Northwest Territories Working Alone Safety Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: NWT safety law and the WSCC

Workplace safety in the NWT is set by the Safety Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (R-039-2015). The Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) serves both the NWT and Nunavut. It appoints the Chief Safety Officer and the safety officers who inspect work sites and can issue written directions.

General duties under the Safety Act

WSCC also publishes codes of practice, such as the Harassment Code of Practice. They give practical guidance on how to meet the law.

Lesson 2: The working alone rules

Section 33 of the regulations covers working alone or at an isolated work site. To "work alone" means to work at a work site as the only worker there, when help from another person who is a first aid attendant is not readily available in case of injury or emergency.

What the employer must do

1. Identify the hazards that come from working alone, in consultation with the joint committee or health and safety representative (or the workers if there is neither).
2. Take reasonable measures to eliminate or reduce the risks, including an effective communication system, such as a radio, a phone or cell phone, or another effective means.

The NWT regulation does not set a fixed check-in interval. WSCC's check-in procedure form leaves the frequency for the employer to fill in, based on the risks. WSCC's hazard alert adds that workers should give input, be trained in the check-in procedure, have first aid training where needed, and spend a reasonable amount of time alone.

Are you working alone? WSCC's four questions

• Are other people nearby?
• Will people who can help know you need help?
• Is it reasonable to expect them to help?
• Will help arrive within a reasonable time?

If the answer to any question is no or "I don't know", you are working alone and need a check-in procedure.

A WSCC-style check-in plan includes

• Your supervisor and a designated check-in contact, with phone numbers
• The site address, the work and a hazard assessment when you arrive
• Shift times, the check-in method and the frequency
• An emergency response plan for an incident or a missed check-in

If you meet an unsafe situation, notify your designated contact right away and call emergency services if needed. If you do not check in or answer a call, the emergency response plan starts; on WSCC's form, the check-in person calls your supervisor.

Lesson 3: Workplace violence and harassment

Section 35 defines violence as attempted, threatened or actual conduct that causes or is likely to cause injury. It lists workplaces where violence may reasonably be expected, and security services are on the list, with police, health care, alcohol sales, taxis and transit.

The written violence policy

Where violence has occurred or may reasonably be expected, the employer must consult the committee or representative and develop and implement a written policy. It must include:

• A commitment to eliminate or reduce the risk
• The work sites and positions where workers are at risk
• How workers will be told about risks, including people with a history of violence, where the law allows
• The controls the employer will use, such as equipment, procedures and building changes
• How workers report incidents and how the employer records and investigates them
• A recommendation to see a doctor or get counselling after an incident
• Training on risks, controls, responses and reporting

Time spent on that training or recommended treatment counts as time at work, without loss of pay. The policy must be readily available and reviewed at least every three years, or sooner if things change.

Harassment

Section 34 requires every employer to have a written harassment policy. It must say each worker is entitled to work free of harassment, explain how to make a complaint, keep names confidential except where needed, and say how both sides will learn the results. Workers must have ready access to it.

Lesson 4: Your rights and refusing unsafe work

WSCC describes three worker rights: the right to know about hazards and how to work safely, the right to participate in health and safety, and the right to refuse unsafe work.

To participate, workers can join the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (JOHSC), which WSCC says is required at workplaces with 20 or more workers, or act as the OHS representative at smaller workplaces.

How a refusal works (Safety Act, section 13)

1. You may refuse work if you have reason to believe it presents an unusual danger to your health or safety.
2. Stop and promptly report the refusal to your supervisor or employer, who must investigate without delay. You may have a worker representative or co-worker with you.
3. If you still have reasonable grounds after that, the committee is notified, or a delegate of the Chief Safety Officer if there is no committee.
4. They investigate within 24 hours and decide whether an unusual danger exists.
5. While you wait, you stay in a safe place near the investigation during your normal hours, or do other suitable work, and you are paid as usual.
6. The worker or employer may appeal the decision to the Chief Safety Officer, whose decision is final.

Under section 22, it is an offence for an employer to discipline, fire or threaten a worker for using the right to refuse.

Lesson 5: Reporting injuries and incidents to the WSCC

If you are hurt at work, get first aid if needed and tell your employer right away. When an injury needs medical aid, it must be reported to your employer and to the WSCC. Fill in the Worker's Report of Injury form as soon as possible and tell the health care provider that you were hurt at work.

Sections 8 and 9 of the regulations require the employer to notify the Chief Safety Officer of an accident causing serious bodily injury and of a dangerous occurrence, even if no one was hurt. Under section 28, these events must be investigated as soon as reasonably possible, and the employer must write a report on the causes and the steps to prevent it happening again. Under section 30, the employer must also report any lost-time injury to the committee or representative. Late reports to the WSCC can bring penalties.