Jurisdiction Pack - Saskatchewan

This is the Saskatchewan pack of Part 10: this preface, followed by the Saskatchewan section of every topic page listed in the 00 Jurisdiction Index. The sections are generated from the topic pages, so the pack and the topic pages always say the same thing, and both state the law as researched to 2026-10-23. It is general information, not legal advice: check every requirement against the official consolidation before you rely on it.

Occupational health and safety in Saskatchewan is Part III of the Saskatchewan Employment Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, whose Part 32 adds protection for firefighters (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, ss. 3-1 to 3-86; The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 32-1 to 32-13). The regulations’ consolidation shows no amendment after 2021, so where they conflict with later amendments to the Act, the Act governs. Where the regulations call for “approved” equipment or methods, the ministry’s list of approved standards and practices gives the edition (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a). The regulator is the ministry’s Occupational Health and Safety Division; serious injuries, fatalities and dangerous occurrences are reported by phone to 1-800-567-7233, option 1, which the ministry says is monitored 24 hours a day (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-b). The Fire Safety Act makes the fire chief the municipality’s local assistant, sets fire investigation and reporting duties, and gives the fire commissioner, an employee of the provincial public safety agency, emergency powers and the role of keeping fire records and advising on standards (The Fire Safety Act [SK], 2015, ss. 2, 4, 6-7, 15, 20, 22, 24). The Workers’ Compensation Board administers compensation and the firefighter presumptions (The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013 [SK], 2013, ss. 28-28.1). Municipal records fall under the local authority access and privacy statute (The Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act [SK], 1990-91, s. 2).

• A firefighter Part for paid firefighters. Part 32 applies to full-time and part-time firefighters and their employers, and not to wildfires the minister is responsible for or acts on under the wildfire statute, or to underground mine fires (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 32-2). Unpaid volunteers are workers only for the violence and harassment duties (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-1(6)).
• The deployment plan is a legal document. The employer must write, with the committee, an emergency response plan that sets the functions and evolutions, the minimum firefighters for each based on written procedures, the vehicles and firefighters for the initial response and the full complement by incident type, a typical operation with alarm and response times, an incident management system and a personnel accountability system (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 32-3).
• Teams inside, rescue readily available outside, PASS tested monthly. Firefighters in interior structural firefighting work in teams with a suitably equipped rescue team readily available outside the structure, and any entry into an IDLH atmosphere needs a second equipped worker in communication and rescue personnel available immediately (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 7-5(2), 32-11). The law sets no team size beyond two and no time. Every firefighter entering a structure carries a PASS device tested at least monthly and before each use (s. 32-12).
• Respirator rules are detailed. Users are fit tested by a competent person in an approved manner and assessed as capable of wearing a respirator; emergency-use respirators are inspected at least monthly and after each use, with the date and inspector posted; and where respirators are used only in emergencies, users get refresher training every six months (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 7-3 to 7-4). The approved list names CSA Z94.4-18 (R2023) and CSA Z180.1:19, although the regulation text still cites the 1985 breathing air standard (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).
• Apparatus records stay at the station. Every firefighting vehicle has a competent operator; vehicles and equipment are inspected by a competent person as often as necessary, with a signed record kept at the place of employment and open to the committee; firefighters ride seated and belted, never on tailsteps, except at grass, prairie or crop fires with a restraint, communication with the operator and a speed of no more than 20 km/h (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 32-4, 32-7 to 32-9).
• An SCBA failure is reportable. The division is told as soon as reasonably possible of an accident that causes or may cause death or will need an in-patient stay of 72 hours or more, and of dangerous occurrences whether or not anyone is hurt, including a structural collapse, an uncontrolled release and the failure of an atmosphere-supplying respirator, with a copy to the committee co-chairs (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 2-2 to 2-3).
• No firefighter carve-out from the right to refuse. A worker may refuse work believed on reasonable grounds to be “unusually dangerous”, and a committee decision on a refusal must be unanimous (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-31; The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 4-3(3)).
• Committee at 10 workers; program only on order. A committee is required at each place of employment where one employer has 10 or more workers; it meets within two weeks of forming, then three times at intervals of no more than a month, then at least every three months; co-chairs are trained, and members have up to five working days a year of training leave, paid for ministry or approved courses (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-22; The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 4-4, 4-9). Fire services are not a prescribed workplace, so a written OHS program is required only if the director orders one (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-20).
• Violence and harassment duties reach every employer and volunteers. A written violence policy and prevention plan reviewed at least every three years, a written harassment policy, and an investigation of every incident (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, ss. 3-21 to 3-21.1; The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 3-25 to 3-26).
• Training records carry legal weight. A firefighter trained under Part 32 is exempt from the ban on entry above 20 percent of the lower explosive limit, so the training record is the legal basis for entry (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 25-11(2)(a)). No one under 18 may do work that needs an atmosphere-supplying respirator, and no one under 16 may enter a confined space (s. 3-3).
• Presumptions for volunteer and full-time firefighters. Twenty-two primary-site cancers with minimum service, and an injury to the heart within 24 hours after attending an emergency response, for members regularly exposed to fire-scene hazards; and a psychological injury presumption for any worker exposed to a traumatic event (The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013 [SK], 2013, ss. 28-28.1; The Workers’ Compensation General Regulations, 1985 [SK], 2024, s. 22.3). Coverage was extended to wildland firefighters in 2025.
• The fire statute and traffic law add their own duties. Every fire is investigated, with the investigation started within three business days; significant fires are reported to the fire commissioner and the scene secured; non-fire emergencies are reported; and fire service information is filed, updated every year and shared with residents (The Fire Safety Act [SK], 2015, ss. 17, 20, 22, 24). Drivers may pass a stopped emergency vehicle with its emergency lights operating at no more than 60 km/h, and a municipal bylaw may designate a volunteer’s vehicle as an emergency vehicle (The Traffic Safety Act [SK], 2004, ss. 204, 238(1)(e)).

1. Citing another province’s two-in/two-out timing as Saskatchewan law, or leaving “readily available” undefined. The law requires teams and a readily available rescue team, with no size beyond two and no clock (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 32-11). Fix: adopt the national two-in/two-out rule and state in writing how the rescue team is readily available for each response model, including small volunteer turnouts. See J12 Fire Service OHS Rules and Fireground Operations.
2. A staffing procedure that is not the Part 32 plan. Fix: cast deployment and staffing in the s. 32-3 form, with the incident management and accountability systems, and develop it in consultation with the committee. See J12 Fire Service OHS Rules and Fireground Operations.
3. Checking PASS devices only before use. The monthly test is separate (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 32-12(2)). Fix: a monthly PASS test log. See J13 Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment.
4. Treating an SCBA failure as a maintenance matter. It is a reportable dangerous occurrence (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 2-3). Fix: a quarantine-and-report step in the respiratory program and the reporting procedure. See J08 Incident Reporting and Investigation.
5. Telling paid firefighters they cannot refuse. There is no firefighter carve-out, and the right reaches paid on-call members; only unpaid volunteers fall outside it (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, ss. 3-1(6), 3-31). Fix: a refusal procedure that runs through the officer and the committee, whose decision must be unanimous, extended to unpaid volunteers by policy. See J07 Right to Refuse and Reprisal Protection.
6. Getting volunteer status wrong in both directions. Unpaid volunteers are workers only for the violence and harassment duties, while paid on-call members are full workers (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-1(6)). Fix: confirm the committee count with the division in writing, apply the violence and harassment policies to every member, and give unpaid volunteers the other protections by policy. See J11 Volunteer Firefighters.
7. No per-member training record behind entry into flammable atmospheres. The exemption depends on Part 32 training (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 25-11(2)(a)). Fix: keep hazardous materials and gas-leak training records for each member. See J17 Confined Space.
8. Skipping the violence plan because fire services are not on the old list. The Act’s duty now applies to every employer (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-21). Fix: a written violence policy and prevention plan, reviewed at least every three years. See J26 Workplace Violence.
9. Relying on the regulation’s breathing air reference. The approved list gives CSA Z180.1:19 while the text cites the 1985 edition (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a). Fix: test air to the current edition and record the basis. See J14 Respiratory Protection, Fit Testing and Breathing Air.
10. Missing the fire statute’s clocks. Fix: start every fire investigation within three business days, report significant fires and non-fire emergencies, and refresh the filed fire service information every year (The Fire Safety Act [SK], 2015, ss. 17, 20, 22, 24). See J34 Fire Services Legislation and Firefighter Certification.

Each row is a legal obligation, so it belongs in Stage 1; a row for a specialty service applies only where the department provides that service. The topic page gives the detail.

The chapters of this book are written once for every Canadian fire department: where a requirement comes from provincial law, a chapter states it generically and links the topic page that holds each jurisdiction’s version. This pack collects Saskatchewan’s section from every one of those topic pages, so a Saskatchewan department can read its whole legal layer in one place and use the checklist above as the legal overlay for its gap assessment and audit. Adopt nothing from this pack without checking the official text of the statute or regulation and taking the advice of your own counsel.

Each section below is copied from the topic page it names; the topic page also shows every other jurisdiction for comparison.

Law. The Saskatchewan Employment Act, Part III “Occupational Health and Safety”, ss. 3-1 to 3-86 (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, ss. 3-1 to 3-86); The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, including Part 32 “Additional Protection for Firefighters” (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021). The regulator is the ministry’s Occupational Health and Safety Division, with a director of OHS and occupational health officers (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, ss. 3-3, 3-6).

What must be covered.

