Workplace Health Strategies

Everyone has a role to play in promoting a healthy workplace.

Healthy workplaces are physical and social environments that support individual and organizational health.

On this page:

• Information for Employees
• Information for Employers
• Information on Partners in Workplace Health Research

Information for Employees

Every workplace is either regulated by the Federal or Provincial government. The list below presents the relevant workplace health regulations, as well as a list of who you can contact if you have any questions.

• Federally regulated industries include inter-provincial services (railways, telephone, shipping services, ferries), radio and television broadcasting, air transport, banks, crown corporations, etc. If you are a federally regulated employee, the  Canada Labour Code and the  Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations apply to your workplace. Employees in federally regulated industries can contact the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada  Labour Offices across Canada regarding your rights and responsibilities as an employee under federal legislation.
• If you work for the federal government, your employer, the  Treasury Board of Canada, has created additional policies and directives unique to your workplace. You also have access to the services of the Public Service Health Program and the Employee Assistance Services
• Provincially regulated industries include all industries not under federal jurisdiction. For example, this includes restaurant and retail workers, health professionals, teachers, construction and utility workers, farmers, etc. Each province has its own provincial occupational health and safety legislation. Contact your  provincial authority for questions concerning your rights as an employee under provincial legislation.

While most factors influencing workplace health are outside the sphere of employee control, building healthy relationships and choosing healthy lifestyle practices are tangible ways to improve individual and organizational health. To find out more, visit the Healthy Living section of the Health Canada Web site.

Information for Employers

As an employer you play an important role in creating a healthy working environment. The pay off for you and your organization is:

• higher job satisfaction;
• lower absenteeism and turnover;
• improved job performance;
• lower accident rates; and,
• reduced health benefit and worker compensation costs.

You are required by law to meet either federal or provincial standards depending on the nature of your company's business activities. The list below presents relevant workplace health regulations, as well as a list of who you can contact if you have any questions.

• Federally regulated industries include inter-provincial services (railways, telephone, shipping services, ferries, etc), radio and television broadcasting, air transport, banks, crown corporations, etc. If one of these activities describe your business, you are responsible for the standards in the  Canada Labour Code and the  Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.

  Human Resources and Skills Development Canada's  Labour Offices can provide you with information relating to your legal obligations. They also have an  employer's guide that we encourage you to read.

• Provincially regulated industries include all industries not included under federal jurisdiction. For example, this includes restaurants and retail stores, health care facilities, schools, construction and utility companies, etc. Each province has its own provincial occupational health and safety legislation that as an employer you should be familiar with. You can contact your  provincial authority for questions concerning your obligations as an employer under provincial legislation.

No matter what jurisdiction your organization is regulated by, we recommend you visit the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety for a useful index of  tools and toolkits for employers

Partners in Workplace Health Research

Health Canada collaborates with researchers across Canada to develop tools and information about workplace health to assist organizations in creating a healthier workplace environment. Please refer to other sections of this Web site for some of this work by researchers such as:

• Dr. Linda Duxbury (Carleton University);
• Dr. Christopher Higgins (University of Western Ontario);
• Dr. Graham Lowe (University of Alberta); and,
• Dr. Martin Shain (University of Toronto).