The Manitoba Workplace Safety & Health Act & Regulation sets out the rights and duties of all parties in the workplace. Under this legislation, employers must inform workers of their rights and responsibilities for working safely.
Under the Act, all workers have the following legal rights:
- Right to Know: All workers have the right to be aware of workplace hazards and to understand how to control the associated risks. Included are the rights to be informed of the hazards at work, be trained to recognize those hazards, be trained to protect yourselves, and to be informed of your rights under the law.
- Right to Participate: Workers have the right to take part in workplace safety and health activities. Workers are the workplace’s eyes and ears. As you perform your day-to-day tasks, you’re well-positioned to identify issues and concerns, making your input into the safety program essential. A safety and health committee is a key way to participate in safety.
- Right to Refuse Unsafe Work: Under the Act, workers have the right to refuse work they reasonably believe is a danger to their safety and health or the safety and health of others. Dangerous work generally means work involving safety and health risks that are not normal for the job. This could be something you believe will cause immediate and serious, or long-term effects to your safety and health or someone else’s.
- Right to Protection from Reprisal: Workers are entitled to exercise their rights under the Act without being penalized by their employers. Protection from reprisal is a fundamental right and the cornerstone of developing and maintaining a positive safety culture. You must feel safe when raising safety and health issues or when exercising your safety and health rights.