• Reporting line. 1-800-567-7233, option 1; the number “is monitored for emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week” (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-b). No online serious-incident form was found.
• Posting. Committee members’ or the representative’s names (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-25). A compliance undertaking or notice of contravention goes to the committee or representative, or is posted where there is neither (s. 3-42).
• Enforcement tools. Officers use compliance undertakings and notices of contravention, with progress reports and, for serious risk, immediate requirements (ss. 3-38 to 3-46).
• Appeal. To the director of OHS within 15 business days of service of the officer’s decision (s. 3-53(1)-(2)), then to an adjudicator within 15 business days of the director’s decision (s. 3-56); an appeal does not stay the decision unless ordered (s. 3-57).
• Offences. Contravention causing death or serious injury: up to $500,000, a corporation up to $1,500,000, an individual up to 2 years’ imprisonment; contravention likely to cause death or serious injury: up to $100,000 first and $200,000 subsequent, plus $10,000 or $20,000 a day; any other contravention: up to $20,000 first and $40,000 subsequent, plus daily amounts; 2-year limitation (ss. 3-79, 3-82).
• Administrative penalties. None in Part III; summary offence tickets exist under separate ticketing regulations.
• Due diligence. Not written in as a defence, but the accused must prove that it was not reasonably practicable to do more, and that training met the requirements (ss. 3-80, 3-81).

Fire-service nuance.

• Part 32 applies to firefighters engaged “on a full-time or part-time basis”; unpaid volunteers are workers only for the harassment and violence duties (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-1(6)); see J11 Volunteer Firefighters.
• The regulations show no amendment after 2021; where they conflict with later Act amendments, rely on the Act.

Status. Partly verified: the Act (to 2025-12-31) and the regulations (to 2021-04-01) were read in the King’s Printer consolidations, and the reporting page on 2026-10-23. Ticket amounts were not read.

Law. The Saskatchewan Employment Act, Part III, Division 3, ss. 3-8 to 3-15 (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, ss. 3-8 to 3-15); The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, ss. 3-1 to 3-8 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 3-1 to 3-8).

What must be covered.

• Employer. Ensure, insofar as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all its workers; consult and co-operate in a timely manner with the committee or representative and make a reasonable attempt to resolve their concerns in a timely manner; ensure, insofar as reasonably practicable, that workers are not exposed to harassment or violence; ensure workers are trained in all necessary matters and that “all work at the place of employment is sufficiently and competently supervised”; and comply (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-8). Workers must be told the provisions that apply to their work, and be trained when they start or move to work with different hazards (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 3-7, 3-8).
• Supervisor: a separate duty-holder. Ensure, insofar as reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of workers under their direct supervision and direction; ensure those workers comply; ensure, insofar as reasonably practicable, they are not exposed to harassment or violence; co-operate; and comply (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-9). “Supervisor” is defined in s. 3-1(1)(dd).
• Worker. Take reasonable care, refrain from harassment and violence, co-operate and comply (s. 3-10); use the protective equipment and safe work procedures required (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 3-2).
• Others. Self-employed persons (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-11), contractors (s. 3-12), prime contractors at certain multi-employer worksites (s. 3-13), owners (s. 3-14) and suppliers (s. 3-15).

Fire-service nuance.

• Part 32 applies to firefighters engaged “on a full-time or part-time basis”, and unpaid volunteers are “workers” only for the harassment and violence duties (s. 3-1(6)); a department relying on unpaid volunteers should not assume the general duties protect them, and should apply them by policy; see J11 Volunteer Firefighters.
• An accused must prove it was not reasonably practicable to do more (s. 3-80), so the department’s records of what it considered and why carry real weight; see J01 OHS Legislation, Regulator and Enforcement.

Status. Verified against the King’s Printer consolidations (Act to 2025-12-31; regulations to 2021-04-01) on 2026-10-23. Section numbers, thresholds and amounts re-checked against the same consolidations on 2026-10-24.

Law. The Saskatchewan Employment Act, ss. 3-20, 3-21 and 3-21.1 (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, ss. 3-20 to 3-21.1); The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, ss. 3-11, 3-25, 3-26 and Table 7 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 3-11, 3-25, 3-26).

What must be covered.

• Policy. No stand-alone threshold; a policy statement is program element (a). Every employer, regardless of size, must have a written harassment policy and a written violence policy statement and prevention plan (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, ss. 3-21, 3-21.1).
• Program threshold. Only at a “prescribed place of employment” (s. 3-20(1)): the places in Table 7 with 10 or more workers (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 3-11(2)). Table 7 does not list municipal fire services, so a fire department needs a program only if the director orders one (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-20(6)-(8)).
• Program elements (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 3-11(1)). (a) policy statement; (b) identification of existing and potential risks and the control measures, including emergency procedures; (c) internal and external emergency resources; (d) responsibilities of the employer, supervisors and workers; (e) a schedule for regular inspection of the place and of work processes and procedures; (f) a plan for controlling biological and chemical substances; (g) a training plan for workers and supervisors; (h) a procedure for investigating accidents, dangerous occurrences and refusals; (i) a strategy for worker participation, including audit inspections and investigations; (j) a procedure to review and revise the program at intervals “not greater than 3 years” and on change.

Fire-service nuance.

• Not being on Table 7 does not mean no written plan: Part 32 requires a written emergency response plan developed with the committee, covering functions, minimum staffing, response, an incident management system and personnel accountability (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 32-3); see J06 Written Procedures and Committee Consultation.
• A department should still adopt the s. 3-11 elements by policy: they match this system’s program structure and are what an officer will ask about after an incident.

Status. Verified against the King’s Printer consolidations (Act to 2025-12-31; regulations to 2021-04-01) on 2026-10-23. Section numbers, thresholds and amounts re-checked against the same consolidations on 2026-10-24.

Law. The Saskatchewan Employment Act, s. 3-8 (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-8); The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, ss. 3-11, 3-12, 3-17, 32-3 and 32-7 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021).

What must be covered.

• Hazard duty. The general duty to ensure, insofar as reasonably practicable, workers’ health, safety and welfare (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-8). Identification of existing and potential risks and the control measures is a program element (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 3-11(1)(b)), but programs are required only at listed places, which do not include fire services unless ordered; see J03 OHS Policy and Program.
• Fire-specific plan. The employer, in consultation with the committee, develops a written plan for emergency response that identifies standard firefighting functions, the minimum firefighters for each, the vehicles and firefighters for the initial and total response by incident type, a typical operation, an incident management system and a personnel accountability system (s. 32-3).
• Inspections. The employer must let committee members or the representative “inspect a place of employment at reasonable intervals determined by the committee or the representative and employer” (s. 3-17(1)). On written notice of an unsafe condition or contravention, the employer takes immediate steps to protect workers, corrects it as soon as possible, and tells the committee or representative in writing what it did or why it did nothing (s. 3-17(2)). Plant is regularly examined, and unsafe conditions corrected (s. 3-12).
• Fire equipment. Firefighting vehicles and equipment are inspected by a competent person as often as necessary, with a signed written record kept at the place of employment and available to the committee (s. 32-7).

Fire-service nuance.

• The s. 32-3 plan is, in practice, the department’s incident-type hazard assessment; write it with the committee and keep it current.
• Because the program duty does not reach fire services, a department should adopt the s. 3-11 elements, including a written inspection schedule, by policy.

Status. Verified against the King’s Printer consolidations (Act to 2025-12-31; regulations to 2021-04-01) on 2026-10-23. Section numbers, thresholds and amounts re-checked against the same consolidations on 2026-10-24.

Law. The Saskatchewan Employment Act, ss. 3-22 to 3-29 (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, ss. 3-22 to 3-29); The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, Part 4, ss. 4-2 to 4-12, and ss. 3-17 and 3-18 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021).

What must be covered.

• Threshold. A committee at every place of employment where 10 or more workers of one employer work (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-22(1)); the director may order additional or new committees (s. 3-23). A representative is required only at listed (Table 7) places with more than 4 and fewer than 10 workers (s. 3-24), which does not include fire services.
• Composition. 2 to 12 members, at least half representing workers who are not management; worker members are elected by the workers they represent or appointed under union bylaws (s. 3-22(2)-(4)). Terms of up to 3 years (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 4-2). A worker co-chair elected by the worker members and an employer co-chair appointed by the employer, at the first meeting (s. 4-6). Quorum is half the members, with both sides present and at least half of those present representing workers; decisions on refusals must be unanimous (s. 4-3).
• Meetings and minutes. First meeting within 2 weeks of establishment; then 3 meetings at intervals of 1 month or less; then at least once every 3 months; the director may require more (s. 4-4). Minutes in the ministry’s format are posted until all concerns are resolved, and the employer keeps a copy for members and officers (s. 4-5). Either co-chair may call a special meeting for urgent concerns, imminent danger, investigations or refusals (s. 4-7). Members’ names are posted (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-25).
• Response clock. No day count. The employer must consult and co-operate with the committee in a timely way and make a reasonable attempt to resolve its concerns in a timely manner (s. 3-8(b)-(c)), and must give written reasons where it does not resolve an issue (s. 3-29(2)). On written notice of an unsafe condition or contravention, it acts at once and tells the committee in writing what it did, or why it did nothing (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 3-17(2)).
• Functions. Participate in identifying and controlling hazards; co-operate with any occupational health service; establish, promote and recommend education programs; keep records; investigate refusals; receive, consider and resolve health and safety matters (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-27). Inspect at reasonable intervals agreed with the employer (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 3-17(1)). Serious accidents (death, or in-patient admission of 24 hours or more) are investigated by the co-chairs or their designates, and the employer prepares the written report in consultation with them (s. 3-18).
• Training and paid time. The employer ensures the co-chairs, and any representative, are trained in their duties; members may take up to 5 working days a year of leave for OHS training; attendance at ministry or approved training is credited as work time without loss of pay (s. 4-9).

Fire-service nuance.

• Volunteers. Unpaid volunteers are workers only for the harassment and violence duties (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-1(6)), so they likely do not count toward the 10 and may not be eligible as elected worker members (an interpretation; confirm with the OHS Division); paid on-call firefighters are workers; see J11 Volunteer Firefighters.
• The committee must be consulted on the Part 32 emergency response plan; see J06 Written Procedures and Committee Consultation.

Status. Verified against the King’s Printer consolidations (Act to 2025-12-31; regulations to 2021-04-01) on 2026-10-23. Volunteer membership. Section numbers, thresholds and amounts re-checked against the same consolidations on 2026-10-24.

Law. The Saskatchewan Employment Act, s. 3-8(b) (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-8); The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, ss. 3-2, 3-8, 3-25 and 32-3 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021).

