www.alberta.ca

©2019 Government of Alberta

LI051 – February – ISBN 978-1-4601-4244-8

IRS is the structure that supports all other OHS activities in the

workplace.

In Canada, occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation relies on a foundation known as the internal responsibility system (IRS). The IRS requires that everyone in the workplace is responsible, according to their authority, control and accountability, to ensure a healthy and safe workplace. The degree of control persons have over work sites varies, with employers having the greatest responsibilities; however, every worker must ensure their own health and safety and the health and safety of those around them.

The IRS may be supported by structures, such as health and safety committees (HSCs) and health and safety (HS) representatives, that serve as an internal observer and a forum for shared problem solving for OHS hazards and issues. Both worker and employer representatives work together to identify and address OHS issues for the benefit of all those who are on the work site.

Each party at a work site must rely on the other to ensure they are holding up their part, according to their degree of responsibility and control. HSCs and HS representatives are some of the ways that workers and employers engage in the IRS.

THE INTERNAL RESPONSIBILITY SYSTEM: What is the IRS?

The core of IRS is that workers and employers, are responsible for health and safety at the work site. It is about everyone’s personal responsibility and inspires everyone to participate in OHS, even when no one is looking.

For example, if a worker sees a slip hazard on the floor, even if it is not in their area of work, they should remove it before an incident occurs. If the worker does not have the authority or control to address the hazard, they promptly notify someone, such as a supervisor. Responding to hazards or reporting them is a key action within the IRS.

The purpose of the IRS is to address OHS hazards quickly and internally, and not to rely on external enforcement to maintain health and safety standards. The IRS makes health and safety everyone’s job, not something that resides with a single worker, HSC members, government or a consultant.

Occupational health and safety (OHS) and the internal responsibility system (IRS)

OHS information for workers and employers

KEY INFORMATION

Everyone in the workplacecontributes to health andsafety.

The responsibility for OHSgrows with level of control and

authority in the workplace.

Archive

d vers

ion

Internal responsibility system

www.alberta.ca

Internal responsibility system does the following:

• contributes to the site safety culture

• establishes responsibility sharing systems

• helps to develop self-reliance and ensure compliance with applicable laws

• promotes best practice; and

• helps develop self-reliance

HOW DOES IT WORK: What is the IRS process?

The OHS Act lays out the rights and responsibilities for each work site party in relation to the workplace.

Rather than rely on an outside agency to enforce health and safety rules in a workplace, the IRS gives everyone a role in workplace health and safety. It is in the best interest of everyone to work towards a healthy and safe workplace.

The OHS Act does not outline an exact way to maintain an IRS, as each workplace is unique. It holds employers responsible for determining steps to ensure the health and safety of all workers. Requirements in the OHS legislation speak to roles and responsibilities of employers, supervisors, contractors and worker obligations among other work site party responsibilities.

EVERYONE HAS A ROLE: What is my responsibility?

For OHS, everyone shares responsibility; however, the responsibilities of various work site parties (such as a worker and an employer) are different.

As the amount of authority and control an individual may have in the workplace increases, so do their responsibilities to the IRS and workplace health and safety.

Some examples of these responsibilities for different work site parties could be:

• Employer – short and long-term activities – workplace culture – materials and access to resources

such as people and policies – provide a healthy and safe work

environment

• Supervisor/Manager – immediate activities of workers – hours of work – training – problem-solving

• Supplier/Contractor

– equipment, work or materials supplied

– resource allocation – responding to issues and hazards

• Worker

– their own actions – cooperation – correcting and reporting; and – communicating hazards

IRS INTO ACTION: What do I do now?

The IRS is a group effort. For it to work, it requires individuals to work together to champion IRS for themselves and in their workplaces. The IRS normalizes health and safety practices as part of day-to-day work activities and responsibilities.

Archive

d vers

ion

Internal responsibility system

www.alberta.ca

Modeling and highlighting examples of personal responsibility for workplace safety are good ways to initiate and promote positive change in workplace culture.

A checklist has been included to help guide your workplace’s IRS and highlight where your organization may be doing well and where it could use improvement. The items in the checklist are included because they help organizations meet health and safety requirements, which can be an indicator of how well the IRS is working.

The checklist provided is a template tool to be used as is or adapted to fit a specific workplace or work site. The checklist can be used by any work site party, such as an HSC or HS representative, employer, or worker and supervisor conducting a work site inspection.

