What Alberta requires
Your duties as a healthcare employer
Many healthcare owners don't know these apply to them until a staff member is hurt or an OHS officer visits.
Written hazard assessments
Assess the hazards of the work before it starts, in writing and with your staff involved, then control them. (OHS Code Part 2)
Violence and harassment prevention plan
A plan covering violence and harassment from anyone, including patients, residents, clients and the public. (Part 27)
Working alone
Where staff work alone, such as home visits, early opens or night shifts, assess the risk and have a reliable way to check on them. (Part 28)
Patient, client and resident handling
If staff lift, transfer or reposition people, the Code has a section on handling them safely. (Part 14, s. 209.2)
Sharps and biological hazards
Exposure control, medical sharps and sharps containers, written policies and procedures, and what to do after an exposure. (Part 35)
WHMIS, first aid and a safety voice
WHMIS for hazardous products (Part 29) and first aid (Part 11). A joint health and safety committee at 20+ workers, or a representative at 5 to 19 (OHS Act).
Who we work with
Healthcare settings we support
Pharmacies
Aggressive customers and robbery risk, staff working alone at opening and closing, hazardous products and repetitive work.
Care homes and supportive living
Resident aggression, lifting and repositioning residents, infection exposure, slips and night shifts.
Physio and rehab clinics
Moving and supporting patients, equipment hazards and repetitive strain on clinicians.
Home care agencies
Staff alone in clients' homes, unknown home conditions, driving between visits and client aggression.
Diagnostic imaging clinics
Patient positioning and transfers, radiation alongside your OHS duties, and busy front desks.
Addiction treatment and recovery clinics
Client aggression and harassment, needles and other sharps, and staff working late or alone.
Our team's experience includes running health and safety for one of Canada's largest private radiology companies.
How we help
Where to start
Hazard assessments, a violence and harassment prevention plan, working alone procedures and the rest, written for your setting.
Training your staff can fit around shifts and patients.
When a staff member is injured: the claim, the return to work and the cost.
Not sure where you stand?
Our free healthcare safety audit reviews your current practices, including infection prevention and control, and shows you the gaps. No cost, no obligation.
Request a free healthcare auditQuestions
Healthcare safety FAQ
Does Alberta's OHS law apply to my pharmacy, clinic or care home?
Yes. Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety Act and Code apply to provincially regulated workplaces, healthcare included. The same core duties apply as on a construction site, plus parts of the Code written for healthcare, such as patient handling and biological hazards.
What do we need in writing?
At a minimum: hazard assessments for the work your staff do, and a violence and harassment prevention plan. Add working alone procedures if anyone works alone, and policies for sharps and biological hazards if your staff handle them. We review what you have and fill the gaps.
We're a small clinic. Is this worth it for us?
We size the program to your operation, so a five-person clinic gets something short and usable. It also protects you if a staff member is hurt or an OHS officer visits.