What must be covered.

• General. No general written-procedure duty. Workers must use the safe work procedures and protective equipment required (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 3-2), and training covers the procedures, plans, policies and programs the employer must develop (s. 3-8(2)(e)).
• Fire-service plan. “An employer, in consultation with the committee, shall develop a written plan that establishes the procedures to be followed by firefighters in response to an emergency incident” (s. 32-3(1)). It includes the standard firefighting functions, the minimum number of firefighters for each “based on written standard operating procedures”, the vehicles and firefighters for the initial response and the total complement by incident type, a typical operation (alarm time, response time, arrival sequence and who initiates the safety procedures), an incident management system and a personnel accountability system (s. 32-3(2)); it is implemented and kept readily available to firefighters (s. 32-3(3)).
• Consultation. Beyond the Part 32 plan, many plans and policies are developed “in consultation with the committee”, including the harassment policy (s. 3-25(1)); the employer must consult and co-operate with the committee in a timely manner (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-8(b)).

Fire-service nuance.

• Part 32 applies to full-time and part-time firefighters; a department relying on unpaid volunteers should still write the plan, because the plan is the standard it will be judged against (interpretation); see J11 Volunteer Firefighters.

Status. Verified against the King’s Printer consolidations (Act to 2025-12-31; regulations to 2021-04-01) on 2026-10-23. Section numbers, thresholds and amounts re-checked against the same consolidations on 2026-10-24.

Law. The Saskatchewan Employment Act, Part III, ss. 3-1(6) and 3-31 to 3-37 (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, ss. 3-31 to 3-37); The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, s. 4-3(3) (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 4-3(3)).

What must be covered.

• The right. A worker may refuse “any particular act or series of acts at a place of employment if the worker has reasonable grounds to believe that the act or series of acts is unusually dangerous to the worker’s health or safety or the health or safety of any other person at the place of employment” (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-31).
• How long the refusal lasts. Until “sufficient steps have been taken to satisfy the worker otherwise” or the occupational health committee “has investigated the matter and advised the worker otherwise” (s. 3-31). Committee decisions on a refusal must be unanimous (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 4-3(3)).
• Escalation. If there is no committee, or the committee is not unanimous, or a party is dissatisfied, the worker or employer may ask an occupational health officer to investigate; the refusal continues until the officer decides (ss. 3-32, 3-33).
• Giving the work to someone else. Only after telling the other worker in writing of the refusal and its reasons, why the employer believes the work can be done safely, and the other worker’s own right to refuse (s. 3-34).
• Reprisal. No discriminatory action against a worker who refuses under s. 3-31, takes part in committee work, or gives information to the committee or an officer (s. 3-35). The worker refers it to an occupational health officer, who can order the action stopped, reinstatement, lost wages and removal of any reprimand (s. 3-36(1)-(2)). Once discriminatory action follows protected activity, it is presumed to be because of that activity and the employer must prove otherwise (s. 3-36(4)). The Act sets no filing deadline for the referral.

Fire-service nuance.

• No firefighter carve-out. Neither the Act nor Part 32 of the regulations names firefighters or emergency work. In practice the word “unusually” does similar work to a carve-out: the ordinary, controlled hazards of firefighting are not “unusually dangerous”, while a defect or a missing control can be (interpretation).
• Unpaid volunteers fall outside the right. Unpaid volunteers count as workers only for the harassment and violence provisions (s. 3-1(6)). The refusal right (s. 3-31) and the discriminatory action protection (s. 3-35) therefore reach paid firefighters, including paid on-call members, but not unpaid volunteers. A department with unpaid members should give both by policy (J11 Volunteer Firefighters).
• Committee at the centre. Because the committee must decide unanimously, a department should name who convenes it quickly after an incident refusal.

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (Act consolidated to 2025-12-31; regulations last updated 2021-04-01).

Law. The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, ss. 2-2, 2-3 and 3-18 to 3-21 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 2-2, 2-3, 3-18 to 3-21); The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013, ss. 44, 52 and 54 (The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013 [SK], 2013, ss. 44, 52, 54); The Fire Safety Act, ss. 20, 22 and 24 (The Fire Safety Act [SK], 2015, ss. 20, 22, 24).

What must be covered.

• Deaths and serious injuries. “As soon as is reasonably possible”, notice to the OHS Division of any accident that causes or may cause death or that will require in-patient hospital admission for 72 hours or more (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 2-2(1)), with a copy to the co-chairs or representative (s. 2-2(3)). The province’s line is 1-800-567-7233, option 1, monitored around the clock (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-b).
• Dangerous occurrences, injury or not. As soon as reasonably possible, whether or not anyone is hurt (s. 2-3(1)-(2)), with a copy to the co-chairs (s. 2-3(4)): structural failure or collapse of a structure, scaffold or excavation; crane or hoist failure or overturning of powered mobile equipment; contact with an energized conductor; a grinding wheel burst; uncontrolled spill or escape of a toxic, corrosive or explosive substance; premature detonation; failure of an elevated platform; and “failure of an atmosphere-supplying respirator”.
• Scene. At a fatal accident no one may disturb the wreckage until an officer has investigated, “except for the purpose of saving life or relieving human suffering”; the officer may allow things to be moved after photographs and an inspection by a co-chair (s. 3-19).
• Investigation. Every accident causing death or in-patient admission of 24 hours or more, and every dangerous occurrence, is investigated “as soon as is reasonably possible” by the co-chairs, or the employer and the representative (s. 3-18), with a written report covering the description, evidence, causes and immediate and longer-term action (s. 3-20). Lost-time injuries needing medical treatment are reported to the co-chairs (s. 3-21).
• Compensation report. Within five days of becoming aware of an injury that prevents the worker from earning full wages or needs medical aid (The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013 [SK], 2013, s. 52), with a fine of up to $1,000 for failing (s. 54). The worker gives notice as soon as possible and claims within six months (s. 44(1)).

Fire-service nuance.

• SCBA failure is reportable. A failed SCBA at an incident is a dangerous occurrence even if the member got out unhurt.
• At a fire you are fighting. A collapse of the involved structure while members are working on or in it fits “structural failure or collapse of a structure” (interpretation; confirm with the OHS Division).
• Fire statute reports. The local assistant must begin investigating every fire within three business days (FSA s. 20(3)); for a significant fire (suspicious with significant loss, a death or serious injury, or Crown premises) notify the fire commissioner as soon as practicable and secure the scene (s. 22); and report non-fire emergencies to the fire commissioner (s. 24(3)).
• Unpaid volunteers. They are not workers for these OHS duties (they count only for harassment and violence), but they are workers for compensation, so the five-day report applies; report OHS events involving them by policy (J11 Volunteer Firefighters).

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (regulations last updated 2021-04-01; compensation Act to 2025-08-07; Fire Safety Act to 2024-07-30). The reporting line’s 24-hour monitoring comes from the ministry page.

Law. The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, ss. 5-8, 7-3, 8-3, 20-4, 20-15, 32-4, 32-7 and 32-8 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 5-8, 7-3, 8-3, 20-15, 32-4, 32-7, 32-8).

What must be covered.

• General duty. No general records duty or default period; retention is item by item, and committee minutes have no retention period (s. 4-5).
• Retention periods.
  • First aid register: five years (s. 5-8).
  • Diver log: five years (s. 20-15); diver medical certificate during employment (s. 20-4).
  • Firefighter training, apparatus inspection and repair records must be kept (ss. 32-4(1)(c), 32-7(c), 32-8(b)), with no period stated.
• Exposure and health records.
  • Respirator fit-test, assessment and training records and SCBA maintenance records: for the duration of employment (s. 7-3(5), (7)); personal health information in respirator assessment records may not be disclosed without consent (s. 7-3(6)).
  • Noise measurements: as long as the employer operates in Saskatchewan (s. 8-3(3)).

Fire-service nuance.

• Firefighter records with no end date. The firefighter Part requires training, inspection and repair records but sets no period; adopt this system’s periods and keep training records permanently, since they are evidence of competence and of service years.
• Exposure records. The compensation board’s prevention partner advises firefighters to keep personal exposure records to support claims (secondary); the department’s records should do this for them.

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (regulations last updated 2021-04-01).

Law. The Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, s. 2 (The Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act [SK], 1990-91, s. 2); The Health Information Protection Act, s. 2(t) (The Health Information Protection Act [SK], 1999, s. 2); The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, s. 7-3(6) (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 7-3).

What must be covered.

• Access and privacy. Municipalities are “local authorities” under LAFOIP (s. 2(f)).
• Health information. HIPA applies to “trustees” that have custody or control of personal health information, including a government institution, an ambulance operator under The Ambulance Act, “a health professional licensed or registered pursuant to an Act” who is not an employee of a trustee, and a person or body that provides a health service under an agreement with another trustee (s. 2(t)). A municipal fire department is not a trustee as such.
• OHS overlay. Personal health information in respirator assessment records may not be disclosed without the worker’s consent (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 7-3(6)).

Fire-service nuance.

• Fire-based ambulance. A department that holds an ambulance operator’s licence is a trustee for that work.
• Clinicians. A contracted physician is a trustee in their own right; the department should receive fitness conclusions, not clinical notes.

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (LAFOIP consolidated to 2024-08-22; HIPA to 2024-08-13; trustee definition read).

Law. The Saskatchewan Employment Act, ss. 3-1(1)(gg), 3-1(6) and 3-22 (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, ss. 3-1, 3-22); The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, s. 32-2 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 32-2); The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013, ss. 2(1) and 28 to 28.1 (The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013 [SK], 2013, ss. 2, 28-28.1); The Workers’ Compensation Miscellaneous Regulations, s. 3(gg) (The Workers’ Compensation Miscellaneous Regulations [SK], 2023, s. 3).

What must be covered.

