Insights
Custom Safety Manual Requirements in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan runs on The Saskatchewan Employment Act, Part III, and the OHS Regulations, 2020 - with a program trigger that's narrower than Alberta's or BC's, a universal committee threshold, and six industry-specific safety associations rather than one central certifying body. A manual needs to reflect all three correctly.
Published 5 Sep 2026 · The On-Track Team
6 min readKey Takeaways
- Saskatchewan's mandatory written program applies to Table 7 (moderate/high-hazard) industries with 10+ workers - not every industry (OHS Regulations, 2020 s.3-11).
- An occupational health committee is required at 10+ workers at any workplace - this one is universal, not restricted to Table 7 (Act s.3-22).
- Six WCB-funded safety associations deliver COR in Saskatchewan by sector - SCSA, HCSAS, MSA, Energy Safety Canada, SASWH, and Service Hospitality.
- SECOR exists in Saskatchewan through SCSA, generally for employers with 9 or fewer workers.
- Saskatchewan's violence and harassment policy duties (Act s.3-21, s.3-21.1) now apply province-wide, similar in spirit to Alberta's 2025 requirement.
1. What Saskatchewan law requires
Saskatchewan's occupational health and safety framework runs through The Saskatchewan Employment Act (SS 2013, c S-15.1), Part III, and the OHS Regulations, 2020 made under it. The mandatory written program requirement is narrower than it first appears: Regulation section 3-11 applies it only to workplaces listed in Table 7 of the Appendix - the province's list of moderate- and higher-hazard industries - once that workplace has 10 or more workers. A company outside Table 7 isn't automatically exempt from every duty, but the formal, ten-part written program specifically is a Table 7 requirement.
The occupational health committee rule works differently, and is easy to mix up with the program trigger: Act section 3-22 requires a committee at 10 or more workers of one employer, at any workplace - not limited to Table 7. Between 5 and 9 workers at a Table 7 workplace specifically, sections 3-24 and Regulation 4-8 require a worker representative instead. Construction sites carry their own separate rule under Regulation section 4-1: a committee at 10 or more workers, or wherever self-employed persons are likely to be on site for more than 90 days.
Violence and harassment policy is now province-wide
2. Saskatchewan's safety associations
There's no single central certifying body in Saskatchewan the way ACSA anchors Alberta construction. WorkSafe Saskatchewan - the WCB and the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, jointly - funds six industry-specific safety associations that deliver COR and SECOR: the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association (SCSA) for general construction, the Heavy Construction Safety Association of Saskatchewan (HCSAS), the Motor Safety Association (MSA) for trucking and motor carriers, Energy Safety Canada for oil and gas, SASWH for health care, and Service Hospitality. Which one applies depends entirely on your sector.
Our Services
Building a Saskatchewan manual, or a dual AB/SK package?
We build for SCSA, Energy Safety Canada, and Saskatchewan's other safety associations - including combined Alberta/Saskatchewan manuals for operators working across both provinces.
See Saskatchewan manual options3. What a Saskatchewan-specific manual gets right
A manual built for Saskatchewan cites The Saskatchewan Employment Act and the OHS Regulations, 2020 - not Alberta's or BC's legislation - and correctly separates the Table 7 program trigger from the universal committee threshold, since they're genuinely different rules with different scopes. It also names the correct safety association for the company's actual sector, since a construction-focused manual built for SCSA won't match the evidence expectations of an oil and gas audit through Energy Safety Canada.
4. Where Saskatchewan manuals go wrong
The most common defect is treating Saskatchewan's program trigger the same as Alberta's flat 20-worker line, when Saskatchewan's is a narrower, industry-gated 10-worker rule under Table 7. A close second is confusing the program trigger with the committee trigger - they use different worker counts and different scope, and a manual that conflates them describes obligations the company either doesn't have yet or already exceeds. Third, a trucking or oil and gas company using a manual built around SCSA's construction-focused expectations, when the Motor Safety Association or Energy Safety Canada is the actual certifying partner.
5. Frequently asked
Does every Saskatchewan employer need a written safety program?
No - Saskatchewan's mandatory written program trigger is narrower than it looks. Under OHS Regulations, 2020 section 3-11, it applies to workplaces listed in Table 7 of the Appendix (the province's list of moderate- and higher-hazard industries) with 10 or more workers, not to every industry at that headcount. A company outside Table 7 with 10 or more workers may still not need the full formal program, though general duties under the Act still apply.
When does Saskatchewan require an occupational health committee?
At 10 or more workers of one employer at a place of employment, under Act section 3-22 - and unlike the written-program trigger, this one is universal, not restricted to Table 7 industries. Between 5 and 9 workers at a Table 7 workplace, section 3-24 and Regulation section 4-8 require a worker representative instead. Construction sites have their own separate rule: a committee is required at 10 or more workers, or where self-employed persons are likely to be on site more than 90 days.
Which organization certifies COR in Saskatchewan?
There's no single certifying body - WorkSafe Saskatchewan (the WCB and Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, jointly) funds six industry-specific safety associations that deliver COR, SECOR, and related certification: the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association (SCSA) for general construction, the Heavy Construction Safety Association of Saskatchewan (HCSAS), the Motor Safety Association (MSA) for trucking and motor carriers, Energy Safety Canada for oil and gas, SASWH for health care, and Service Hospitality. The right one depends on your sector.
Is there a Saskatchewan SECOR program for small employers?
Yes - SECOR exists in Saskatchewan, administered through the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association, generally for employers with 9 or fewer workers. Confirm the exact eligibility and process with SCSA directly, since the small-employer threshold and requirements can differ slightly by association.
Does Saskatchewan have a WCB rebate for COR-certified employers like Alberta's PIR?
Not directly tied to COR the way Alberta's program works. Saskatchewan WCB runs an Experience Rating Program instead, adjusting premiums up or down based on a company's own claims history - with discounts of up to roughly 30% in its Advanced stream. COR isn't itself a rating input, but a stronger safety program that reduces claims improves the experience rating indirectly.