COVID-19 and Your Workplace: BC’s Restart Plan and Safety Plans

Here are the latest updates on key COVID-19 topics affecting BC employers and employees, as of May 27, 2020:

1. Returning to Safe Operations

As part of Phase 2 of BC’s Restart Plan, WorkSafeBC has developed detailed guidelines in the following areas to help employers in British Columbia return to safe operations:

Assess the risk at your workplace
Implement measures to reduce risk
Develop policies
Develop communication plans and training
Monitor your workplace and update your plans as needed
Assess and address risks from resuming operations

Prior to re-opening, employers must develop a COVID-19 Safety Plan, which follows the 6 steps above, to outline the policies, guidelines and procedures they have put in place in the workplace to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. By order of Dr. Bonnie Henry, the Provincial Health Officer, employers must:

Post a copy of their COVID-19 Safety Plan on their website, if they have one, and at their workplace so that it is readily available for review by workers, other people who attend at the workplace and members of the public; and
Provide a copy of the COVID-19 Safety Plan to a health officer or a WorkSafeBC Officer, on request.

A downloadable fillable Safety Plan is available from WorkSafeBC to help develop your company’s COVID-19 Safety Plan.

Industry-specific Phase 2 health and safety guidelines and protocols are available for the following sectors:

Employers are not required to submit their Safety Plans for approval; however, B.C. Labour Minister Harry Bains has said that all businesses that are reopening will be subject to random inspections to ensure provincial guidelines and regulations are being followed.

Overall, it is still recommended to reduce the overall number of workers at the workplace at one time, to continue allowing work from home if possible, and to require any employee who experiences any illness symptoms to stay home. We recommend involving employees as much as possible in the re-opening conversations and in the development of appropriate workplace protocols and policies to reduce the risk of transmission at work.

Flexibility, compassion and patience will be key to a successful re-opening during BC’s Restart Plan.

2. Extension of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)

We previously described the details of the federal CEWS program which provides eligible employers with a 75% wage subsidy on eligible employee wages for a 12-week period from March 15, 2020 to June 6, 2020.

The program has been extended for another 12 weeks until August 29, 2020. Qualification criteria, including the requirement for a 30% revenue decline compared to the reference period, are being reviewed with further details to be announced by the federal government in the weeks to come. The list of eligible entities has also been expanded to include partnerships with one or more non-eligible members, Indigenous government-owned corporations, registered Canadian Amateur Athletic Associations, registered journalism organizations and non-public educational and training institutions.

The government is also proposing amendments to allow employers to choose one of two periods when calculating the baseline remuneration of their employees (either average weekly remuneration paid from January 1 to March 15, 2020, or from March 1 to May 31, 2019), to allow for the inclusion of seasonal workers or those returning from a leave of absence. Employers would be able to choose the period to use on an employee-by-employee basis.

More information on the extended eligibility for the CEWS can be found here.

3. COVID-19 Psychological First Aid Service

Many employees and employers are experiencing additional stress and anxiety as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the virtual mental health supports available in BC, the BC Psychological Association, in partnership with the University of British Columbia, is offering telephone calls, free of charge, to any BC resident (aged 19+) affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This Psychological First Aid service will provide callers with information and strategies to cope with the uncertainties and stress that many are currently feeling. Fill out the Request for Support Call to talk to a psychologist.

4. Provincial Health Officer Orders

In a Provincial State of Emergency, the Provincial Health Officer can make orders as needed which must be followed. Here is a link to all the BC provincial health orders, as well as notices and guidance, that have been issued.

5. Non-Medical Masks and Face Coverings

On May 20, 2020, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, and the Public Health Agency of Canada, officially recommended that Canadians wear non-medical face masks in the community during periods of time when it is not possible to consistently maintain a 2-metre physical distance from others, particularly in crowded public settings such as stores, shopping areas and public transportation. More information about the use of non-medical face masks can be found here.

Our previous newsletters on the coronavirus and the workplace can be found on our blog. As always, we are here to help you. Please contact us if you have any HR questions.