• OHS status. A “worker” is an individual “engaged in the service of an employer” (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-1(1)(gg)). Unpaid volunteers count as workers only for the harassment and violence provisions (s. 3-1(6), added in 2023). The firefighter Part applies to firefighters engaged in emergency operations “on a full-time or part-time basis” (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 32-2), which reaches paid and paid-on-call members.
• Committee. Required at 10 or more workers (s. 3-22(1)); worker members are elected by the workers they represent (s. 3-22(4)). Whether unpaid volunteers count or may sit is not addressed; the likely reading is that they do not count.
• Refusal and reprisal. Paid members have the s. 3-31 right and s. 3-35 protection; unpaid volunteers do not (J07 Right to Refuse and Reprisal Protection).
• Compensation. “Worker” includes “a member of a municipal volunteer fire brigade” (The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013 [SK], 2013, s. 2(1)); voluntary workers are otherwise excluded, but the exclusion does not apply to municipal fire brigade members (WCMR s. 3(gg)).
• Presumptions. The cancer and heart presumptions apply to a worker who has been “a volunteer or full-time member of a fire department” for the prescribed period and was “regularly exposed to the hazards of a fire scene” (s. 28(3)(a)); lung cancer only for non-smokers (s. 28(3)(b)). An injury to the heart that manifests within 24 hours after attendance at an emergency response is covered without a minimum period (s. 28(1)). A psychological injury after a traumatic event is presumed for every worker (s. 28.1). There is no participation percentage.

Fire-service nuance.

• Policy has to close the gap. An unpaid volunteer can be injured in the same fire as a paid-on-call member, be covered for compensation, and yet have no statutory refusal right or protection from discriminatory action. Give both by department policy.
• Wildland firefighters. A 2025 amendment extended the presumption to wildland firefighters, reported in force 2025-08-01.

Status. Partly verified on 2026-10-23 (Act consolidated to 2025-12-31; regulations last updated 2021-04-01; compensation Act to 2025-08-07). Committee counting for volunteers and the wildland amendment are not confirmed.

Law. The Saskatchewan Employment Act, Part III, s. 3-8 (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-8); The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, Part 32 “Additional Protection for Firefighters”, ss. 32-1 to 32-13, with s. 7-5 (IDLH atmospheres) and s. 3-22 (restricted visibility) (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021); the ministry’s Approved Standards and Practices list gives content to “approved” (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).

What must be covered.

• Scope. Part 32 applies to full-time and part-time firefighters and their employers in emergency operations; it does not apply to wildfires the minister is responsible for or acts on under The Wildfire Act, or to underground mine fires (s. 32-2).
• Written emergency response plan, developed with the committee, implemented and available, covering: the standard firefighting functions or evolutions, including those performed at the same time; the minimum number of firefighters for each, based on written SOPs; the vehicles and firefighters for the initial response and the total complement by incident type; the typical operation, including alarm and response times and arrival sequence; an incident management system; and a personnel accountability system (s. 32-3).
• Training for every expected emergency operation, by competent persons, with written records, and a competent operator for every firefighting vehicle (s. 32-4).
• Interior structural firefighting. Firefighters work in teams, and “a suitably equipped rescue team is readily available outside the structure” (s. 32-11). No team size beyond two and no time limit are stated.
• IDLH atmospheres generally. A second suitably equipped worker must be present and in communication at all times, and rescue personnel must be “readily available to rescue the endangered worker immediately”; SCBA is open-circuit, positive pressure, rated for at least 30 minutes, with a low-pressure warning (s. 7-5(1)-(2)).
• Smoke or steam. Work where visibility is restricted is allowed only with effective communication to a worker readily available to assist (s. 3-22).
• PASS for every firefighter entering a structure, tested at least monthly and before each use and maintained to the manufacturer’s instructions (s. 32-12); NFPA 1982 (2018) is the approved standard (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).
• Vehicles, equipment, riding positions, PPE and ropes are in ss. 32-5 to 32-10 and 32-13; see J13 Firefighter PPE and Protective Equipment and J15 Equipment Inspection, Ladders and Aerial Devices.

Fire-service nuance.

• Part 32 reaches paid firefighters, full-time or part-time, including paid on-call members; unpaid volunteers are “workers” only for the harassment and violence duties, so an unpaid brigade is outside Part 32 (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-1); see J11 Volunteer Firefighters.
• “Readily available” is not defined; the department must define it in its plan and SOPs for its own response model.
• Part 32 sets no rehabilitation, medical, pump or aerial test interval, or fire-hall exhaust rule; the general thermal stress rule (s. 6-7) is the rehabilitation anchor; see J22 Exposure Limits, Heat and Cold Stress.
• Trained firefighters are exempt from the 20 per cent LEL no-entry rule (s. 25-11(2)(a)); see J17 Confined Space.
• The regulations have not been amended since SR 31/2021; the approved list still names NFPA 1971 (2018) and NFPA 1851 (2020) rather than NFPA 1970 and NFPA 1850.
• In an emergency the fire commissioner may establish an incident command structure (The Fire Safety Act [SK], 2015, s. 7); see J34 Fire Services Legislation and Firefighter Certification.

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (regulations consolidated to 2021-04-01; approved standards pages read 2026-10-23).

Law. The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, ss. 7-1, 7-2, 7-6, 7-8, 7-11 and 32-10 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021); Approved Standards and Practices (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).

What must be covered.

• General duty. Suitable PPE where other controls are not practicable (s. 7-1); the employer supplies approved PPE at no cost, ensures it is used, has it on site before work starts, trains workers and explains its limits, ensures fit, keeps it maintained and sanitary, and removes damaged PPE from service (s. 7-2(1)); the worker uses it, prevents damage, and returns and reports defective PPE (s. 7-2(4)-(6)).
• General standards. Head (s. 7-6(1)), eye (s. 7-8(2)) and foot (s. 7-11(1)(b)) protection must be “approved”; the approved list names CSA Z94.1-15 (R2024) or ANSI/ISEA Z89.1-2014 (R2019) for heads, CSA Z94.3:20, Z94.3.1-16 or ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2020 for eyes, and CSA Z195-14 (R2023) or Z195.1-16 for feet (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).
• Firefighter PPE. Approved PPE appropriate to the risk (s. 32-10). The approved list for Part 32 names NFPA 1971 (2018) for ensembles, NFPA 1851 (2020) for care, CAN/CGSB 155.22-2014 (R2019) for wildland workwear, CSA Z96:22 for high visibility, CSA Z94.2-14 (R2024) for hearing protection, NFPA 1982 (2018) for PASS and NFPA 1983 (2017) and NFPA 1858 (2018) for rope (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).
• SCBA and PASS. SCBA under s. 7-5(1); PASS tested monthly and before use (s. 32-12); see J12 Fire Service OHS Rules and Fireground Operations.

Fire-service nuance.

• The approved list still names NFPA 1971 and NFPA 1851 rather than their 2025 and 2026 successors (NFPA 1970, 2025; NFPA 1850, 2026); record equivalence.
• Part 32 applies to paid firefighters; for unpaid volunteers the department’s PPE program is a policy choice; see J11 Volunteer Firefighters.

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (regulations consolidated to 2021-04-01; approved list read, page undated).

Law. The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, ss. 7-3 to 7-5 and 3-3 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 3-3, 7-3, 7-4, 7-5); Approved Standards and Practices for Part 7 (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).

What must be covered.

• Program content in the regulation. An approved respirator of the proper size and seal, “fit-tested by a competent person in an approved manner”; training with practical experience; a check before each use; and an assessment “according to an approved standard as being capable of wearing” a respirator (s. 7-3(1)-(2)).
• CSA Z94.4 edition. The approved list names CAN/CSA Z94.4-18 (R2023) for selection, fit testing, cleaning and the capability assessment (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).
• Fit test. The regulation sets no interval or method; under Z94.4-18 the test is repeated at least every two years and may be qualitative or quantitative (standard; confirm against the standard text).
• Breathing air. The regulation still cites Table 2 of CAN Z180.1-M85 (s. 7-5(3)), while the approved list names CSA Z180.1:19; no test interval is set in the regulation.
• Emergency-use respirators are inspected by a competent person at least monthly and after each use, with the date and inspector displayed at the storage location (s. 7-4), and users of emergency-only respirators get refresher training every six months (s. 7-3(4)).
• Records. Fit tests, assessments and training are kept for as long as the worker is employed and are open to the committee, without personal health information unless the worker consents (s. 7-3(5)-(8)).

Fire-service nuance.

• No one under 18 may be employed in an activity requiring an atmosphere-supplying respirator (s. 3-3(2)(e)), which matters for junior firefighter and cadet programs.
• The semi-annual refresher applies where respirators are used only for emergencies; SCBA in a fire department is that case for many members.
• Which breathing air edition governs, the regulation’s 1985 table or the approved list’s 2019 edition, is unresolved; test to Z180.1:19, which is stricter.
• The respirator rules apply to paid firefighters as workers; unpaid volunteers are workers only for harassment and violence duties, so the program for them is a policy choice; see J11 Volunteer Firefighters.

Status. Partly verified: regulation and approved list read on 2026-10-23. The two-year interval comes from the standard, which was not read.

Law. The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, ss. 3-12, 3-14, 11-6, 12-1, 12-25, 12-26, 16-5 to 16-7 and 32-5 to 32-8 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021); Approved Standards and Practices (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).

What must be covered.

• General inspection. Regular examination of plant, with unsafe conditions corrected (s. 3-12); all equipment maintained at intervals sufficient for safe functioning, defects corrected by a competent person, and unsafe equipment reported by workers (s. 3-14); powered mobile equipment inspected, tested and maintained to the manufacturer’s specifications or an approved standard (s. 11-6).
• Firefighting vehicles and equipment. Designed, maintained and inspected for firefighter safety (s. 32-5); inspected by a competent person “as often as is necessary”, with a signed written record kept at the place of employment and open to the committee (s. 32-7); repairs to the manufacturer’s instructions by qualified persons, with records (s. 32-8).
• Aerial devices. An aerial ladder is an “aerial device” (s. 12-1), built and maintained to an approved standard (CSA C225:20, CAN/CSA B354.6:17 and related B354 parts) or certified by an engineer (s. 12-25(1); Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a); maintenance only by competent persons, with a record tag at the operator station, trained operators and a manual on the device (ss. 12-25, 12-26).
• Ladders. Non-slip feet, secured, 1 m above the landing, a 1:4 slope, three-point contact, not from the top two rungs; stepladders no more than 6 m, extension ladders no more than 14.6 m (two sections) or 20 m (three or more), any section no more than 9 m (ss. 16-6, 16-7).
• Records. Part 32 inspection and repair records must be kept, but no period is stated; no general default period.

