Health and Safety Policy/Management Commitment

Westech Industrial Ltd. (Westech) is committed to a strong health and safety program that protects our staff, property, the environment and the general public from accidents. It is our belief that every employee, contractor, visitor, and self-employed person is entitled to a safe work environment, free from any foreseeable hazards (including those affecting physical, psychological and social well-being) that may result in property damage, accidents, or personal injury/illness.

In fulfilling this commitment, we will provide and maintain a safe and healthy work environment. Management supports the program’s success but providing the leadership and resources required including proper safety equipment and safety training.

Our health and safety program has been developed in accordance with industry standards, legislative requirements and best practices; however this manual is not to be considered as a substitute for any applicable government regulations.

We will encourage and support a preventive approach towards workplace injury and illness through cooperation and consultation in all health and safety related matters between management, supervisors, employees, contractors, visitors and self-employed persons. Our objective is an injury and accident free workplace. We can accomplish our goal through continuous safety and loss control effort, and dedicated teamwork.

Our health and safety program will involve:

• Providing controls as determined by hazard assessments
• Conducting inspections to identify, assess and eliminate or control all foreseeable hazards
• Training all employees, contractors, visitors and self-employed persons in required health and safety practices
• Employing competent personnel who are equipped to complete their jobs in a safe manner
• Providing necessary personal protective equipment and instructions for its use and care
• Developing and enforcing health and safety rules and requiring that employees follow these rules as a condition of employment
• Encouraging the active participation and support of our employees, contractors and self-employed persons by promoting and implementing an effective safety program by working with our Health and Safety Committee or the Health and Safety Rep as the case may be
• Investigating every accident promptly and thoroughly to find out what caused it and to correct the problem so that it will not happen again
• All management, supervisors, employees, contractors, visitors and self-employed persons knowing their responsibilities and being held accountable for following them.

Obligation, Responsibility and Accountability for Health and Safety

Westech Management (employer) responsibilities include:

• Senior Management have employer responsibilities under the Act
• Ensuring the health, safety and welfare of employees, any other workers, other employer or any person present at worksites where Westech work is being carried out and other persons in the vicinity of worksites who might be materially affected by identifiable and controllable hazards originating from the worksite
• Ensuring that no employees, visitors, contractors or self-employed persons are subjected to harassment or violence at the work site
• Cooperating with the Health and Safety Committee or Health and Safety Rep in all matters and to resolve health and safety concerns in a timely manner
• Advising the Prime Contractor on a work site of the names of all Westech supervisors
• Making funds and processes available to effectively accommodate the company’s health and safety needs
• Setting and communicating annual goals for improvement and constructively analyzing the results
• Encouraging employee and contractor involvement in the safety process
• Ensuring that all operations, including those of contractors and sub-contractors, meet government safety requirements
• Ensuring that all incidents are reported and, where necessary, investigated and that corrective action is taken to prevent recurrence
• Ensuring that workers engaged in the work of that employer are adequately trained in all matters necessary to perform their work in a healthy and safe manner
• Ensuring that training needs are identified and met
• Taking any necessary actions to correct and dangerous working conditions brought to their attention
• Understanding, implementing, enforcing and ensuring that employees, contractors and self-employed persons are aware of their rights and duties under the AB OHS Act, the Regulations, the OHS Code, Codes of Practice, Standard Operating Procedures, associated Safe Work Practices, and Safety Rules
• Providing appropriate supervision at work sites and ensuring that supervisors are competent and familiar with the AB OHS Act, the Regulations and the OHS Code as it pertains to the work being performed
• Providing appropriate and well-maintained safety equipment for each task
• Cooperating with any person exercising a duty imposed by the AB OHS Act, the Regulations, and the OHS Code
• Evaluating and monitoring the company’s Substance Abuse and Violence/Harassment in the Workplace programs on an on-going basis, and
• Completing a risk assessment at least every year for all safety sensitive job positions.

Westech Supervisor’s responsibilities include:

• Taking all precautions necessary to protect the health and safety of the workers under their supervision (including employees, contractors and self-employed persons)
• Ensuring that their direct reports are “fit for duty” as related to their assigned tasks
• Identifying and meeting safety and operational training needs
• Identifying and correcting hazards and dangerous work conditions
• Correcting unsafe acts in a proactive, positive manner
• Clearly understanding their respective annual health and safety goals and working diligently towards achieving them each year
• Understanding, implementing, enforcing and ensuring that employees, contractors and self-employed persons are aware of their rights and duties under the AB OHS Act, the Regulations, the OHS Code, Codes of Practice, Standard Operating Procedures, associated Safe Work Practices, and Safety Rules
• Complying with the AB OHS Act, the Regulations and the OHS Code
• Cooperating with any person exercising a duty imposed by the AB OHS Act, the Regulations, and the OHS Code
• Ensuring that appropriate and well-maintained equipment is available and used to perform the work activity
• Meeting regulatory compliance and company conformance requirements
• Ensuring that workers are informed about job hazards and are prepared to deal with any site-specific hazards on the work site
• Ensuring that workers apply all hazard controls to the workplace as specified in each applicable hazard assessment
• Reporting concerns to Westech about unsafe or harmful work site acts or conditions that occur or have occurred
• Ensuring that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is readily available at the work site and taking reasonable steps to ensure that it is correctly used, stored, maintained and replaced when necessary
• Ensuring that none of the workers under their supervision are subjected to or participate in harassment or violence, and
• Reporting all incidents. This may include conducting investigations into the facts leading up to and including the incident and determining the root cause to prevent a recurrence.

