In British Columbia, the requirements for health and safety representatives or committees are determined by the number of workers at each workplace location:

Workplaces with 9 or fewer workers: No formal requirement for a health and safety representative or committee.​

Workplaces with 10 to 19 workers: A worker health and safety representative is required.​

Workplaces with 20 or more workers: A joint health and safety committee must be established.​

Given that your organization operates two locations—one with 12 staff and another with 30 staff—you are required to have a worker health and safety representative at the 12-staff location and a joint health and safety committee at the 30-staff location. ​

Selection of Representatives and Committee Members:

Worker Health and Safety Representative: For non-unionized workplaces, the representative should be selected by the workers through a secret ballot. If workers do not select a representative, the employer must seek out and assign one. ​

Joint Health and Safety Committee: Members should be selected according to procedures established by the union (if applicable) or, in non-unionized settings, by the workers they represent, typically through a secret ballot. ​

Compensation and Training:
Compensation: Employers are required to compensate worker health and safety representatives and committee members at their regular rate of pay for time spent performing their duties, including attending meetings and carrying out related functions.
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Occupational Health and Safety Law
Training: Worker health and safety representatives must receive four hours of training and instruction, while joint health and safety committee members are required to receive eight hours of training. Additionally, all representatives and committee members are entitled to eight hours of annual education leave to attend occupational health and safety training. ​

There is no requirement to pay additional salary beyond the regular rate for these roles. The compensation pertains to the time spent fulfilling health and safety duties during working hours.​

For comprehensive information and resources, you can refer to WorkSafeBC’s guidelines on joint health and safety committees and worker health and safety representatives. I would always highly recommend consulting an HR professional or legal counsel to guide you through a fully compliant healthy and safety process to ensure there are no roadblocks.

-HRInsider Staff