Fire-service nuance.

• No pump or aerial test interval is set; the department’s adopted standard (NFPA 1910) sets the interval that “as often as is necessary” will be judged against (NFPA 1910, 2024).
• A worker raised on an aerial device uses a personal fall arrest system attached to an approved anchor point (s. 12-25(2)(h)-(i)); see J16 Fall Protection and Rope Access.

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (regulations consolidated to 2021-04-01; approved list read).

Law. The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, Part 9 (ss. 9-1 to 9-5), Part 7 (ss. 7-15 to 7-21), s. 12-25 (aerial devices) and s. 32-13 (firefighters’ ropes and harnesses) (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 7-16, 9-2-9-5, 12-25, 32-13); the ministry’s Approved Standards and Practices list (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).

What must be covered.

• Trigger. A fall protection system where a worker may fall 3 m or more, or a shorter distance where the fall could cause injury (s. 9-2(2)); guardrails at permanent work areas for falls of more than 1.2 m and less than 3 m (s. 9-2(3)).
• Written plan. Where a worker may fall 3 m or more and is not protected by a guardrail: the hazards, the system, the procedures, and rescue procedures (s. 9-3(1)-(3)).
• Training. In the plan and system before work begins (s. 9-3(4)); no retraining interval or record rule.
• Control zones. At least 2 m wide from an unguarded edge (s. 9-4).
• Anchors. Temporary restraint anchors 3.5 kN per worker; permanent restraint anchors on new construction 8.75 kN; fall arrest anchors 22.2 kN per worker; permanent anchors and horizontal lifelines certified or to the manufacturer’s specifications (s. 9-5).
• Arrest limits. Free fall 1.2 m without a shock absorber and 2 m with one; peak force 8 kN (s. 7-16).
• Equipment. The approved list names CSA Z259.2.2, Z259.2.4, Z259.2.5, Z259.10, Z259.11, Z259.12, Z259.13, Z259.15, Z259.16 and ANSI/ASSP Z359.11 (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).
• Aerial devices. An aerial ladder is an “aerial device”; a worker raised on one uses a personal fall arrest system attached to a lanyard point built to the approved standard, CSA Z259.16:21, or certified by an engineer (ss. 12-1, 12-25(2)(h)-(i)).
• Rescue rope. Firefighters’ ropes, harnesses and hardware must be approved (s. 32-13); the approved list names NFPA 1983 (2017) and NFPA 1858 (2018) (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).

Fire-service nuance.

• No emergency-services relief. The only exemptions in s. 9-2(6) are for steel and precast connectors, scaffold connection, load securing, anchor installation and loading docks up to 1.2 m.
• Part 32 applies to full-time and part-time firefighters; unpaid volunteers are workers under the Act only for the harassment and violence duties, so apply Part 9 to every member as policy (see J11 Volunteer Firefighters).
• No rope access Part was found in the regulations.
• The regulations’ consolidation shows no amendment after 2021; the approved list is updated separately.

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (consolidation last updated 2021-04-01; approved list read). The absence of a rope access Part is not confirmed.

Law. The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, Part 18 (confined space entry, ss. 18-1 to 18-10), s. 25-11 (flammable atmospheres), s. 21-6 and Table 18 (contamination limits), s. 3-3 (young workers) and Part 32 (ss. 32-1, 32-4) (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 3-3, 18-1-18-10, 21-6, 25-11, 32-1, 32-4).

What must be covered.

• Identification and assessment. Spaces identified with the committee (s. 18-2); a competent person’s hazard assessment, atmospheric testing and written report (s. 18-5); a notice and rescue procedure even for non-hazardous spaces (s. 18-6).
• Entry plan. A written hazardous confined space entry plan made with the committee: tests, isolation, ventilation, entry, PPE, “rescue procedures including the number and duties of personnel”, and communication, posted at the entrance (s. 18-7).
• Atmosphere. Purge and ventilate to oxygen 19.5 to 23 percent (s. 18-8(1)(a)(ii)); continuous monitoring if a safe atmosphere cannot be kept (s. 18-9(2)); no entry above 20 percent of the LEL (s. 25-11(1)); hydrogen sulphide 10 ppm (8 hours) and 15 ppm (15 minutes); carbon monoxide 25 ppm (8 hours) and 190 ppm (15 minutes) (Table 18).
• Attendant and rescue. An attendant stationed at the entrance, trained in the rescue procedure, with an alarm (s. 18-9(4)); a harness and lifeline for top entry (s. 18-9(5)); rescue equipment at the entrance, a class A first aider available and trained rescue personnel readily available (s. 18-9(7)).
• Permit. None; the written plan and the competent person’s report take its place.
• Training. Entrants, attendants and rescuers trained in the plan (s. 18-7(3)); no interval.
• Young workers. No one under 16 may enter a confined space (s. 3-3(1)(d)).

Fire-service nuance.

• The only exemption, verbatim. The 20 percent LEL ban “does not apply to: (a) a firefighter who has been trained pursuant to section 32-4” (s. 25-11(2)). Part 18 itself has no firefighter exemption.
• Part 32 names confined space entry as a “special operation” that requires training (ss. 32-1, 32-4).
• Part 32 covers full-time and part-time firefighters; apply the rules to unpaid volunteers by policy (see J11 Volunteer Firefighters).

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (consolidation last updated 2021-04-01).

Law. The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, Part 17 (excavations, trenches, tunnels and excavated shafts, ss. 17-1 to 17-8) and s. 2-1 (notices) (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 2-1, 17-4-17-8).

What must be covered.

• Trigger. Protection where a worker is in an excavation or trench more than 1.2 m deep (ss. 17-6(1), 17-7(1)).
• Protective systems. Cutting back by soil type (1:1 for types 1 and 2 to within 1.2 m of the bottom; 1:1 from the bottom for type 3; 3:1 for type 4), or a temporary protective structure built to Table 14 or engineered, extending 300 mm above the top (ss. 17-4(2), 17-5, 17-6(2), 17-7(2)).
• Engineer. Shoring for an excavation over 3 m (s. 17-6(3)); shoring for a trench over 6 m in soil types 1 to 3 or over 4 m in type 4 (s. 17-7(3)); excavated shafts 3 m or deeper (s. 17-8(1)(b)).
• Spoil. Spoil, equipment and materials at least 1 m from the edge, with spoil sloped no steeper than 1:1 (s. 17-4(1)(c), (e)).
• Access and attendance. A ladder, stair or ramp within 8 m of a worker in a trench (s. 17-7(6)(b)); a competent worker on the surface for trenches over 1.2 m (s. 17-7(5)).
• Notice. The ministry is notified before workers enter an excavation, trench or shaft more than 5 m deep (s. 2-1(1)(b)).

Fire-service nuance.

• No firefighter or rescue exemption. Part 32 names trench rescue among the special operations that need training (s. 32-1).

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (consolidation last updated 2021-04-01).

Law. The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, ss. 10-2 to 10-7 (machinery, guarding and lockout) and s. 30-16 with Table 19 (overhead power lines) (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 10-2-10-7, 30-16).

What must be covered.

• Lockout. A written lockout process, a personal lock and key for each worker, a controlled duplicate key with a log, and isolation of power tools (s. 10-6); written procedures for work on equipment that must stay in motion (s. 10-7).

• Guarding. Controls, unattended machines, safeguards and start-up warnings (ss. 10-2 to 10-5).

• Limits of approach. Non-electrical workers, materials and equipment keep these distances (s. 30-16(4), Table 19):

  Voltage (phase to phase)	Minimum distance
  Up to 25 kV	3 m
  72 kV and 138 kV	4.6 m
  230 kV	6.1 m

• Vehicles on public roads. Vehicles and loads travelling on a public road keep 0.6 m (to 25 kV), 0.8 m (72 kV), 1.22 m (138 kV) and 1.83 m (230 kV) (s. 30-16(9)).

Fire-service nuance.

• No emergency relief from the approach distances.
• The public-road distances are for travelling vehicles, not for an aerial device set up at a scene.
• Electrical and gas installation codes, inspection and licensing sit in separate statutes not read for this page.

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (consolidation last updated 2021-04-01). Code adoption and licensing were not checked.

Law. The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, ss. 3-15, 6-1 to 6-13, 9-10 to 9-13, 21-5 and 25-2 to 25-3 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021); The Fire Safety Regulations, ss. 3, 3.1 and 4 (The Fire Safety Regulations [SK], 2024).

What must be covered.

• Housekeeping. Debris removed daily from floors, stairways and passages, and floors cleaned weekly (s. 6-1).
• Stairs, guardrails and openings. Handrails at 800 to 920 mm where there are five or more treads, with an intermediate rail on open sides (s. 9-10); guardrails with a top at 920 to 1,070 mm and a midrail (s. 9-11); toeboards (s. 9-12); openings covered (rated at 360 kg/m² and marked) or guarded (s. 9-13).
• Lighting and air. At least 50 lux where workers pass and emergency lighting on exit routes (s. 6-6); ventilation, mechanical ventilation for contaminants and maintenance of systems (ss. 6-2 to 6-4); thermal conditions (s. 6-7).
• Fire safety. A written fire safety plan (alarm, calling the fire department, evacuation), posted, with a drill every 12 months (s. 25-2); extinguishers (s. 25-3).
• Sanitation. Toilets and washing facilities (ss. 6-8, 6-9); street and work clothing kept separate, with a changing area where clothing is contaminated (s. 6-10); change rooms and showers where skin can be contaminated (s. 6-11); eating areas separate where contamination is possible (s. 6-12); drinking water (s. 6-13).
• Exhaust. Diesel engine exhaust is a designated chemical substance, so engineering controls must prevent its release so far as reasonably practicable (s. 21-5, Table 17); there is no fire-hall rule.
• Pressure equipment. Boilers and pressure vessels that the boiler and pressure vessel statute does not require to be inspected or registered must still be properly built and maintained (s. 3-15); the statute’s thresholds were not read.
• Codes. The Fire Safety Regulations adopt the National Fire Code 2020 with Saskatchewan amendments (s. 3, SR 9/2023, effective 2023-02-24, amended by SR 105/2023) and the National Building Code 2020 carbon monoxide and smoke alarm articles (s. 3.1), with plan review (s. 4). The building code is adopted under the construction codes statute; the national codes board lists the 2020 codes in force from 2024-01-01 (CBHCC, n.d.).

