Policy
WorkSafeNB recognizes its legal obligations under the Official Languages Acts (OLA).
WorkSafeNB meets these legal obligations by ensuring that external clients and stakeholders can communicate with, and receive services in English or French as required by the OLA. This includes instances when WorkSafeNB engages a third party to provide services to clients. To support employees and service providers in providing services of equal quality and without undue delay in both official languages, WorkSafeNB maintains oversight of bilingual services and ensures appropriate structures and resources are in place.
WorkSafeNB also takes appropriate measures to make clients and stakeholders aware that services are available in both official languages. All postings, publications and documents intended for the general public are published in both official languages.
Interpretation
Active Offer
- WorkSafeNB actively offers and provides services of equal quality to clients or stakeholders in their choice of French or English.
- When a client or stakeholder indicates their language of choice, all future correspondence will be addressed in that language. At anytime, a client or stakeholder may request to change their language of choice. When correspondence is initiated by a client or stakeholder, the response must be prepared in the language in which the correspondence was written, unless specified otherwise by the client or stakeholder.
- Service in both official languages includes, but is not limited to:
- Oral communication;
- Correspondence;
- Electronic service delivery channels (e-mail, internet, voicemail);
- Staffing interviews;
- Public forms and public documents;
- Website and My Services portal;
- Information material; and
- Signage.
- The availability of communications and services in both official languages is promoted through the use of bilingual signs and greetings in both English and French on the telephone and in person.
Third Party Services
- WorkSafeNB ensures clients continue to receive services in the language of their choice from third party providers by specifying obligations under the OLA in the service delivery contract.
- When the nature of service required does not allow the client to make an official language choice, WorkSafeNB provides translation services.
WorkSafeNB Supports
- WorkSafeNB maintains an appropriate number of staff who are fluent in both official languages in order to ensure that there is the capacity to offer quality services in both official languages.
Previous policy
This is the original release.
Authority
Official Languages Act, SNB 2002, c O-0.5
Sections 1, 27, 28, 28.1, 29, 30
Active offer - informing the public, at the first point of contact, that services are available in both official languages. (GNB)
Communicate - any form of communication whether spoken, written or electronic. (Official Languages Act.)
