Guidelines come after 2 year review of current practice
The Alberta government has proposed clearer guidelines for employers at remote industrial sites who use their own emergency vehicles to seek help for injured or ill workers.
The new rules would allow passengers to ride in the rear compartment of a mobile treatment centre module (MTC) when certain conditions are met.
The Occupational Health and Safety Code requires employers to have another means of transportation when an ambulance is not available.
MTCs are sometimes used by employers to transport injured or ill workers from work sites to health-care facilities or rendezvous points with a licensed ambulance. This practice violates the Traffic Safety Act, which does not allow passengers to ride outside of a vehicle’s passenger compartment.
In August 2011, Alberta Transportation, Employment and Immigration, and Health and Wellness wrapped up a two-year review of the practice. The group has recommended that Alberta Transportation consider applications for exemptions to section 62 of the act.
The exemptions would allow employers to transport injured or ill workers and their caregivers, on a highway, in the rear of an MTC, when certain conditions are met.
Exemptions are not meant to replace transport by a licensed ambulance when one is available.