Fire-service nuance.

• The separate-clothing and change room rules (ss. 6-10, 6-11) support a station design that keeps turnout gear out of living quarters.
• The fire code date differs between the regulation (2023) and the codes board listing (2024); the regulation governs.

Status. Partly verified: regulations and Fire Safety Regulations read on 2026-10-23; building code instrument and pressure thresholds not read.

Law. The Saskatchewan Employment Act, Part III Division 7 (ss. 3-47 to 3-51), and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, Part 21 (chemical and biological substances), Part 22 (WHMIS) and Part 23 (asbestos) (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, ss. 3-47 to 3-51; The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 2-1, 21-1, 21-2, 22-4, 23-1 to 23-16). Release reporting falls under the province’s environmental management legislation, which was not read for this page.

What must be covered.

• WHMIS training. Education and training that lets workers protect themselves and others, with knowledge evaluated periodically (s. 22-4(5)), and the programs reviewed “at least annually, or more frequently if required by a change in work conditions or available hazard information”, in consultation with the committee or representative (s. 22-4(6)).
• Substance list. A list, developed with the committee, of all chemical and biological substances regularly handled, used, stored or disposed of that may be hazardous, identifying those that are hazardous products, amended when a substance is added or removed and kept available to workers (s. 21-2).
• Safe procedures. Work procedures for handling, use, storage, production and disposal (s. 21-1(1)(d)).
• Release reporting. Report to the provincial line, 1-800-667-7525 (Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2023).
• Asbestos record. The employer, contractor or owner identifies and keeps a written record of asbestos-containing material and material likely to contain asbestos, which is deemed asbestos-containing until shown otherwise (s. 23-5(1)-(2)), by a competent person (s. 23-5(4)), showing location, characteristics and accessibility (s. 23-5(5)), updated on every change (s. 23-5(6)) and available to the committee and workers (s. 23-5(7)).
• Damaged material. Material likely to contain asbestos that is damaged and likely to release dust is identified immediately (s. 23-5(3)).
• Notice. At least 14 days’ notice to the ministry before a high-risk asbestos process listed in Table 5 (s. 2-1(2)).

Fire-service nuance.

• Unpaid volunteers are workers under the Act only for the harassment and violence duties, so the WHMIS and asbestos duties attach to paid members (see J11 Volunteer Firefighters). Apply the program to every member regardless.
• Acquired structures: identify asbestos materials under s. 23-5 before any training, and give s. 2-1(2) notice for any high-risk removal.

Status. Partly verified: the regulations read on 2026-10-23 (consolidated to 2021-04-01, the latest available), and the Act’s table of contents confirms that Division 7 of Part III begins at s. 3-47; the Division’s text and the release reporting legislation were not read.

Law. Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, Part 21 (chemical and biological substances, Table 18 contamination limits) and s. 6-7 (thermal conditions) (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 6-7, 21-1 to 21-6, Table 18).

What must be covered.

• Basis of limits. Where a Table 18 substance is present, engineering controls so far as reasonably practicable to keep the contamination limit from being exceeded where workers usually are, and all practicable steps so no worker’s personal exposure exceeds it (s. 21-6(1)). Saskatchewan keeps its own table.
• Long hours. A written procedure, developed with the committee, where workers regularly work more than eight hours a day or 40 hours a week, or are exposed to substances with similar effects, identifying the substances, working conditions and the steps to keep exposure within the equivalent limit (s. 21-6(2)-(4)).
• General duties. Monitoring, substitution, reduction of contamination and safe procedures (s. 21-1).
• Heat and cold. Indoor thermal conditions appropriate to the work (s. 6-7(1)); an instrument where the thermal environment is a concern (s. 6-7(2)); outdoors or where conditions cannot be controlled, measures that may include monitoring, shelters, clothing, hot or cold drinks, acclimatization, limited work schedules with rest and recovery, and observation by a person trained to recognize physiological stress (s. 6-7(3)-(4)); suitable clothing for unusual thermal conditions (s. 6-7(5)).

Fire-service nuance.

• Diesel engine exhaust is a designated substance in Table 17, which brings engineering controls to prevent release so far as reasonably practicable.
• Part 32 has no rehabilitation rule; the s. 6-7(4) list is the closest legal anchor for work-rest cycles.

Status. Verified against the regulations consolidated to 2021-04-01 (read 2026-10-23), except the Table 17 treatment of diesel exhaust.

Law. Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, Part 8 (ss. 8-1 to 8-6) (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 8-3 to 8-6). Measurement follows CSA Z107.56-18 (R2022) under the approved standards and practices (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).

What must be covered.

• Measurement. Where noise may frequently exceed 80 dBA (s. 8-3).
• 80 to 85 dBA Lex. Information about the hazard and hearing protectors on request (s. 8-4).
• Limit. At 85 dBA Lex, reduce exposure and document the steps (s. 8-5(1)).
• Above the limit. Where exposure cannot be kept below 85 dBA Lex or an area below 90 dBA, hearing protectors to CSA Z94.2-14 (R2024) and an audiometric test with counselling at least once every 24 months, on paid time (s. 8-5(3)-(5)). The regulation does not set a separate baseline test.
• Plan. A written hearing conservation plan where 10 or more workers exceed 85 dBA Lex, reviewed every three years (s. 8-6).
• Exchange rate. Not stated; “dBA Lex” is an energy-averaged eight-hour level, which implies 3 dB.

Fire-service nuance.

• Unpaid volunteers are workers only for the harassment and violence duties, so the testing duty attaches to paid members (see J11 Volunteer Firefighters); test every member by policy.

Status. Partly verified: Part 8 read through the research (consolidated to 2021-04-01). The exchange rate and baseline are not stated in the text.

Law. Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, Part 5 (ss. 5-1 to 5-14) and Table 9 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 5-1 to 5-14, Table 9).

What must be covered.

• Standards. Kits to CSA Z1220-17, with the workplace classified by the risk assessment in its Annex A (ss. 5-1, 5-3); CSA Z1210 is not adopted, and attendants are provincial class A and class B.
• Attendants (Table 9). 2-25 workers: one class A at any risk level; 26-50: class A (low), class B (moderate), class A and class B (high); 51-100: class A (low), A and B (moderate), A and B and one licensed paramedic-level person (high); over 100: 2 A (low), 2 A and 2 B (moderate), 2 A, 2 B and one licensed person (high) (s. 5-5).
• Rescue work. Where the regulations require rescue personnel, a class A attendant must be available (s. 5-5(4)).
• Certificates and records. Certificates valid no more than three years (s. 5-6); first aid register kept five years after the last entry (s. 5-8).
• Rooms and transport. A first aid room for 100 or more workers at distant places (s. 5-9); transport of the injured by ambulance within 30 minutes or by a suitable vehicle (s. 5-12).
• Vehicles. A vehicle that transports workers carries a kit consistent with CSA Z1220 (s. 5-10).

Fire-service nuance.

• The rescue-personnel rule ties first aid to confined space and other rescue standby (see J17 Confined Space).
• Unpaid volunteers are workers only for the harassment and violence duties (see J11 Volunteer Firefighters); provide first aid coverage for every member by policy.

Status. Verified against the regulations consolidated to 2021-04-01.

Law. Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, s. 6-22 (exposure control plan) (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 6-22).

What must be covered.

• Exposure control plan. Where workers handle, use or produce an infectious material or organism or are likely to be exposed, a written plan developed with the committee that identifies exposed workers, tasks and routes of entry, signs and symptoms, the infection control measures (vaccination, engineering controls such as sharps with engineered injury protection and sharps containers, personal protective equipment, safe work practices and universal precautions) and their limits, procedures after a spill, an exposure or a believed exposure, cleaning and disinfection of contaminated equipment, training, confidential investigation of exposure incidents, and investigation of occupational infections (s. 6-22(2)-(3)).
• Training first. No worker undertakes the identified tasks until trained in the plan (s. 6-22(5)).
• Review. With the committee, at least every two years or as advances in infection control require (s. 6-22(6)).
• Source testing. A testing statute for bodily substance exposures was reported in the medical press around 2005-2006; its name, enactment and current status were not confirmed.
• Medical first response. Not researched.

Fire-service nuance.

• The s. 6-22 plan is the closest fit in Canada to an NFPA 1580 infection control program and can be written as one document.

Status. Partly verified: s. 6-22 read on 2026-10-23 (consolidated to 2021-04-01). Source testing and the medical response framework not confirmed.

Law. The Saskatchewan Employment Act, ss. 3-1(6) and 3-21 (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, ss. 3-1(6), 3-21); The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, s. 3-26 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 3-26).

What must be covered.

• Every employer must develop and implement a written policy statement and prevention plan to deal with potentially violent situations, after consulting the occupational health committee, the representative or, where there is neither, the workers (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-21(1)).
• Investigate every incident of violence at the place of employment (s. 3-21(3)).
• Contents of the policy statement and plan (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 3-26(3)):
  • the employer’s commitment to minimize or eliminate the risk;
  • the worksites where violent situations have occurred or may reasonably be expected, and the staff positions exposed;
  • how workers will be informed of the nature and extent of the risk, including information on persons with a history of violent behaviour, unless disclosure is prohibited by law;
  • the actions to minimize or eliminate the risk, including personal protective equipment, administrative arrangements and engineering controls;
  • the reporting procedure for a worker exposed to a violent incident, and the employer’s procedure to document and investigate it;
  • a recommendation that an exposed worker consult their physician for treatment or referral for post-incident counselling;
  • a training program covering recognition, controls, responses including how to get help, and reporting.
• Paid time. Counselling and training count as time at work with no loss of pay or benefits (s. 3-26(4)).
• Availability of a copy to workers (s. 3-26(5)).
• Review and revise every 3 years and whenever circumstances change in a way that may affect workers’ health or safety (s. 3-26(6)).
• Definition. Violence is the attempted, threatened or actual conduct of a person that causes or is likely to cause injury, including threatening statements or behaviour (s. 3-26(1)).

