News

The BC Safety Authority has made public this 2011 Incident Report related to a fire at Babine Forest Products.

BC Safety Authority safety officers are ready to provide safety services in technologies that require their expertise and knowledge. If you don’t know the safety officer assigned to a specific technology in your area, or cannot reach the safety officer, please call the nearest BCSA office.

Our BCSA office staff can assist by identifying and contacting the safety officer best suited to your needs.  

BCSA Safety Officers are assigned to cover the following technologies:

• Amusement rides
• Boilers, pressure vessels and refrigeration systems
• Electrical equipment and systems
• