very optimistic about the proposed changes and is eager to see what implementation will look like and what resources will be available for employees and employers. The Committee stressed the importance of joint consultation and offered its services for development of training tools and support as this moves forward. It was indicated that the Bill needs to move forward first before development of the regulations and support tools can begin. Consultations will be held with stakeholders when the time is appropriate. The Committee thanked the presenters for their overview and will invite them to a future meeting once things have progressed. - Asbestos (standing item)
No update to report. - Legionella (standing item)
No update to report. - Round table
N/A - Next Meeting
January 18, 2018
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 12:15 p.m.