Fire-service nuance.

• The 2023 amendment (S.S. 2023, c. 40) made s. 3-21 a duty of every employer. The list of prescribed places in OHSR s. 3-26(2) (health care, police, corrections, crisis services, retail, transit and others) does not name fire, but it no longer limits the Act’s duty (interpretation). Secondary sources give in force 2023-05-17 with compliance by 2024-05-17.
• Volunteers count as workers for these duties (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-1(6)), so volunteer members are assessed, trained and covered by the plan.

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (Act consolidated to 2025-12-31; Regulations to 2021-04-01, the latest available). The in-force date of the 2023 amendment is not verified.

Law. The Saskatchewan Employment Act, ss. 3-1(1)(l), 3-1(6), 3-8, 3-9, 3-10 and 3-21.1 (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013); The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, s. 3-25 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 3-25).

What must be covered.

• Written policy to prevent harassment, developed after consulting the occupational health committee, the representative or the workers, and an investigation into any incident of workplace harassment (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-21.1).
• Policy elements (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 3-25(1)(a)-(j)): a definition that includes the Act’s; every worker’s entitlement to employment free of harassment; a commitment to every reasonably practicable effort to prevent it; corrective action against anyone under the employer’s direction who harasses; how complaints reach the employer; non-disclosure of names and circumstances except to investigate, correct or as required by law; a reference to the Act’s harassment provisions and the worker’s right to ask an occupational health officer for help; a reference to the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, 2018 and the right to complain to the Human Rights Commission; how the complainant and the alleged harasser learn the results; and a statement that the policy does not limit other legal rights.
• Implement and post the policy in a conspicuous place (s. 3-25(2)).
• Training and review. No training content and no review cycle are prescribed.
• Definition. Inappropriate conduct, comment, display, action or gesture based on a prohibited ground or on physical size or weight, or that adversely affects psychological or physical well-being and that the person knows or ought to know would humiliate or intimidate, and that threatens health or safety; or unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-1(1)(l)). Repeated conduct or a single serious occurrence qualifies (s. 3-1(4)-(5)).

Fire-service nuance.

• Employers, supervisors and workers each have a statutory duty about harassment (ss. 3-8, 3-9, 3-10), so an officer who tolerates it is personally exposed.
• Volunteers count as workers for these duties (s. 3-1(6)).
• The investigation duty was added by S.S. 2023, c. 40.

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (Act consolidated to 2025-12-31; Regulations to 2021-04-01, the latest available).

Law. The Saskatchewan Employment Act, ss. 3-1(1)(o), 3-21 and 3-21.1 (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013).

What must be covered.

• In the statute. Yes. “Occupational health and safety” means the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of “physical, mental and social well-being of workers”, the protection of workers from factors adverse to their health, their placement in environments adapted to their “physiological and psychological conditions”, and a working environment “free of harassment” (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 3-1(1)(o)).
• Psychosocial duty. No separate psychosocial regulation; the general duties are read with this definition, and violence and harassment have their own written plans (J26 Workplace Violence, J27 Workplace Harassment).
• Crisis resources. 9-8-8 (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2026). A provincial line was not confirmed on the research date.

Fire-service nuance.

• Any worker exposed to a traumatic event has a psychological injury presumption, volunteer firefighters included (J32 Workers' Compensation and Firefighter Presumptions).
• PSPNET offers free therapist-guided internet therapy to public safety personnel (CIPSRT, n.d.).
• CSA Z1003-13 is voluntary here.

Status. Partly verified: the Act (consolidated to 2025-12-31) was read; the provincial crisis line and PSPNET eligibility were not confirmed.

Law. The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, Part 20 (diving operations, ss. 20-1 to 20-19) (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 20-1-20-19); the approved list for Part 20 (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).

What must be covered.

• Scope. Part 20 applies to any worker diving, including fire department rescue divers; there is no public safety diving provision or exemption.
• Decompression tables. From Defence Research and Development Canada or an approved agency (s. 20-3).
• Medical. By a physician at least every 12 months, to CAN/CSA Z275.2-92 Appendices A and B (s. 20-4).
• Team. A diving supervisor (s. 20-5); sufficient crew (s. 20-6); a standby diver dressed in at all times (s. 20-7); a dedicated tender (s. 20-8).
• Air. A reserve of 2.5 times the requirement (s. 20-9(1)); breathing gas to CSA Z180.1:19 and equipment to CSA Z275.2:20 on the approved list.
• Records. Diver logs kept 5 years (s. 20-15).

Fire-service nuance.

• No emergency relief.
• Unpaid volunteers are workers under the Act only for the harassment and violence duties; a volunteer dive team should adopt Part 20 as policy (see J11 Volunteer Firefighters).

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (consolidation last updated 2021-04-01; approved list read). The competency standard was not identified.

Law. The Traffic Safety Act, ss. 204, 238 and 287(1)(x.1); Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, ss. 32-4 and 32-9 (The Traffic Safety Act [SK], 2004, ss. 204, 238, 287; The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 32-4, 32-9). Licensing from SGI guidance (Saskatchewan Government Insurance, n.d.-a, n.d.-b, n.d.-c). No replacement statute.

What must be covered.

• Emergency vehicles. Include vehicles transporting fire department members to an emergency and “a vehicle designated by municipal bylaw” for a volunteer firefighter or first responder, operated by a person meeting prescribed requirements (s. 238(1)(e)).
• Exemptions. Only while an emergency exists, the siren and emergency light are operating, and it is necessary (s. 238(2)); due regard for safety (s. 238(5)); priority: fire engines, then fire apparatus, ambulances and police (s. 238(6)); other drivers pull right and stop (s. 238(9)).
• Other drivers. No more than 60 km/h when passing a stopped emergency vehicle with its lights on, except on the opposite roadway of a divided highway (s. 204).
• Seat belts and competence. Every firefighting vehicle operated by a competent operator, with training records (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 32-4); seated and belted, no tailstep or exposed riding, alternate transport if seats are short, and a grass or crop fire exception with restraint, communication and 20 km/h maximum (s. 32-9).
• Licence. Class 5 for two-axle trucks; Class 3 for trucks with more than two axles; air brake endorsement A, with an exemption only for farm-registered vehicles; no fire exemption found (SGI guidance, not legislation).

Fire-service nuance.

• The bylaw route in s. 238(1)(e) can make a volunteer’s vehicle an emergency vehicle with real exemptions, but the prescribed requirements and permitted light colours were not read.

Status. Partly verified: the Act read through the research (consolidated to 2024-06-28); licensing from SGI handbooks; the prescribed requirements for volunteer vehicles not read.

Law. Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, s. 9-22; Traffic Safety Act, s. 204 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 9-22; The Traffic Safety Act [SK], 2004, s. 204). Approved standards (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).

What must be covered.

• High visibility. Any worker at risk from traffic wears high-visibility apparel (s. 9-22(1)); CSA Z96:22 is approved for firefighter PPE under the approved standards and practices.
• Traffic control plan. A written traffic control plan when traffic on a public highway endangers workers; signallers only where other methods are inadequate (s. 9-22).
• Exemption. Only peace officers are exempt (s. 9-22(10)); firefighters are not. Where the Traffic Safety Act conflicts, it prevails.
• Move-over. No more than 60 km/h when passing a stopped emergency vehicle with emergency lights operating, except on the opposite roadway of a divided highway (s. 204).

Fire-service nuance.

• A pre-written roadway incident plan for each class of road meets the written-plan duty at the scenes where it is practicable to use one.

Status. Verified against the regulations (consolidated to 2021-04-01) and the Act (consolidated to 2024-06-28).

Law. The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013, ss. 2(1), 28, 28.1, 53 and 54 (The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013 [SK], 2013); The Workers’ Compensation General Regulations, 1985, ss. 22.3 and 22.4 (The Workers’ Compensation General Regulations, 1985 [SK], 2024). Board: Workers’ Compensation Board of Saskatchewan.

What must be covered.

• Board administration. Check contractors’ standing with the board before work and payment; support non-presumptive claims with exposure and audiometry records.
• Cancers. 22 primary-site cancers plus the heart injury, for a worker who has been “a volunteer or full-time member of a fire department” for the prescribed period and “regularly exposed to the hazards of a fire scene” (s. 28(1)(b), (3)(a)); minimums in Regulations s. 22.3:

• Lung. Non-smokers only (s. 28(3)(b)); the required smoke-free period is none for fewer than 365 cigarettes in a lifetime and 6 to 28 years otherwise, by daily consumption (The Workers’ Compensation General Regulations, 1985 [SK], 2024, s. 22.4).
• Heart. An injury to the heart that manifests within 24 hours after attendance at an emergency response, with no minimum service (s. 28(1)(b); The Workers’ Compensation General Regulations, 1985 [SK], 2024, s. 22.3).
• Psychological injury. Presumed work-related for any worker exposed to a traumatic event, or in a prescribed occupation, and diagnosed by a psychiatrist or psychologist under the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (s. 28.1). It covers volunteer firefighters as workers.
• Volunteers. “Worker” includes a member of a municipal volunteer fire brigade (s. 2(1)).

Fire-service nuance.

• S.S. 2024, c. 11 added six cancers (penile, pancreatic, thyroid, soft tissue sarcoma, mesothelioma and laryngeal), with the regulation amended 2024-07-19.
• S.S. 2025, c. 21 extended the presumptions to wildland firefighters, in force 2025-08-01 according to the board; the mechanism does not show in the consolidated s. 28.
• Whether gradual-onset stress is compensable depends on board policy, which was not read; “injury” includes “any disablement” (s. 2(1)).

