At its March 2013 meeting, WorkSafeBC's Board of Directors approved amendments to Occupational Health and Safety (“OHS”) Warning Letters Policy D12-196-11. The Board of Directors’ resolution is available for reference.

An OHS warning letter is a tool to motivate an employer to comply with the Workers Compensation Act and Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. The changes are to:

1. Clarify the criteria to issue an OHS warning letter.
2. Treat violations following a warning letter consistently with those following orders or penalties.
3. Confirm that WorkSafeBC will not ordinarily issue a warning letter to an employer after a prior warning letter, penalty, or prosecution for the same violation.
4. Remove the requirement to mail a warning letter to the joint committee or worker representative. (They will continue to receive a copy of the warning letter from the employer and it must be posted in the workplace.)

 A discussion paper relating to the proposed amendments was taken to public consultation from June to October, 2012.

These amendments became effective on May 1, 2013.