General
- What subjects are covered by the Legislation series™?
- Why should I subscribe to a Legislation series product?
- Is the Legislation service available for Mac users?
Content
- How is legislation selected for the EnviroOSH collection?
- Does the series include the complete text of the legislation?
- How can I find out if a particular document is available?
- How do I know "What's New"?
- Do you have the National Fire Code and the National Building Codes in the Legislation series?
- I don't need the full national collection - what do I do?
Currency
- How do you keep the legislation information up to date?
- Does the Legislation DVD expire?
- What is the Legislation Notification Service?
Internet Access
- Is the Legislation series available on the Internet?
- Why use the Legislation series when I can get legislation for free from other sources on the Internet?
Standards
- What is the difference between the Legislation series and the Legislation PLUS product?
- Are Standards available with the regional service?
- How do you decide which Standards to add?
- Why is the older standard in the database? Is the updated one available?
- Why is a CSA Standard Marked as Withdrawn?
General
What subjects are covered by the Legislation series™?
The Legislation series includes a wide range of topics affecting the environmental and workplace health and safety of Canadians. Topics include environmental protection, hazardous products, workplace health and safety, WHMIS, transportation of dangerous goods, workers' compensation, pesticides, noise levels, Canada Labour Code, etc.
Why should I subscribe to a Legislation series product??
The series saves valuable time to identify the information you require, to remain current and in compliance with the most up-to-date, consolidated text of acts, regulations and guidelines for all Canadian jurisdictions. The Legislation series provides information on the legal requirements for your workplace. Information on one or all jurisdictions is available instantly to you; as well, you can print or read the complete text of every document. The Legislation series is invaluable for preparing for critical audits and due diligence.
Is the Legislation service available for Mac users?
Mac users will be pleased to know that the Legislation series, available only in Windows on disc before, can now be accessed on the World Wide Web using Macintosh software.
Content
How is legislation selected for the EnviroOSH collection?
Legislation in the field of health, safety and environment is identified by monitoring official gazettes, legislative web sites and news services of Canadian jurisdictions. Selection is based primarily on whether the legislation has a core occupational health, safety and environmental characteristic. Legislation with peripheral relevance is added on a case by case basis, depending upon the jurisdiction and perceived need.
Legislation relating primarily to fees, or with limited geographic scope is not generally included.
Does the series include the complete text of the legislation?
CCOHS provides the complete text of all acts, regulations, guidelines and codes of practice in the series. As such, the user is able to determine the context of his or her requirements and be certain of comprehensive coverage. In a very few cases, we may include excerpts of the legislation if only one or two sections are relevant to health, safety and the environment. The complete text of such legislation will of course always be available through Client Services.
How can I find out if a particular document is available?
At present, over 2,500 acts, regulations, codes and guidelines are available. Client Services can provide you with a list of legislation on the disc or you can visit the Legislation web site at www.ccohs.ca/legislation for a complete listing. If the legislation or guideline you are looking for is not on the disc but you feel it is relevant to health and safety in Canada, please contact Client Services with a complete citation and we will add the document as soon as we can.
A "What's new on this disc" document is included in each new issue/update of the Legislation service. Amended text is indicated in purple.
Do you have the National Fire Code and the National Building Codes in the Legislation series?
Although these documents are critical to many of the users of the Legislation series, we have been unable to make an arrangement yet with the National Research Council to reproduce them. You must contact the National Research Council directly for print or electronic versions.
I don't need the full national collection - what do I do?
The Legislation series is also available by geographic area - Ontario, Eastern Canada and Western Canada. Each regional collection also contains all the federal legislation since it applies to all jurisdictions in Canada.
Currency
How do you keep the legislation information up to date?
CCOHS staff review the latest gazettes from the jurisdictions for the most recent legislation and amendments. Legislation on the Internet is updated monthly; on the DVD it is updated quarterly. A "What's new on this disc" document is included in each new issue/update of the Legislation Service. Amended text is indicated in purple. Subscribers to the Legislation series receive a free monthly update service listing the progress of proposed legislation, amendments incorporated in the previous month, recently repealed legislation and documents to be added to the next issue of the disc.
Does the Legislation DVD expire?
To ensure that only the most current versions of the legislation are used, the Legislation DVD includes an expiry mechanism. The disc expires 3 months after a new issue is released. For example, the 2006-3 disc was issued in September 2006 and the 2006-2 disc will expire in December 2006.
Web Tip: when viewing a list of documents in each jurisdiction you can choose flags to highlight the documents amended or new since:
- Your last visit
- 1 month
- 3 months
- 6 months
- 1 year.
What is the Legislation Notification Service?
This service allows subscribers to receive an automatic e-mail notification when a change occurs to documents you have marked for tracking. While viewing a document, you can add or remove the document to your custom tracking list. The list is accessible through the Subscriber Extras service.
Internet Access
Is the Legislation series available on the Internet?
The Legislation series is available on the CCOHS WIS service on a subscription basis. Various packages are available including national and regional collections.
A number of provincial governments along with the federal government now make their legislation available on the Internet for free or at low cost. However, the CCOHS service makes environmental and OH&S legislation from all jurisdictions available in one spot. Users can hypertext link between documents, view/print graphics and tables and easily capture data for downloading. Cross-jurisdictional comparisons are very easy. As well, CCOHS updates legislation as soon as amendments and new legislation are available and you can easily identify "new" and "amended" documents.
Standards
What is the difference between the Legislation series and the Legislation plus product?
The Legislation PLUS Standards service includes all of the legislation of the Legislation series as well as the full-text of standards referenced in the legislation. To date, almost 1,000 standards from the CSA International, the BC Workers' Compensation Board (BC WCB), and the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) are included.
Are Standards available with the regional service?
Yes, standards are also available with the regional collections.
How do you decide which Standards to add?
All CSA International and Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) standards referenced in the legislation are included on the disc along with any amendments. Standards from the BC Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia have also been incorporated.
Why is the older standard in the database? Is the updated one available?
Standards are cited in legislation in various ways:
- reference to a standard generally, for example the Canadian Electrical Code,
- a specific version, "as amended from time to time",
- or a specific version of a standard in legislation, for example, CSA Standard Z91- M1980 although there may be a newer version.
CCOHS acquires the cited versions as well the most recent version to ensure that all users have access to the most recent information.
Why is a CSA Standard Marked as Withdrawn?
A CSA standard marked as Withdrawn indicates that the product has been withdrawn from active sale on CSA's online store.
This status is used if:
- The standard is withdrawn and not replaced
- There has been a change in the product designation, e.g. if CSA A123-1990 is superseded by CSA 2345-2012
- It is no longer supported by a CSA committee (interpretations, amendments or new edition)
- CSA makes no claim as to its relevancy with regards to current technologies or practices
Note: CSA makes withdrawn standards available for informational purposes as special orders
Please contact CCOHS Client Services if you have further questions about these products and services.