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (Act consolidated to 2025-08-07; Regulations to 2024-10-01). Wildland mechanism, gradual-onset policy and contractor clearance not verified.

Law. The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013, ss. 53 and 54 (The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013 [SK], 2013, ss. 53-54); The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, 2018 (The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, 2018 [SK], 2018); The Saskatchewan Employment Act, ss. 2-12, 2-13, 2-22 and 6-87 (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013).

What must be covered.

• Duty to co-operate. The employer shall co-operate with the board and the worker to achieve the early and safe return of an injured worker (The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013 [SK], 2013, s. 53). Failure is an offence with a fine of up to $1,000, and the board may order the employer to pay part of the compensation and medical aid (s. 54).
• Re-employment. No statutory re-employment obligation was found in the Act.
• Accommodation. The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, 2018 governs; its employment and occupational requirement sections were not read on the research date. The harassment policy must refer to it and to the right to complain to the Human Rights Commission (J27 Workplace Harassment).
• Hours of work.
  • Without consent, no employee may be required to work more than 44 hours a week, except in unexpected, unusual or emergency circumstances (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 2-12).
  • Eight consecutive hours of rest in every 24 hours, except in emergency circumstances, and one day off a week for employees who usually work 20 hours or more (s. 2-13).
  • Special rules for firefighters: regulations may authorize firefighter platoons for prescribed employers and allow them to require 24 consecutive hours of work and set other conditions (s. 2-22). The regulations were not read.

Fire-service nuance.

• Career firefighter bargaining units in cities of 20,000 or more whose union constitution prohibits strikes go to binding arbitration (The Saskatchewan Employment Act [SK], 2013, s. 6-87 onward), which is where most schedule disputes are settled.
• With no statutory re-employment duty, the department’s own return-to-work policy and the human rights duty carry the load.

Status. Partly verified: the Acts were read (Compensation Act consolidated to 2025-08-07; Employment Act to 2025-12-31); the Human Rights Code and the firefighter platoon regulations were not.

Law. The Fire Safety Act, ss. 2, 4, 6, 7, 15, 17 to 24, 45 and 49 (The Fire Safety Act [SK], 2015); The Fire Safety Regulations, adopting the National Fire Code 2020 (The Fire Safety Regulations [SK], 2024, ss. 3, 7); The Emergency Planning Act, s. 11 (The Emergency Planning Act [SK], 1989-90).

What must be covered.

• Fire department. A department “established or operated by or contracted with a local authority” (The Fire Safety Act [SK], 2015, s. 2); fire bylaws are made under the municipal Acts (s. 49).
• Chief’s powers. The fire chief or acting chief is the municipality’s “local assistant” (s. 2), administers the Act locally (s. 15), and at a fire or emergency may enter land and premises without a warrant and “take any measures … necessary” (s. 18); outside the home jurisdiction the chief works under the host local assistant’s direction (s. 18(3)-(4)); imminent-risk entry (s. 19).
• Investigation and reporting. Every fire is investigated, starting within three business days (s. 20(3)); significant fires (suspicious with significant loss, death or serious injury, or Crown premises) are reported to the fire commissioner as soon as practicable and the scene secured (s. 22); every non-fire emergency is reported as soon as practicable (s. 24(3); The Fire Safety Regulations [SK], 2024, s. 7).
• Fire service information. Filed with the fire commissioner, reviewed and updated every year, and communicated to residents (The Fire Safety Act [SK], 2015, s. 17). This is the province’s service-level declaration.
• Fire commissioner. An employee of the provincial public safety agency appointed by the minister (s. 4); keeps fire and emergency records, provides or facilitates training courses and advises on standards (s. 6); has emergency powers, including establishing an incident command structure (s. 7).
• Liability. Good-faith immunity for firefighters “whether for wages or otherwise” and for volunteers (s. 45).
• Mutual aid. Fire department services agreements (s. 2); jurisdiction extends to agreement areas (s. 15(2)(b)); a department responding outside its area without an agreement must notify (s. 24(1)); mutual aid areas under emergency planning law (The Emergency Planning Act [SK], 1989-90, s. 11).

Fire-service nuance.

• No mandatory firefighter certification exists in the fire statute; the OHS firefighter Part requires competence-based training for every expected emergency operation, with written records (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, s. 32-4); see J12 Fire Service OHS Rules and Fireground Operations.
• The provincial public safety agency holds IFSAC accreditation for NFPA 1001 (2019) Levels I and II, delivered through a regional college.

Status. Verified against the official text on 2026-10-23 (Act consolidated to 2024-07-30; regulations to 2024-01-17). The certification body detail is not verified.

Law. The Wildfire Act, ss. 2, 3, 9 to 12 and 17 (The Wildfire Act [SK], 2014, ss. 2-3, 9-12, 17); The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, ss. 32-2, 32-9 and 32-10 (The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020 [SK], 2021, ss. 32-2, 32-9, 32-10); The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013, s. 28 (The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013 [SK], 2013, s. 28).

What must be covered.

• Scope. The Act applies in every rural municipality, park land and provincial forest, but not within cities, towns, villages, hamlets, northern villages and similar communities (s. 3(1)-(2)); the minister may act on a wildfire anywhere (s. 3(3)).
• Agency. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) carries out the Act through its agency officers (ss. 2, 8).
• Responsibility. The minister is responsible for wildfire management in the wildfire management area: provincial forest, park land, vacant Crown land and every quarter section within 4.5 km of a provincial forest (ss. 2, 10). A rural municipality is responsible for controlling and extinguishing fires that start or burn in it, including on private land, occupied Crown land, municipal reserves, roads, structures, vehicles and landfills, and pays the costs, except a wildfire that starts in the part of the wildfire management area within the municipality (s. 11).
• Notice and approval. “If a municipality undertakes actions to control and extinguish a wildfire within a wildfire management area, the municipality shall immediately notify an agency officer and shall obtain approval from SPSA to continue those actions” (s. 12(3)); without the notice, the province need not reimburse the municipality (s. 12(4)). The minister may take over a fire if municipal action is inadequate, if it threatens the wildfire management area, or on request, and the municipality may be liable for the costs (s. 12(1), (5)).
• Liability. Municipalities, their employees and helpers are not liable for damages from a wildfire or for acts taken with reasonable care to control it (s. 9(2)).
• Burning. No fire during the wildfire season in a provincial forest, within 4.5 km of one, or in park land without a burn notification number (s. 17(1)); the season is prescribed by regulation (s. 2).

Fire-service nuance.

• Part 32 of the OHS regulations does not apply to wildfires the minister is responsible for or acts on under ss. 10 and 12 (s. 32-2(a)); at those fires the general parts apply.
• Firefighters may ride outside seats at prairie, grassland or crop fires only with a restraint, communication with the operator and a speed of no more than 20 km/h (s. 32-9(3)); fireline workwear to CAN/CGSB-155.22 is approved under s. 32-10 (Government of Saskatchewan, n.d.-a).
• The 2025 amendments extended the presumptions to wildland firefighters, in force 2025-08-01 according to the board, but the change does not show in the consolidated s. 28; see J32 Workers' Compensation and Firefighter Presumptions.
• No wildland qualification standard for municipal crews was found.

Status. Partly verified: the Act (consolidated to SS 2024, c 4) and OHS sections read on 2026-10-23. The prescribed season and SPSA training standards were not read.

Law. The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013, ss. 139 and 146 (The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013 [SK], 2013, ss. 139, 146).

What must be covered.

• COR. COR in Saskatchewan is administered by the construction safety association for construction employers. The compensation board funds six industry safety associations, none of which covers municipalities or fire services (WorkSafe Saskatchewan, 2026). No municipal certifying partner was found.
• Incentives. The board may adopt a merit rating system (s. 139) and may make grants to employer safety associations (s. 146). The prevention partnership runs a safe employer award and a firefighter cancer prevention initiative (WorkSafe Saskatchewan, n.d.).
• Grants. No general provincial grant for fire department equipment or training was found. A one-time provincial program in 2022, funded by the province’s public auto insurer and run by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, provided auto extrication training and equipment to fire departments.

Fire-service nuance.

• External check by default. With no municipal COR route, a department’s realistic options are certification to ISO 45001 or CSA Z45001 by an accredited registrar, or peer accreditation (CPSE, 2019).
• Wildland funding is separate. Federal wildfire equipment funding flows to the provincial wildfire agency, not to municipal departments (see the Federal section below and J35 Wildland and Interface Fire).

Status. Partly verified on 2026-10-23 (compensation Act consolidated to 2025-08-07; safety association page dated 2026-09-11 read). COR administration and the extrication program rest on secondary sources.

Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes [CBHCC]. (n.d.). Provincial and territorial adoption. https://cbhcc-cchcc.ca/en/provincial-territorial-adoption/

Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment [CIPSRT]. (n.d.). Resources for public safety personnel: Peer support guidelines, moral injury guide and PSPNET [Web page]. https://www.cipsrt-icrtsp.ca/en/

Government of Saskatchewan. (n.d.-a). Approved standards and practices. https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/safety-in-the-workplace/approved-standards-and-practices

Government of Saskatchewan. (n.d.-b). Report serious injuries, fatalities and dangerous occurrences. https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/safety-in-the-workplace/reporting-serious-injuries-fatalities-and-dangerous-occurrences

Saskatchewan Government Insurance. (n.d.-a). Class 3 licence. https://sgi.sk.ca/pro-driver/-/knowledge_base/pro-drivers/class-3-licence

Saskatchewan Government Insurance. (n.d.-b). Class 5 licence. https://sgi.sk.ca/pro-driver/-/knowledge_base/pro-drivers/class-5-licence

Saskatchewan Government Insurance. (n.d.-c). Requirement for A endorsement. https://sgi.sk.ca/air-brake/-/knowledge_base/air-brake/requirement-for-a-endorsement

WorkSafe Saskatchewan. (n.d.). Firefighter cancer prevention. https://www.worksafesask.ca/nextgenprevention/environmental-risks/firefighter-cancer-prevention/