Labour Minister Harry Bains says B.C.含羞草研究社檚 new hardhat rules make workplaces more inclusive, especially for those who wear turbans or other religious head coverings, but some construction companies and workers fear safety will be risked.
Starting Sept. 1, employers will be required to review each area of a job site when determining if a person must wear safety headgear in that area.
Safety headgear-related changes WorkSafeBC is making to B.C.含羞草研究社檚 Occupational Health and Safety Regulation were .
Employers will determine, through a risk assessment, what safety precautions could be taken to prevent head injuries and whether a hardhat is necessary.
含羞草研究社淐reating more inclusive workplaces is a priority for our government, and we have been advocating for a change to the safety headgear regulations for a long time,含羞草研究社� Bains stated. 含羞草研究社淲e are building an economy that benefits everyone, which includes ensuring safe workplaces are inclusive to people regardless of their faith.含羞草研究社�
The Sikh community has raised concerns about not being able to fully participate in the workforce because of some employers含羞草研究社� approach to the safety headgear requirement, a government news release notes.
WorkSafeBC held public and stakeholder consultations about the issue in 2020 and early 2021, and the .
The use of a hardhat as personal protective equipment is the least effective compared to other safety controls, according to Baltej Dhillon, retired RCMP officer and WorkSafeBC board member.
.
含羞草研究社淭his change will also allow members of the Sikh community who wear a turban to engage in dialogue with their employers to address workplace risks, which can, in turn, eliminate the need for a hardhat in certain scenarios,含羞草研究社� Dhillon said in the government news release. 含羞草研究社淭his change supports worker safety and will allow more Sikhs to come to work without having to compromise their religious beliefs.含羞草研究社�
Balpreet Singh Boparai, legal counsel with World Sikh Organization of Canada, also weighed in.
含羞草研究社淭hese regulatory changes support workplace health and safety and benefit not just Sikhs, but all B.C. workers,含羞草研究社� Boparai stated. 含羞草研究社淭his step makes British Columbia a leader in the accommodation of the turban, and I含羞草研究社檓 confident that government, employers and workers will work together to make these new regulations a success.含羞草研究社�
Last fall, created a video showing the importance of safety headgear in construction, and interviewed two turban-wearing Sikhs at the King George Hub job site in Surrey. Both endorsed the use of hardhats for Sikhs and suggested shortened turbans as a way for them to fit better.
Said in September: 含羞草研究社淟abour Minister Harry Bains has proposed changes to the hardhat regulations in response to concerns raised by some in the Sikh community, but the COCA maintains the changes just aren含羞草研究社檛 practical and would endanger the workers themselves as well as their counterparts onsite.含羞草研究社�
COCA president Dave Baspaly said despite the best safety, engineering and mitigation methods, items are still falling from heights and, at the end of the day, a hardhat is the last line of defence.
含羞草研究社淚n our world we can have a co-existence of religious freedom and safety and, when done properly, when everybody含羞草研究社檚 educated, nobody含羞草研究社檚 disenfranchised and everybody goes home safe,含羞草研究社� Baspaly said in the COCA website post of a Journal of Commerce story.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
Like us on Follow us on and follow Tom on
