Use these four rules to keep and maintain your company's legal register

A legal register is important because it provides you with all the legal requirements you need for your business. It has any national, regional or municipal by-law relevant to your company's activities.

The Health & Safety Advisor says you can refer to your legal register whenever:
 

• There's an incident;
• Changes occur in your structures, processes, materials, machinery and equipment;
• New or additional technical information is received;
• There are changes in the workforce; and
• There are changes in relevant legislation.

When and who can draft your legal register?

You can only develop your register after a qualified professional person has inspected your company and its activities.

Either your health and safety supervisor will compile your legal register or you can contract an Occupational Safety, Health and Environment service provider for this purpose. They'll design and provide a legal register specific to your business activities and site.

They'll also make sure your electronic legal register is updated whenever the law changes. Every year after this they'll do yearly inspections. These inspections only include changes in your company's business activities such as processes, machinery and production.

That's not all.

The OHSA requires you to adhere to these four rules to keep and maintain your legal register

Your legal registers must:

1. Be in hard copy and electronic format.
2. Provide a place (in hard and soft copy) where you can make comments.
3. List the name of the person responsible for compiling it, due dates for renewals and completion dates for compliance with the law.
4. Be updated at least once a year. This update will ensure that your company is always compliant with legal changes in health and safety.

Now that you know the rules, make sure you comply with the OHSA when it comes to keeping and maintaining your company's legal register.

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