Alberta is adding 30 new occupational health and safety officers over the next three years to prepare for increased economic activity.
Barrie Harrison, communications officer with Alberta Employment and Immigration, said it is not known if officers will be added to the Red Deer area office, where there are currently five officers.
Sixteen officers were added across the province in 2010-11, with one officer added to the Red Deer office. The province will be hiring 10 more officers in each of the next three years.
“The breakdown of officers is still being ironed out,” Harrison said on Friday.
Officers conduct on-the-spot inspections at companies, educate employers and workers on OHS legislation, and investigate serious incidents.
Alberta currently has 102 officers, with 57 working in the northern part of the province and 45 in the south.
Along with more officers, the province will soon be divided into three OHS regions, instead of two, for more focus in the north where major economic activity takes place, particularly in the oil and gas and construction sectors.
Up until now, the province was cut in half near Wetaskiwin. A new central region will stretch north to the High Prairie area and south to Ponoka area.
Red Deer will remain part of the southern region.