Westech employee/worker responsibilities include:

• Taking reasonable care to protect the health and safety of yourself and others at or near a work site
• Cooperating with Westech and supervisors in protecting the health and safety of yourself and others working for Westech and those not working for Westech who are present at your work site
• Reporting for work “fit for duty” and notifying their direct supervisor of any mental or physical conditions that may impact the performance of their assigned work tasks
• Refraining from causing or participating in violence or harassment
• Adhering to all regulations, guidelines and safety standards as required by government regulatory agencies and those communicated by management and supervisors
• Applying all hazard controls as instructed as specified by the applicable hazard assessments
• Following all appropriate Codes of Practice, Standard Operating Procedures, associated Safe Work Practices and safety rules contained in the company’s Health and Safety manual
• Reporting to your employer or supervisor a concern about an unsafe or harmful work site act that occurs or has occurred or an unsafe or harmful work site condition that exists or has existed and, if possible, correcting the unsafe condition
• Observing the activities of fellow employees and contractors to ensure their safety and the safety of those around them and correcting unsafe acts in a proactive, positive manner to prevent an incident from occurring
• Refusing to perform work or particular work that he or she believes on reasonable grounds constitutes an undue hazard at the work site or constitutes an undue hazard to the workers’ health and safety or to the health and safety of another worker or another person, Is dangerous to the health and safety of themselves or their fellow workers
• Reporting all incidents, injuries and illnesses to their supervisor
• Participating in, and using, all training offered by the company
• Not performing work that may endanger the worker or others when not competent to do so, except when under the direct supervision of a worker who is competent to perform the work
• At all times, when the nature of the requires, use all devices and wear all Personal Protective Equipment designated and provided for your protection by your employer, or required to be used or worn by the worker by the Act, the Regulations and OHS Code, and
• Complying with any person exercising a duty under the AB OHS Act, the Regulations and the OHS Code

Contractor (contracting employers) and self-employed persons responsibilities include:

• Complying with the AB OHS Act, the Regulations and OHS Code
• When directing the activities of another employer involved in work at a work site, ensuring, as far as it is reasonably practicable to do so, that the employer complies with the AB OHS Act, the Regulations and OHS Code in respect of the work site
• Ensuring that the owner and any employer, Prime Contractor, supplier or service provider on a work site is informed of any existing or potential work site hazards that may affect workers or other persons at the work site
• Ensuring that the contractor’s work site processes and procedures do not create a hazard to the health and safety of any person
• Advising the Prime Contractor at a work site of the name of every employer or self-employed person whose activities are directed by the contractor
• Cooperating with any person who is exercising a duty under the AB OHS Act, the Regulations or the OHS Code
• Ensuring that their employees are mentally and physically fit for the duties being assigned to them
• Insisting on safe performance throughout their operations by ensuring employers and employees are competent to do their work properly and are aware of their responsibilities and accountabilities
• Ensuring that an effective and compliant health and safety program is in place or that they work to the standards of the company’s health and safety program
• Providing the time and resources required to enable employers and employees to conduct their activities safely
• Identifying and correcting hazards, dangerous work conditions and unsafe acts
• Ensuring that appropriate and well-maintained equipment is available and utilized to perform the work activity
• Ensuring that all incidents are reported and investigated, and corrective action is taken to prevent recurrence
• Ensuring that workers are informed of job hazards and are prepared to deal with any site specific hazards and emergencies on the work site
• Ensuring that workers are aware of Right to Refuse Dangerous Work legislation
• Ensuring that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is readily available at the work site, correctly used, stored, maintained and replaced when necessary
• Conduct the self-employed person’s work so as to ensure that the self-employed person or any other person is not exposed to hazards from activities at the work site
• When working on a project that has a Prime Contractor, advise the Prime Contractor that the self-employed person is working on the project
• Comply with all duties imposed on employers and workers by the AB OHS Act, the Regulations and the OHS Code as if the requirement were directly imposed upon the self-employed person, and
• Report to all affected employers and self-employed persons at the work site a concern about an unsafe or harmful work site act that occurs or has occurred or an unsafe or harmful work site condition that exists or has existed.

Westech Company employee/worker responsibilities regarding hosting visitors include:

It is the responsibility of the company employee to ensure all hosted visitors meet the following safety requirements and restrictions:

• Report to the work site office so their presence is noted and recorded
• Receive a site-specific safety orientation which includes:
• site hazards and controls
• local emergency procedures
• requirement to report incidents
• Follow the instructions of the site supervisor or personal escort
• Wear personal protective equipment (PPE) as and when required
• Remain in the presence of the sit supervisor or personal escort
• Visitors are not to be exposed to any unnecessary risk and are to be protected from all hazards
• Visitor entry into the work site will be restricted, as far as reasonably possible, to those areas of the work site relating to the business of the visitor, and
• Check out at the work site office prior to departing the work site.

This Health and Safety Policy will be reviewed annually.

The information in this policy does not take precedence over applicable government legislation, with which all workers should be familiar.