The government is looking for recommendations for people to sit on the technical working groups to help design Alberta’s new farm safety legislation.
A professional facilitator will lead the six groups, and each one will make recommendations that will be used to design the legislation.
The committees will reflect the diversity of farm and ranch owners and employees from a cross section of agricultural industries. Members will be selected based on geography, gender, farm operation size, commodity and ownership structure. Academics, industry professionals, safety associations and safety delivery organizations will also be considered, the government said in a news release.
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Each working group will address specific areas.
The Labour Relations Code group will determine how to ensure Alberta’s laws are compliant with recent Supreme Court decisions, which include a farm worker’s ability to unionize.
The Employment Standards Code group will determine how employment standards can be implemented in ways that make sense for agriculture.
Two groups will study existing requirements and exceptions of the Occupational Health and Safety Code and how it should apply to farm and ranch work.
One group will review the current best practices of health and safety operations on farms and ranches. It will provide advice on the best practices in agriculture.
Another group will review the current Occupational Health and Safety education and training tools available for farms and ranches and provide recommendations on which education, training and certification requirements would be useful for agriculture.
Participants are expected to have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the diversity of agriculture in the province and an understanding of labour relations, employment standards or occupational health and safety standards.
The groups will meet in March for a two-day meeting and then in June, July and August for one or two-day meetings. Additional meetings or conference calls may be required.
