Procedure Development for Safer Workplaces

Total Group develops safety procedures for industrial, commercial and remote operations. The work is tailored to the way a task is performed at a particular workplace, the hazards workers may encounter and the controls the employer can put into practice.

A useful procedure gives people clear direction before work starts. It sets out the task, the sequence of work, the conditions that must be in place, the controls that apply and the responsibilities of the people involved. It can also give supervisors a consistent basis for orientation, field communication and review.

What procedure development can address

Total Group can help clients develop or revise procedures for defined work activities, operating processes and higher-risk or less-frequent tasks. Depending on the project, the work may include:

reviewing the task, equipment, materials, work environment and people affected by the work;
breaking the activity into practical steps and identifying existing and potential hazards;
selecting controls that address the hazard, with attention to elimination and engineering measures before relying on administrative controls or personal protective equipment;
setting out prerequisites, roles, authorizations, isolation or other safeguards that are relevant to the task;
adding inspection, communication, stop-work or emergency considerations where the work requires them; and
creating a controlled document that can be communicated, used in the field and reviewed when the work changes.

The final scope depends on the information available and the client’s existing health and safety program. A procedure document does not replace the employer’s responsibility to provide the right equipment, instruction, supervision and workplace controls.

A task-based process

Procedure development is strongest when it reflects the work as it is actually done. The review may begin with existing procedures, hazard assessments, job safety analyses, inspection findings, incident information, equipment or manufacturer instructions and discussions with supervisors and workers. Observing the task can help identify steps or conditions that are easy to miss in a desk review.

The task can then be arranged in a logical sequence. Each step is considered for possible harm, exposure and failure points, followed by controls that are specific enough to guide action. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety guidance describes this job safety analysis approach as selecting the job, breaking it into steps, identifying hazards, determining preventive measures and communicating the results to affected workers. CCOHS Job Safety Analysis guidance

Workers who perform the task, supervisors and the client’s health and safety representative or committee can provide information about normal conditions, non-routine work and whether a proposed control is workable. Their participation also helps the final procedure match the tools, access, communication methods and site conditions people will encounter.

Roles and document controls

The client remains responsible for confirming the worksite facts, assigning operational authority and approving the procedure for use. Supervisors typically help confirm the work sequence, communicate the procedure and verify that the required conditions and controls are in place. Workers contribute task knowledge, follow the approved procedure and report hazards or changes that make it unsuitable.

A procedure should identify its scope, owner, approval status, effective date, revision history and related forms or records. It should also state when the procedure must be reviewed. Changes to equipment, materials, process, layout, staffing or the work environment can change the hazard profile and require a new assessment or revision rather than continued reliance on an old document.

Regulatory and standards context

The legal requirements depend on the site, the employer, the type of work and the governing jurisdiction. In Alberta, the current online Occupational Health and Safety Code, Part 2 requires employers to assess a work site before work begins, prepare and date a hazard-assessment report, involve affected workers and repeat the assessment at specified intervals or when work or the site changes. Alberta’s handbook on hazard assessment and control is government guidance that explains how the process can support worksite-specific training, inspections and emergency planning. The Alberta requirements apply to Alberta workplaces; they are not a universal rule for every Canadian operation.

For workplaces under federal jurisdiction, Employment and Social Development Canada explains that Part II of the Canada Labour Code includes employer duties for information, training and supervision. Its Hazard Prevention Program guide describes a process for hazard identification and assessment, preventive measures, employee education and program evaluation, with participation by the applicable committee or representative. Federal requirements do not automatically govern provincially regulated work.

CCOHS material is national guidance rather than a substitute for the law that applies to a particular workplace. It identifies safe work procedures, hazard identification and control, training, inspections, emergency planning and program review as connected parts of a health and safety program. A client may also have contract requirements, internal standards or an incorporated consensus standard that must be checked before a procedure is approved.

Plan a procedure review

To discuss a procedure project, provide the task or process to be covered, the worksite and jurisdiction, who performs the work, existing documents and any known changes, incidents or recurring concerns. It is also useful to identify the intended users, approval owner, required forms, language or accessibility needs and whether the procedure will support orientation, field use, inspection or a broader program review.

Total Group can review the requirements with you and define the appropriate procedure-development scope before work begins. The applicable employer duties, technical limits and any need for qualified specialist or engineering input should be confirmed for the specific project.