Frequently Asked Questions

Immunization has saved more lives in Canada in the last 50 years than any other health measure. Canada has a very thorough system to approve new vaccines for human use. Only vaccines that have been shown to be safe are approved. Once approved for use, all vaccines are closely monitored by public health officials and Health Canada for their safety. The COVID-19 vaccines currently used in Canada have been administered to millions of people around the world and have been shown to be both safe and effective.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has recommended a temporary suspension of the use of the AstraZeneca/SII Covishield vaccines in Canadians under 55. This is a precautionary measure, as the vaccine may be associated with rare cases of blood clots, totaling less than 30 cases worldwide out of 20 million people who received the vaccine. Speak with your health care provider if you:
  • Have an immune system weakened by disease or medical treatment;
  • Have an autoimmune condition;
  • Are pregnant, may be pregnant or are planning to become pregnant;
  • Are breastfeeding;
  • Have received a monoclonal antibody or convalescent plasma for treatment or prevention of COVID-19;
  • Have received a vaccine in the last 14 days; or
  • Have symptoms of COVID-19.
Currently, we don’t know of any cross-industry events (i.e. events between different industries including construction) that provides best practices and learnings, however, all Make It Safe Health and Safety Conferences (MIS) have specific workshops relating to best practices for health and safety in manufacturing that provide opportunities for members to connect and share their own learnings with each other. All upcoming MIS conferences will also have specific sessions about OSSE/COR in manufacturing.
Employers may elect to have the permanent employee who is responsible for their OHS management system trained as an internal auditor. In a company with more than 20 employees, internal auditors are only able to conduct maintenance audits. In companies with fewer than 20 employees, internal auditors are qualified to conduct all types of audits—including certification, annual maintenance, and recertification.
Yes. Please contact our Services team, and a Safety Advisor will contact you to support you with the appropriate template. If you have fewer than 20 employees, you may also reach out directly to the OHS Audit Department for templates and support.
Serious side effects due to the vaccines were not seen in the clinical trials. The people who received the vaccines in the clinical trials continue to be monitored for any longer-term side effects. A number of processes are in place in Canada to monitor the safety of the vaccines as more people get immunized. Common reactions to the vaccines may include soreness, redness, swelling and itchiness where the vaccine was given. For some people, these reactions may show up eight or more days after getting the vaccine. Other reactions may include tiredness, headache, fever, chills, muscle or joint soreness, swollen lymph nodes under the armpit, nausea and vomiting. These reactions are mild and generally last one to two days. If you have concerns about any symptoms you develop after receiving the vaccine, speak with your health-care provider or call 8-1-1 for advice. It is important to stay in the clinic for 15 minutes after getting any vaccine because about 1 in a million people can have a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. This may include hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of the throat, tongue or lips. Should this reaction occur, the health-care providers on site are prepared to treat it. If symptoms develop after you leave the clinic, call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number. Always report serious or unexpected reactions to your health-care provider.
If it is determined through a first aid assessment that a kit is required, employers must have one kit (at minimum), readily available to the designated first aid attendant. Employers are also able to provide additional kits or equipment to supplement basic requirements. As part of the process in conducting a first aid assessment and involving JHSC/worker consultation, determine what would be the most ideal location for portable first aid kits, e.g., possibly located near, or outside of hazardous areas.
Yes — this is a very common inflection point for growing businesses. Early success often relies on key individuals and informal ways of working. As organizations scale, that model starts to strain, and greater clarity around structure, decision-making, and processes becomes essential. A good starting point is to define how work flows across the business, clarify roles and decision rights, and establish consistent communication pathways. This helps avoid common pitfalls such as organizing work around personalities or assigning responsibility without the authority to act. Many companies at this stage seek support from organizational design or management consultants who specialize in growth-stage businesses. Because this work is highly specialized, it’s worth looking for advisors with direct experience supporting growing businesses.
Patient privacy is protected under the provincial Health Act, so we are not able to share a list of who attended each clinic.
WorkSafeBC has been working with BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) in the amended first aid regulations. As indicated in the guideline, under G3.16 First Aid Assessment, Determining additional first aid service requirements — Section 3.16(1)(b):
Employers must consider known barriers that may affect BCEHS response time, or time to transport to hospital such as hours of operation, doctor availability, hospital diversion protocols, or routine closures of BCEHS stations that would significantly impact transport time to hospital. These factors may be temporary or permanent, but when they are known or reasonably foreseeable, they should be factored into the employer’s risk assessment. “Reasonably foreseeable” includes those that are known to the employer or workers through previous experience or observation, or that are widely publicized in the news or social media outlets. Where barriers to transport are identified, the employer should take all reasonable measures to eliminate or otherwise minimize the impact of these barriers on the time it may take to transport a worker to medical treatment. Consider providing supplemental emergency transportation to safely transport an injured worker to hospital or to meet BCEHS enroute and/or a higher level of first aid attendant and equipment to better manage injuries while waiting for BCEHS. First aid procedures should be updated as well to consider these barriers (e.g., in the event of a worker injury, consider hospital emergency room availability in transport decisions).
BCEHS working towards more ambulance services - More ambulance services coming soon to rural and remote communities across B.C. (bcehs.ca)

Beards do break the seal, especially for those masks which require a tighter seal all around the face seal. However, this is more so applicable to those scenarios when a tight seal around the face seal is required. For example, protection against welding fumes, certain chemicals, in health care settings etc. 

In context of COVID-19, when using surgical masks and cloth masks (which are quite common), the intent is to cover the nose and mouth. These are not designed as N95’s (which are more standardized). It some cases, even when wearing surgical or cloth masks, with no beard, the mask is still ill-ftting, with gaps near the nose or the sides of your cheeks.  It can be argued that with no beard, you can possibly achieve a better seal. Regardless, in context of the requirements in response to COVID-19, there is no mandate for the requirement of having no facial hair when wearing a facial mask/covering.  

In terms of obligations, it’s a good idea to create awareness that masks are not 100% effective, and have their limitations. Regardless of having a beard or not, the mask mandate is still applicable to them, unless exempt.  

Please reach out to the Alliance to be set-up with an advisor, if you would like further clarity on this question.