Fire Drills During COVID-19

Purpose: These documents clarify the expectations of the Edmonton and Calgary Fire Departments regarding the ability to perform Fire Drills during the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can view them both here : Edmonton, Calgary

COVID-19 Workplace Guidance for Business Owners

All employers in Alberta are required to take measures to proactively protect their employees and visitors from COVID-19, the Alberta Government has issued a guideline to help business owners navigate the requirements to protect the health and safety of all employees.  Check out the bulletin for more information.

Counterfeit Respirators

Counterfeit respirators are products that are falsely marketed and sold as being approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) or approved to some other acceptable standard, and may not be capable of providing appropriate respiratory protection to workers. NIOSH has identified a number of red flags including:

• No NIOSH markings

• NIOSH spelled incorrectly

• Presence of decorative fabric or other decorative add-ons

Additional information regarding counterfeit NIOSH approval can be found here.

KN95 respirators not meeting performance standards have also been identified. The Centre for Disease Control is testing many of these and the results are available here. If an employer suspects that a mask is fraudulent or uncertified, stop using it and report the information to Health Canada.

Go here for information on many of the current issues related to the safe use of disposable respirators.

-OHS/ES eNews

Workplace Guidance for Business Owners

This document has been developed to support business/services (excluding health care settings) in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 among workers, volunteers and patrons. The guidance in this document is applicable to other settings and sectors (e.g., schools and places of worship).

Please find the full article here.

COVID-19 Orders and Legislation

The Chief Medical Officer of Health has issued Order 18-20, which rescinds Orders 01-2020, 02-2020, and 07-2020. The appendix contains a list of businesses, entities and schools closed to the public.

For links to specific ministerial orders, orders in council and legislation that have been implemented to support Albertans, prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect our economy, visit the Alberta.ca COVID-19 orders and legislation page.

To stay up to date with new publications and OHS/ES developments subscribe to the OHS/ES eNews and find past issues here.

- OHS Prevention Services

N95 Respirator Alternatives

The Alberta Government is allowing the use of respirators meeting international standards as alternatives to N95 respirators approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

On May 3, a ministerial order took effect that temporarily amends the OHS Code during the COVID-19 public emergency. This amendment lists specific respirator standards, approved for use in other countries, that employers can use without needing to request an approval.

This amendment addresses the interim situation of domestic shortages of NIOSH-approved N95 respirators, and remains in effect until 60 days after the state of public emergency is over. Other requirements related to respiratory protection still apply, including a successful fit test on all mask types. The Ministerial Order can be viewed here.

-OHS Prevention Services

Proper Disinfecting of Synthetic Slings and Tie Downs to Prevent the Transmission of the COVID-19 Virus

Numerous parties have contacted WSTDA asking for advice on how to disinfect synthetic slings and tie downs to prevent the transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19. Find the full newsletter and required information here.

COVID-19 Free Weekly Mental Fitness Webinar

MHSA invites you to attend a free weekly webinar facilitated by Dr. Bill Howatt from Howatt HR which will examine how to maintain Mental Fitness during the COVID-19 Pandemic for organizations and individuals.

We thank AMHSA for presenting this weekly Mental Health Webinar Series in partnership with the Alberta Urban Municipality Association (AUMA) and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE).

Please click here for more information and to register.

Please note this webinar will be launched from the CSSE webpage, non-CSSE members can attend for free and just need to select the Non-Member Registration icon to register (see image below).

OHS E-News sign up: COVID-19

Alberta Labour and Immigration OHS would like to make every effort to connect you with the available resources and information related to COVID-19.  

Please find below a link that will allow you to sign up to receive the ENews: Click here

Need To Know Information From MHSA

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, MHSA’s goal continues to be ensuring the wellbeing of our employees, our members, our class participants; and heeding government recommendations to do our part in the community to help reduce the risk and spread. In an effort of being responsive in this evolving situation MHSA has made the difficult decision to cancel all in person classroom training until April 30, 2020. We will be reassessing our position on a weekly basis.

We are excited to announce that MHSA instructors will be hosting Virtual Classroom training starting April 14th, 2020. Please see our classroom calendar for availability or contact your Regional MHSA Administrative Assistant to register. For a list of Virtual Course Offerings please click here.

Virtual Classroom Training Requirements

• Access to a device with a screen (laptop, computer, tablet, smartphone, etc.)

• Strong internet connection
  

Please note the course manual will be shipped a minimum of 5 days prior to your course date. This is included in the cost of the course.

Virtual Classroom Cancellation Policy

• Once a manual has been shipped course cancellations will not be accepted
  

Additionally, we have postponed all Regional Update Meetings until further notice and appreciate your understanding.

The COR Department has created a Frequently Asked Questions document in response to the COR Contingency notice. All COR Updates can be found here moving forward. Please click here to download the COR FAQ document.

During this pandemic MHSA will be communicating pertinent information related to COVID-19 on our website https://www.mhsa.ab.ca/blog. Please check back often.

We appreciate your trust in the association as we work through these challenging times together and modify our business to accommodate our member’s needs. Please give us a call if you have any questions. 

The team at MHSA.