JHSC Meetings Scheduling – Know The Laws of Your Province

OHS laws require employers to establish a joint health and safety committee at certain workplaces. Most jurisdictions specify how often the committee is required to hold its regular meetings. Alberta is the only jurisdiction that gives the JHSC complete discretion over meetings schedules. Three months is the specified maximum interval between regular JHSC meetings in 7 jurisdictions – Manitoba, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. On the other side of the spectrum, committees must hold regular meetings at least once a month in B.C., New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Yukon. Here are the JHSC meeting frequency requirements in each part of the country.

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JHSC Regular Meeting Schedule Requirements Across Canada

Workplace committee must meet at least 9 times a year during regular work hours at regular intervals and as required as a result of an emergency or other special circumstances either during or outside regular work hours (Canada Labour Code, Sec. 135(10)).

JHSC must meet during regular work hours at frequency specified in terms of reference (OHS Act, Sec. 13(7) and hold a special meeting if OHS officer requests (OHS Code, Sec. 198(1)).

Joint committee must meet regularly at least once a month, unless another schedule is permitted or required by regulation or order (Workers’ Compensation Act, Sec. 37(2)).

  1. Committee must meet within one month after it has been established and at regular intervals of no less than 3 months after that unless an OHS director orders regular meetings to be held at shorter durations;
  2. Committee members must get at least 3 days’ prior notice of regularly scheduled meetings;
  3. Employer or prime contractor must provide committee with a suitable location for meetings;
  4. A co-chair may call a special meeting to deal with matters of urgent concern, including but not limited to serious incidents, accidents, dangerous occurrences or matters believed to constitute a serious risk to safety or health (Workplace Health and Safety Reg., Secs. 3.3 and 3.4).

Committee must meet at least once a month but can apply to the commission to hold meetings at less frequent intervals if it doesn’t compromise health and safety (OHS Act, Secs. 14(6) and 16(1)).

Committee must meet during regular work hours within 2 weeks of its formation (OHS Regs., Sec. 25(4)(a)) and at least once every 3 months after that (OHS Act, Sec. 40).

Committee must meet at least once a month unless: (a) a different frequency is prescribed by the regulations; or (b) the committee alters the required frequency of meetings in its rules of procedure (OHS Act, Sec. 30(4)).

Committee must meet at least once every 3 months and may also be required to meet by order of the Minister of Labour (OHS Act, Sec. 9(33)).

Committee must meet at least once each month unless the committee provides otherwise in its rules of procedure (OHS Act, Sec. 25(8)); If the Director isn’t satisfied that the frequency of committee meetings is sufficient for the committee to effectively perform its functions, it may order the committee to hold such meetings at a frequency it specifies (Sec. 25(9)).

The committee must hold its first meeting during regular working within 30 days after its members have been appointed and at least once every 3 months after that (OHS Act, Sec. 74).

Committee must:

  1. (a) hold its first meeting within 2 weeks after being established; (b) hold 3 subsequent meetings at intervals not exceeding one month; and (c) after that, hold regular meetings at intervals not exceeding 3 months (OHS Regs., Sec. 4-4(1));
  2. OHS director may require committee to meet more frequently than above due to any of the following factors at the workplace: existence of particular hazards or circumstances; complexity of the operation; and number of workers (Sec. 4-4(2)); and
  3. Either co-chair may call a special meeting a to deal with urgent concerns, imminent dangers to health or safety, investigations of accidents or dangerous occurrences or refusals to work (Sec. 4-7).

  1. Committee must: (a) hold its first meeting within 14 days after being established; (b) hold 3 subsequent meetings at intervals not exceeding one month; and (c) after that, hold regular meetings at intervals not exceeding 3 months (OHS Regs., Sec. 42(1));
  2. Chief Safety Officer may require committee to meet more frequently than above due to any of the following factors at the workplace: existence of particular hazards or circumstances; complexity of the work carried out; and number of workers (Sec. 42(2));
  3. Either co-chair may call a special meeting a to deal with urgent concerns, imminent dangers to health or safety, investigations of accidents causing serious bodily injury or dangerous occurrences or refusals to work (Sec. 45).

Unless regulations require or allow a different schedule, committee must meet: (a) during regular working hours at least once a month; and (b) during or outside regular working hours, whenever a meeting is urgently required as a result of an emergency or other special circumstance (WSC Act, Sec. 37(6)).