Nunavut Working Alone and Safety Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Nunavut's safety law and the WSCC

Workplace safety in Nunavut is covered by the Safety Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. The current regulations came into force in Nunavut in 2016 and replaced the old General Safety Regulations. They apply to all businesses in the territory except federally regulated ones.

The Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) serves both Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. It handles injury claims and enforces safety law. Under the Safety Act, the WSCC appoints a Chief Safety Officer and safety officers.

Basic duties

The WSCC also publishes codes of practice, such as the Working Alone Code of Practice. They are guidance, not law, but they can be considered in legal proceedings.

Lesson 2: The working alone rule

Section 33 of the OHS Regulations covers working alone. Since a 2021 amendment, working alone means working as the only worker at a work site, where help from a first aider is not readily available if you are hurt or there is an emergency.

Section 33 also covers isolated work sites. The regulations define one as a site far from a hospital or medical facility by normal surface travel, or a site where an aircraft is the normal or only way to get there.

What the employer must do

1. Identify the hazards of the lone or isolated work, with the safety committee or representative, or with the workers if there is none.
2. Take reasonable measures to remove or reduce the risks.
3. Set up an effective communication system: radio, phone or cell phone, or another means that works for the risks.

The WSCC Working Alone Code of Practice

• Write a working alone procedure before anyone works alone, and train workers in it.
• Set check-in times from the hazard assessment. Higher risk, such as night work in places that may attract crime, means more frequent check-ins.
• Include an end-of-shift check-in and clear steps if the worker cannot be reached.
• Name a contact person who knows the worker's tasks and can start the emergency plan.
• Keep a log of check-ins. The worker and the contact person sign the procedure.
• Review the procedure at least every three years, or sooner if things change.

The code also lists work that must not be done alone, such as live electrical work, confined spaces, work at heights and work with acutely toxic chemicals.

Lesson 3: Violence, harassment and late-night work

Section 35 defines violence as attempted, threatened or actual conduct that causes or is likely to cause injury, including threats that make a worker reasonably believe they are at risk. Security services are on the list of work where violence may reasonably be expected.

Where violence has happened or could reasonably happen, the employer must have a written violence policy. It must cover the risks, how workers are told about them, how to report violence, how it is investigated and what training is given. Training and counselling time is paid work time. The policy is reviewed at least every three years.

Late-night retail

Stores open to the public between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. have extra rules (section 36). Between those hours, the employer must use a check-in system with a written procedure and give workers a personal emergency transmitter to wear.

Harassment

Under section 34, harassment is vexatious comment or conduct at work that is known to be unwelcome and threatens a worker's health or safety. It is usually repeated, but one serious event with a lasting harmful effect can count. Every employer needs a harassment policy. You can report to your supervisor, or to another supervisor if your own supervisor is involved. A formal complaint is in writing and signed.

Lesson 4: Your rights to know, take part and refuse

Know

Your employer must tell you about hazards and how they are controlled. Under the Working Alone Code, lone workers should get a copy of the hazard assessment. The violence policy must tell you about risks, including from people with a history of violence.

Take part

Refuse

Under section 13 of the Safety Act, you may refuse work if you have reason to believe it would put you or others in unusual danger. That means a danger that is not normal for the job, or one under which a person would not normally do that work.

1. Promptly report the refusal to your employer or supervisor.
2. They investigate and try to fix the danger with you there, plus a union representative or a worker you choose.
3. If you still have reasonable grounds, you may keep refusing, and the safety committee is told. If there is no committee, a delegate of the Chief Safety Officer is told.
4. The committee or delegate investigates within 24 hours and decides if an unusual danger exists.
5. Nobody does the work until the danger is gone. Either side may appeal a committee decision to the Chief Safety Officer, whose decision is final.

You keep your regular pay during the refusal, and the employer may give you other temporary work. Firing, suspending or disciplining a worker for refusing is an offence under section 22.

Lesson 5: Reporting injuries and incidents

If you are hurt at work, or exposed to a hazardous substance, and need medical aid, you must report it to your employer and to the WSCC.

A dangerous occurrence must be reported even if nobody is hurt. For serious events, the employer phones the WSCC first, then sends the written report.

WSCC numbers for Nunavut

• Nunavut tele-claim, incident reporting and employer support line: 1-877-404-4407
• The WSCC serves both territories, so make sure you use the Nunavut number.

Lesson 6: A lone guard's shift checklist

• Read the working alone procedure and hazard assessment for this post.
• Test your radio or phone, and note any dead zones.
• Confirm your contact person and check-in times.
• Check in on time, every time, and at the end of your shift.
• Know your community's emergency numbers for the RCMP, fire department and health centre.
• If a task feels like an unusual danger, stop and report it.
• Report every injury, threat and near miss.