Despite objections from UNA and other unions, AHS drastically cuts training for Joint Workplace Health and Safety Committees

On September 19, 2024, Alberta Health Services informed United Nurses of Alberta it is reducing training for employees who sit on Joint Workplace Health and Safety Committees (JWHSCs) to two hours of online training.

This is a significant departure from the previous 16 hours of training for JWHSC members that AHS previously provided and was made in spite of opposition from unions including UNA, the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees.

JWHSCs play a critical role in the internal responsibility system that keeps workplaces safe and healthy and AHS’s decision to lower the minimum training standards will weaken the effectiveness of these committees and ultimately put worker safety at risk.

Sweeping changes were made to Alberta’s OHS Legislation with the passage of Bill 47 in 2021 by the United Conservative Party government, which removed the 16 hours of training for JWHSC representatives. However, the legislation set out minimum standards for employers like AHS, which can choose to exceed those standards.

UNA is deeply concerned that AHS has chosen to provide the bare minimum for training, despite the significant and increasing risks health care workers face in their jobs, especially as it relates to violence and harassment. According to a 2019 Government of Canada Report of the Standing Committee on Health, health care workers have a fourfold higher rate of workplace violence than any other profession.

In a 2024 survey of UNA members, more than 40 per cent reported experiencing physical violence (such as pushing, hitting, or having things thrown at them) in the previous 12 months. That number rose to 70 per cent when you include name-calling, insults, threats, or intimidation. With proper training, JWHSCs play an important role in reviewing incidents of workplace violence and harassment and making recommendations to prevent future incidents.

AHS is now at the bottom in terms of training standards when compared to most other jurisdictions and health care employers in Canada. For example, Saskatchewan currently provides 5 days of training to those who sit on JWHSCs.

We want to remind UNA members who sit on JWHSCs that despite the decision by AHS to reduce training to two hours, you are entitled to take additional training, paid for by the Employer, that you deem necessary to assist you in performing your duties on the Committee. These requests must not be unreasonably denied by AHS. The attached AHS bulletin provides some information on supplemental training provided by AHS.

Please contact your Local or UNA Provincial Office (Phone: 1-800-252-9394; Email: ProvincialOffice@una.ca) and ask to speak to an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Advisor if you are denied supplemental training requests.

UNA provides two full-day provincially funded OH&S workshops for members that sit on JWHSCs: OHS Basic & OHS Advanced. Please check DMS Events for the most up-to-date workshop schedule and to register yourself for a future workshop.