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From Act to Action
In recent years, Manitoba has changed its legislation to modernize the framework to protect the safety and health of workers and improve the workers compensation system for injured workers.
In 2002, the Province acted on the first part of a plan to modernize existing legislation by enacting the most significant changes to the Workplace Safety and Health Act in 25 years.
Key changes included requiring employers to make sure:
• workers are trained to perform a job safely before starting work
• workers receive competent supervision
• workplaces with more than 20 workers have a written safety and health program
Legal duties for occupational safety and health were also clarified for workers, supervisors, contractors, prime contractors, owners, suppliers and workplace safety and health committees.
In 2005, Manitoba amended The WorkersCompensation Act to improve benefits for workers including:
• 100 per cent wage replacement for minimum wage earners
• benefit reductions eliminated for injured workers aged 45 and older
• benefit reductions eliminated for longer claims
Amendments also changed the WorkersCompensation Board (WCB) governance framework and strengthened a mandate for injury prevention. The WCB now works very closely with the Workplace Safety and Health Division on prevention efforts through the SAFE Work Program.
In 2007, the Manitoba government enacted new workplace safety and health regulations. The new regulations address emerging workplace safety and health issues such as ergonomics, violence and harassment.
They also provide stronger protection forparticularly hazardous work environments, including confined entry and working with asbestos.
These legislative and regulatory changes provide clear direction to employers and workers, improve the benefit system for injured workers and further safeguard working Manitobans from injuries and illnesses in the workplace. The changes also bring Manitoba into the mainstream of Canadian occupational safety and health law.