The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) sets out specific duties for
workplace supervisors.
A supervisor is defined in the act as "A person who has charge over a workplace
or authority over a worker." A person does not need to have the word
"supervisor" in his or her job title to be considered a supervisor for the
purposes of health and safety.
The act requires employers to appoint competent supervisors. A competent
supervisor must:
| • | be qualified, through knowledge,
training and experience, to organize the work and its performance
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| • | be familiar with the act and the
regulations that apply to the work being performed in the workplace
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| • | know about any actual or potential
dangers to health and safety in the workplace
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Under the act, supervisors must take all reasonable precautions to protect
workers from illness or injury. Some of their duties include:
| • | ensuring that workers comply with the
act and regulations
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| • | providing a safe workplace
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| • | assigning safe work
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| • | providing safety instruction and job
training
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| • | ensuring that workers have the right
equipment and safety gear to do their job
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| • | supervising workers to ensure that they
work safely and use equipment and protective devices properly, where
required
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| • | informing workers of any potential or
actual health or safety hazards that are known by the supervisor
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