Breaks, Hours of Work

Breaks

As of April 1, 2007, employers are required to provide employees with breaks under the Labour Standards Code. For information on who the break provisions apply to and what the rules on breaks are see Rest/Eating Breaks.

Hours of Labour

Under normal circumstances, according to the Labour Standards Code, employers must grant employees a rest period of at least 24 hours in every 7 days.

Allowing Employees to Work Longer than 7 Days

Employers may apply to the Director of Labour Standards for an exemption from this requirement of the Labour Standards Code. The Director or a Labour Standards Officer will find out if the employer and most of the employees agree and may grant the exemption or require another arrangement for a rest period.

Emergency Situations

An employer can require more than six days of work in a row if there has been an accident or if urgent work must be done to the machinery or plant, but can require only as much work as is needed to avoid serious interference with the ordinary operation of the workplace.

Workers Not Covered for Hours of Labour

• employees in the offshore petroleum sector
• certain farm workers
• certain commissioned salespeople who work outside the employer's place of business
• anyone who works on fishing boats
• practitioners or students in training for architecture, dentistry, law, medicine, chiropody, professional engineering, public or chartered accounting, psychology, surveying, or veterinary science
• people employed in a private home by the householder to provide domestic service for a member of the employee's immediate family or for 24 hours or less per week

• FAQ on Right to Refuse to Work on Sundays and Other Uniform Closing Days
• FAQ on Breaks & Hours of Rest
• Averaging Hours of Work with Fixed Cycle Averaging Agreements
• Variances
• Approval for Variance from Hours of Rest [?]
• Overtime and related FAQ