Home » 3.1.4 HEALTH AND SAFETY

3.1.4 HEALTH AND SAFETY

The Edmonton Police Commission (Commission) promotes a safe and healthy workplace for all employees.

The Commission is committed to protecting the health and safety of all staff members and fully supports a health and safety management system that protects the staff and all public that may enter onto Commission property.

 

Definitions:

HAZARD ASSESSMENT: Hazard assessment is a formal process for identifying existing and potential hazards and determining the degree of danger or risk the hazards pose to employees.

IMMINENT DANGER: A danger that is not normal for that occupation or a situation under which a person is at immediate risk of serious physical harm or death.

LOW HAZARD WORK ENVIRONMENT: Means an administrative site where the work performed is clerical or administrative in nature.

SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: A process used to effectively manage hazards. It includes the identification of hazards, ranking of hazards, and the control of identified hazards.

 

Guidelines:

  1. All Commission staff members have a responsibility for ensuring healthy and safe workplace practices.
  2. All Commissioners, volunteers, and/or contractors performing services on behalf of the Commission, are also responsible and will be held accountable to meet the requirements identified in the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety legislation and the Commission’s health and safety policies and procedures.
  3. The Executive Director (ED)will provide leadership in promoting a healthy and productive work environment and will support specific safety procedures including providing related health and safety training for staff members.
  4. The ED is responsible for assuring all health and safety processes implemented adhere to the Occupational Health and Safety regulations and any other relevant legislation.

 

Procedures:

  1. All new staff members will be given an Occupational Health and Safety orientation within the first week of working in the new position.
  2. One staff member will be assigned the responsibility of Fire Warden. One staff member will be the Deputy Fire Warden. Assignment will be reviewed every two years.
  3. Emergency Response Procedures: The Fire Warden and Deputy Fire Warden shall, annually, attend the Emergency Response Procedures training provided by the lessor. After receiving the training, the procedures will be reviewed with all staff.
  4. Annual Facility Inspection: The Fire Warden will conduct an annual facility inspection by March 31. The results of the facility inspection will be brought forward to the ED for review and action as necessary.
  5. First Aid Supplies: The office shall have a first aid kit located in an area which is accessible by all employees. The first aid kit will be stocked with items in accordance with the applicable requirements in the Occupational Health and Safety Code for a low hazard work environment. The Fire Warden will assess and replenish the supplies of the first aid kit annually as part of the annual facility inspection.
  6. Hazard Assessment: The ED, in collaboration with all staff, will annually review the hazard assessment.
  7. Working Alone Procedures: Where a staff member is working alone or is in the office after 1600hrs, that staff member will advise the ED or designate that they are working alone or after regular office hours. If a staff member is working after hours, then they will advise when they are leaving work, and when they have safely reached their vehicle or have arrived home on public transit. Staff may also take a taxi and seek reimbursement if the staff member feels they are too fatigued to drive home. This applies to both weekdays and weekends.
  8. Attendance of Unknown Persons at Commission Office: Where an unknown member of the public attends at the EPC offices, they will not be invited into the interview room but instead sent down to the area beside the lessor’s security desk. The Public Complaint Director (PCD) will attend at the couches. If comfortable, the PCD will meet with the individual in the food court. If not comfortable, the PCD will meet with the individual at the couches (close to security) or another location deemed suitable to the PCD.
  9. Attendance of Known Persons at Commission Office: Only individuals known to Commission staff will meet in the interview room and ONLY if Commission staff agree that it is safe to do so. In most cases, all meetings will be conducted with two Commission staff members present. Only if a Commission staff member is confident that it is safe to do so as the individual is known to them and that they have sufficient experience with the individual to assess risk, will a Commission staff member meet with a member of the public alone.
  10. Panic Alarm Response: In the event that the panic alarm is activated, lights and sirens in the Commission space are engaged. The ED will attend immediately to the interview room if in use prior to the alarm. The ED or other available Commission staff member will call 911 and the Rice Howard Place security desk.
  11. Injury or Illness: If a member of Commission staff has an acute illness or injury at work, the staff member must report the illness or injury to the ED as soon as practicable. Should a staff member require emergency transportation due to injury or illness, then the ED must ensure that an ambulance service licensed in accordance with the Emergency Health Services Act is made available.
  12. Record of Injury or Illness: The ED must record every acute illness or injury that occurs at the office in a record kept for the purpose as soon as practicable after the illness or injury is reported to them. The record must include the following:
    a) Name of employee;
    b) Any first aid given;
    c) Description of injury or illness;
    d) Date and time of injury or illness;
    e) Where the incident occurred; and,
    f) Any work-related cause of the incident.
    The ED must retain the records kept under this section for three years from the date the incident is recorded and must release a copy of the record to the staff member if they request one.
  13. General Respiratory Illness: The Commission has developed a specific policy and subsequent guidelines to address COVID-19 (EPC Policy # 3.1.7 – COVID-19 Policy). All employees with other general respiratory illness symptoms are encouraged to:
    a) Stay home if sick or displaying respiratory illness symptoms such as sneezing, congestion, sore throat, runny nose, fever, cough, fatigue; and,
    b) Employees may discuss work from home options with the ED, but it should not be a substitute for taking the necessary sick time to recover; and,
    c) If symptomatic and at work, employees are required to wear a N95 or KN95 mask to protect others.
  14. No staff member shall carry out any work if, on reasonable and probable grounds, the employee believes that there exists an imminent danger to the health and safety of that employee.

References:

1. Alberta Occupational Health & Safety Act, Legislation, Regulation and Code
2. Emergency Health Services Act
3. EPC policy # 3.1.7 – COVID-19 Policy