Health & Safety

Beyond the provisions provided in Equity’s collective agreements and engagement policies, there are also laws in place that protect all workers on the job.

As an “employer,” Engagers are required to provide and maintain safe workplaces, as well as information, equipment and training on how to work safely within them. Similarly, “workers,” including Artists, are required to respect safety requirements, and to work in a safe manner at all times. Provincial legislation covers all “employers” and “workers”, no matter how large or small the company, or whether workers are employees or self-employed.

Each province and territory will have its own occupational health and safety legislation, and they may differ in certain ways, but fundamentally, every worker across Canada is entitled to the Three Rights of Workers.

The Three Rights of Workers are:

• Right to KNOW what hazards are present in the workplace
• Right to PARTICIPATE in keeping your workplace healthy and safe
• Right to REFUSE work that you believe to be dangerous to yourself or your co-workers

For more information, we encourage you to visit the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) and review Ontario’s Safety guidelines for the live performance industry. Regardless of where your production takes place, the guidelines provide important information about industry standards.

Workers are also protected against reprisal for exercising their rights under the applicable workplace safety legislation. This means that workers cannot be dismissed, disciplined, suspended, penalized or intimidated (including threats to do any of these things) for taking good faith steps to ensure their safety in the workplace.

If you feel your workplace is unsafe or are injured in the workplace, please visit the appropriate Workers’ Compensation Board to know what rights you have.