Occupational Health and Safety Act

25

The Minister

(a) is responsible for occupational health and safety, generally, and with the maintenance of reasonable standards for the protection of the health and safety of workers in Alberta,

(b) is responsible for the administration of this Act, the regulations and the OHS Code,

(c) shall review this Act and its administration or designate a body to do so at any time but at least once every 10 years and publish a report,

(d) shall publish a plan for the review of the OHS Code every 3 years,

(e) may, after consulting with such representatives of employers and of workers in the industries that will be affected, as the Minister considers appropriate, submit from time to time to the Government such recommendations as the Minister considers appropriate for the making of the OHS Code,

(f) may provide persons and organizations concerned with the purposes of this Act with information and advice pertaining to its administration and to the protection of the health and safety of workers generally,

(g) may prepare and maintain, or cause to be prepared and maintained, illness, death and incident statistics relating to workers and self-employed persons, and do so either alone or in conjunction with The Workers’ Compensation Board, other government ministries or any other agency, commission or organization, and

(h) may do such other things in connection with health and safety for the purposes of carrying out the provisions of this Act, the regulations and the OHS Code and the provisions of any other Act or regulations the administration for which the Minister has responsibility.

26(1)

In accordance with the Public Service Act, there may be appointed one or more Directors, Directors of Medical Services, officers and any other employees necessary for the administration of this Act.

26(2)

The Minister may, in writing, designate

(a) any employee of the Government as a person who may perform all or part of the duties and responsibilities of a Director or an officer, or

(b) any physician employed by the Government or any other physician as a person who may perform all or part of the duties and responsibilities of a Director of Medical Services.

27

A Director

(a) may issue and grant acceptances, allowances, approvals, inter-jurisdictional recognitions and licences in accordance with sections 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24,

(b) subject to section 31, may require a person to provide any information in the form and manner acceptable to the Director that the Director needs to perform duties or exercise powers under this Act, the regulations and the OHS Code,

(c) has all the powers of an officer as set out in this Act, and

(d) may perform such other functions as the Minister may direct for the proper administration of this Act, the regulations and the OHS Code.

28

An officer may

(a) make such inspections, investigations and inquiries and carry out such tests as are deemed necessary to ascertain whether compliance is being made with the provisions of this Act, the regulations and the OHS Code, and

(b) carry out such other duties as may be assigned to officers under this Act, the regulations and the OHS Code.