The checklist contains information on:

participation - including the roles and responsibilities to help employers and workers understand their responsibilities in the workplace, and their right to be informed

reporting and records management - to help employers understand requirements when there is a workplace incident such as an injury or when a potentially serious incident could have happened

hazards in the workplace - to ensure procedures are in place to control hazards;

training requirements for workers to complete - including specific training on hazards found in the workplace

monitoring and evaluation of the IRS and

how to improve

Archive

d vers

ion

Internal responsibility system

www.alberta.ca

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Do I need a joint work site health and safety committee or a health and safety representative? (LI037) ohs-pubstore.labour.alberta.ca/LI037

Due Diligence (LI015) ohs-pubstore.labour.alberta.ca/LI015

Employer’s guide to occupational health and safety (LI009) ohs-pubstore.labour.alberta.ca/li009

Hazard assessment elimination and control (BP018) ohs-pubstore.labour.alberta.ca/bp018

Role and duties of government occupational health and safety officers (LI046) ohs-pubstore.labour.alberta.ca/LI046

Worker’s guide to occupational health and safety (LI008)

ohs-pubstore.labour.alberta.ca/li008

Worker participation in health and safety (LI041) ohs-pubstore.labour.alberta.ca/LI041

© 2019 Government of Alberta This material is for information only. The information provided in this material is solely for the user’s information and convenience and, while thought to be accurate and functional, it is provided without warranty of any kind. The Crown, its agents, employees or contractors will not be liable to you for any damages, direct or indirect, arising out of your use of the information contained in this material. If in doubt with respect to any information contained within this material, or for confirmation of legal requirements, please refer to the current edition of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Regulation and Code or other applicable legislation. Further, if there is any inconsistency or conflict between any of the information contained in this material and the applicable legislative requirement, the legislative requirement shall prevail. This material is current to February 2019. The law is constantly changing with new legislation, amendments to existing legislation, and decisions from the courts. It is important that you keep yourself informed of the current law. This material may be used, reproduced, stored or transmitted for non-commercial purposes. The source of this material must be acknowledged when publishing or issuing it to others. This material is not to be used, reproduced, stored or transmitted for commercial purposes without written permission from the Government of Alberta.

Contact Us

OHS Contact Centre

Throughout Alberta

1-866-415-8690 Edmonton & surrounding area

780-415-8690 Deaf or hearing impaired:

1-800-232-7215 (Alberta)

780-427-9999 (Edmonton)

PSI Online Reporting Service alberta.ca/report-potentially-serious-incidents.aspx

Website alberta.ca/occupational-health-safety.aspx

Get Copies of OHS Act, Regulation and Code

Alberta Queen’s Printer qp.gov.ab.ca

Occupational Health and Safety alberta.ca/ohs-act-regulation-code.aspx

Archive

d vers

ion

Internal responsibility system

www.alberta.ca

Internal Responsibility System - Checklist The checklist tool below will help an employer determine if they meet health and safety requirements, and includes questions to guide and determine how well you, or your workplace, are complying with OHS legislation, have a functional IRS system, and are meeting due diligence requirements. These questions can be asked of anyone at a work site – worker, supervisor, or employer.

Yes No N/A Commitment and Participation

Do you understand your authority, your responsibility and your accountability as part of the IRS?

Are workers assigned and aware of job-specific standard operating procedures and other responsibilities for health and safety?

Is the company leadership (CEO/Directors/President) committed to an IRS for the prevention of illness and injury?

Do workers participate in the development or within an established health and safety program(s) as required? (e.g. harassment and violence)

Are you familiar with your organizations OHS policies, practices and procedures? Is it posted or available to be viewed?

Is there an established health and safety management system (OHS program) in place to support an OHS policy?

Are managers and supervisors of workers at the workplace committed to the IRS for the prevention of illness or injury?

Is the performance of management OHS responsibilities and those of other workers monitored?

Are there policies in place to address work refusal and disciplinary action, reporting of unsafe equipment or practices, and a compliant resolution?

Is the HSC or HS representative(s) functioning and available as required?

Yes No N/A Reporting and Records Management

Do workers report and document hazards and contraventions?

Does management respond promptly to reports of OHS issues?

Do you know of any occurrence of reprisal for reporting?

Are records kept for those required by OHS legislation?

Yes No N/A Hazard Assessment and Controls

Is there a hazard analysis program?

Are the individual(s) conducting hazard assessments trained and competent?

Is there a record of unresolved OHS issues or concerns? Is there a system to track identified hazards, unsafe conditions/issues and the corrective action taken?

Archive

d vers

ion

Internal responsibility system

www.alberta.ca

Yes No N/A Instruction and Training

Is instruction and training sufficient for the level of responsibility of each particular work site party?

Are managers/supervisors provided training to effectively perform their OHS duties?

Is there access to health and safety information and resources?

Do workplace parties demonstrate skills and knowledge necessary to perform the job healthy and safely?

Yes No N/A Monitor, Evaluate, and Improve

Is the OHS program reviewed regularly?

Are workers competently trained and supervised?

Are work site parties involved in investigation of workplace incidents and fatalities? Are corrective actions identified?

Are senior managers accountable to monitoring OHS performance of management responsibilities?

Do senior management regularly review and improve OHS policies and programs?

Are leading and lagging indicators of OHS performance measures used?

Archive

d vers

ion