Grant's Law
| Grant's Law | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Labour Olga Ilich | |
| |
| Citation | Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 4.22.1-4.22.2 |
| Territorial extent | British Columbia |
| Passed by | Minister of Labour Olga Ilich |
| Passed | 4 October 2007 |
| Enacted | July 2007 |
| Commenced | 1 February 2008 |
| Amends | |
| 15 April 2012 | |
| Status: In force | |
Grant's Law is a resolution that was passed on October 4, 2007, and took effect on February 1, 2008. It required heightened safety measures for gas station and store employees working alone.[1] It was first tabled in 2006 by the Minister of Labour Olga IIich of the British Columbia Legislature.[2]
It established British Columbia as the first province in Canada where drivers have to pay before they pump gas and must include provisions to add barriers between customers. An employee working between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. must be accompanied by another employee between said time.[3] The law introduced the pre-payment system combined with new training and education services for gas station workers.[4]
The Law was named for Grant De Patie, a gas station worker who was killed in 2005 by an underage drunken driver.
Background[edit]
On 8 March 2005, Grant De Patie, a gas station worker in Maple Ridge, British Columbia was dragged for seven and a half kilometers under a stolen Chrysler Lebaron driven by 16-year-old Darnell Pratt. Grant was writing down the license plate number as Darnell ran over him while stealing $12 worth of gasoline.[citation needed] Grant was dragged 7.5 kilometers before his body was dislodged from the white Chrysler LeBaron.[5] Darnell Pratt was sentenced, as an adult,[6] with manslaughter and sentenced to 12 years but was released in 2012 as earlier parole attempts had failed.[7]
Legal effects[edit]
Grant's law consists of amendments to the Workers Compensation Act, Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, Section 4.22.1 & 4.22.2.[8]
- 4.22.1 Requires employers train new and young employees in safety precautions. It was required that two employees be present between an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift or that a barrier between an employee and a customer be placed.
- An amendment was made in 2012 allowing employers instead of having two employees working between 11 pm and 6 am, that timed-locks safes and video surveillance be required.
- 4.22.2 Drivers must pay before they use a gas pump. All urban gas stations are required to have a pre-payment system in place to prevent gas-and-dash crimes.
See also[edit]
- Lone worker
- Lone worker monitoring
- Occupational safety and health
- List of legislation named for a person
References[edit]
- ^ ""Grant's Law" to Protect Late-Night Workers". archive.news.gov.bc.ca. Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services. 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
- ^ Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services (2006-10-04). "B.C. Implements 'Grant's Law' to Protect Workers". archive.news.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
- ^ "'Now, this is over': Killer of B.C. gas station attendant dies at age 30 in prison". The Columbia Valley Pioneer. 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
- ^ "Man who killed Maple Ridge gas station worker Grant De Patie has died". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
- ^ Sandborn, Tom (2009-03-09). "'Working Alone' Safeguards Slide". The Tyee. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
- ^ Dawson, Krysta Lyndell (2016-05-25). "Results Public Policy/Interest, British Columbia". Is Treatment the Cure? Exploring the Possible Role of Implementing Mandatory Treatment Programs in the YCJA for Serious and Violent Youth ((Thesis) M.A.). Simon Fraser University, Department of Arts & Social Sciences: School of Criminology. p. 103. ETD 9615. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
- ^ "B.C. to implement 'Grant's Law' to protect gas station workers". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. October 4, 2006. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
- ^ Sylvester, Erin (2015-06-10). "Father of man killed in 2005 gas-and-dash wants 'Grant's Law' across Canada | Calgary Herald". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
External links[edit]
- Workers Compensation Act, Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, section 4.22.1
- Articles on Grant's Law at Global News
- "Grant’s Law" at British Columbia Labour Heritage Centre
- "Grant’s Law stripped down" at Surrey Now-Leader
- "Sit-in over Grant’s Law" at Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News
- "Protecting Worker Safety: Grant's Law Sit-In" at MoveUP Bulletin
- "Grant's Law Sit In - May 25" at Public Service Alliance of Canada
- "'Working Alone' Safeguards Slide" at The Tyee
- "It's pay before you pump under Grant's Law" at The Globe and Mail
- "Protections for Retail Workers Working Alone During Late Night Hours in Canada: A Jurisdictional Comparison" by Rodney Scansen