Frequently Asked Questions
If the physical distancing requirements remain in effect, will there be another extension for OFA Certifications?
Occupational first aid certificate holders have been granted a 90-day extension to OFA certificates expiring between Mar 1 and Jun 30. Certificates will be accepted in the workplace for 90 days beyond the original expiry date. Certificates will not be reprinted and no action is required to qualify for an extension. This information has been posted to worksafebc.com.
Do barriers allow for less distance required between employees?
Utilize your joint health and safety committee or worker representative to identify risks and effective controls for your workplace.
To avoid large gatherings, how would you advise to proceed with monthly JHSC meetings?
If possible, use Teams, Zoom, Skype, or another tool to connect the team remotely where possible to avoid close contact. These tools allow recording, simplifying minute-taking, and communication with the rest of the staff. These meetings are especially important in this environment to ensure that employers and employees are working collaboratively to reduce anxiety and implement effective controls. If a meeting has to be held onsite, look for a meeting space that allows effective distancing. Any employee who is feeling unwell should not be in the room, or in the workplace at all.
Do employees who have been working in close proximity (<2 metres) to a positively diagnosed worker, have to go into self-isolation if they were wearing a face mask and face shield (ppe)?
Close contacts include people living together, family members who interact closely, people who work in close physical proximity to each other, and anyone providing direct care to, or having other close physical contact with another person. Whether a worker should self-isolate will depend on their particular situation.
There are many situations where a worker may be a close contact of a person who may have been exposed to or contracted COVID-19. For example:
- Someone returning from another country who is subject to quarantine and self-isolation requirements
- An essential worker who continues to travel
- A health care or social sector worker
- A person who has a confirmed or presumed diagnosis of COVID-19
- A person who is showing signs of illness, such as a fever or a new cough.
The BCCDC requires people who are contacts of a person who has a confirmed case of COVID-19 to self-isolate.
The Provincial Health Officer and BC Ministry of Health have published the following guidance documents on self-isolation for people who are or may have been exposed to COVID-19:
- Guide for caregivers and household members of those with COVID-19 ('close contacts') provides practical guidance for caring for or living with someone who has COVID-19 or respiratory symptoms
- Self-Isolation for Multi-Generational Households provides advice about how to self-isolate after arriving home from travelling, and guidance around how to self-isolate when living with others.
- Essential Workers Returning to BC sets out the requirements of the Federal Quarantine Act Order and the Provincial Health Officer Order for returning travelers and provides advice for essential workers who travel outside of BC around self-isolating
- Self-isolation for travelers returning to Canada or exposure to a COVID-19 case provides direction for people who have returned from travel outside of Canada, and anyone who has been exposed to COVID-19
- Social Service Providers provides guidance for social service providers, including workers in shelters and group homes, who may have exposure to COVID-19.
A person who is living with someone who is self-isolating may also consider self-isolating if they are not able to avoid contact with the person in their home, or if they believe there is an increased risk for developing COVID-19.
Do first aid attendants require additional training?
Yes, attendants should receive specific training and education on how they should protect themselves, and on proper disinfection protocols.
Do I need to continue wearing a mask and follow social distancing measures after I receive my vaccine?
Yes, public health orders, restrictions and guidelines remain in place for everyone, regardless if you have received the vaccine. Provincial guidelines on what those who have been vaccinated can and cannot do are current in development. At this time, it will still be important to wash your hands, adhere to physical distancing guidelines, wear a mask, and stay home when sick, even after receiving the vaccine. Data is still being gathered around the world about how long the protection lasts from COVID-19 vaccines or how well they work in preventing asymptomatic infection or reducing transmission of the virus. This means that all current enhanced safety measures and COVID-19 protocols will stay in place until a significant percentage of the population has been vaccinated for COVID-19 or until it is deemed safe to relax those rules.Do the 29 CFR 1910 OSHA regulation help for program design and COR certification?
29 CFR 1910 includes requirements that help in understanding a portion of COR/OSSE requirements, but it does not cover all COR/OSSE requirements.
Do we only assess travel time to ambulance stations or can we also use nearest hospital?
The definition of “remote” in the amended regulation is:A workplace to which, under normal travel conditions, an ambulance that is a motor vehicle cannot travel from its base in 30 minutes or less but does not include a ferry.An ambulance base means an ambulance station; therefore, you cannot calculate the distance to/from your worksite to the nearest hospital. Note: If the distance from the nearest ambulance station to your worksite is impacting you by moving you into a different workplace class (due to now being considered remote), then the distance from the nearest hospital would (e.g., from Class 1 to Class 2), you may consider applying for a variance.
Do workers that were laid off now have to be re-oriented by their employer if they are re-hired?
Use your joint health and safety committee or worker representative to identify risks and effective controls for your workplace.
Do you have any insight into how many manufacturing facilities have been issued closure orders? What can a business do to prevent a shut down from occurring if someone received Covid outside of work?
We don't have the specific number province wide, it's probably over 20 and less than 30. There may be new ones issued, so that number is changing. It's not an extremely high number, however it's the number of workplaces in general. in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, a large number of those have been restaurants, which has been a major area in seeing clusters. To my knowledge, none of our current closures affected the processing sector. We hope the success of the vaccination rollout measure has helped with this. We encourage everyone to get tested with symptoms, and carry out the same measures as before.Do you have strategies to help employers clarify the personal potential of new candidates?
One of the most reliable indicators of personal potential is learning agility — the capacity to grow into roles of greater complexity and responsibility. It shows up in how people handle first-time tasks, especially in changing or ambiguous situations. Agile learners seek new challenges, view problems from multiple angles, and adapt quickly when demands shift. What to look for: Evidence of embracing change and learning opportunities, stretching beyond comfort zones, learning from mistakes, and openness to feedback. How to assess it: Ask candidates to describe a time they faced something unfamiliar, what they tried, what they learned, and how they applied that learning later. Their reflection process often reveals more about potential than their past experience alone.Do you have suggestion for conducting JHSC meetings when worker memebers do not have computer access?
Section 37(2) (previously 131(2)) of the Act requires a joint committee to meet at least once a month.
A JHSC must develop its own Rules of Procedures, which should include rules on how and when meetings will be held.
Historically, most JHSC meetings were held in person, but the Act does not prevent teleconference or virtual meetings. A joint committee could temporarily adopt new procedures for virtual or telephone meetings for the duration of the pandemic.
In-person JHSC meetings may continue for a small number of people in a space large enough to allow safe physical distances.
Each workplace is different, and the employer and workers are in the best positions to find something that will be effective, given the unique nature of their work, workforce, and workplace.