Regulation in place Jan. 1, tickets to be issued beginning July 1
Occupational health officers in Saskatchewan will be issuing financial penalties for non-compliance with health and safety laws at workplaces throughout the province through summary offence ticketing, the provincial government announced.
This additional tool will be used to ticket employers, contractors, owners, suppliers, supervisors, self-employed persons and workers for any of the 71 possible violations of the province’s occupational health and safety legislation. The 71 violations are infractions that reflect an on-going pattern of non-compliance, offences that are frequently recommended for prosecution or offences where non-compliance has a high risk of injury, illness or death.
"Summary offence ticketing will serve as a deterrent to all stakeholders not following occupational health and safety laws in Saskatchewan workplaces and help keep the working population in the province healthy and safe," Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Don Morgan said.
Voluntary payment amounts for infractions range from $250 to $1,000.
The regulation will become operational on Jan. 1, 2013, followed by a six-month transition period in which ministry officials will work with stakeholders to introduce the ticketing system to employers and workers across the province.
While occupational health officers will continue to prosecute flagrant violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, summary offence tickets will not be issued until July 1, 2013.
The new system will be reviewed and evaluated to ensure it is serving as a deterrent for non-compliance in the workplace.
