Businesses should expect random inspections as they prepare to reopen under the province鈥檚 restart plan, sa国际传媒鈥檚 labour minister says.
鈥淭he inspections are for all businesses that are reopening,鈥� Harry Bains said.
Inspections will be carried out to ensure that businesses opening and preparing to open are following guidelines published by WorkSafe sa国际传媒 and the provincial health officer.
They will include inspections of restaurants and salons, as well as factories, manufacturers and service providers.
Bains said he expects most businesses will comply with the guidelines, but provisions have been made for penalties.
鈥淚 think our preference would be to work with them because this is not normal,鈥� he said.
On Thursday, Bains urged businesses to develop their own processes and safety plans based on provincial guidelines.
鈥淭he guidelines were never聽intended as a silver bullet,聽one-size-fits-all solution,鈥� he said.
鈥淸Businesses] need to devise their own guidelines that suit their needs. I think they need to ensure that their customers have the confidence to come and patronize their businesses 鈥� that their workers feel safe to go to work.鈥�
A number of non-essential businesses across sectors have been able to reopen their doors this week, provided they have taken steps to ensure the health and safety of customers and employees.
Bains said WorkSafe sa国际传媒 has seen a surge of interest in the province鈥檚 guidelines.
The organization鈥檚 guidelines and COVID-19 resources page recently registered more than 524,000 views 鈥� a 440% increase week-over-week.
The minister also reported that WorkSafe sa国际传媒 has increased the number of prevention officers working public information phonelines to 26, increasing call capacity by 225%.
鈥� With a file from the sa国际传媒
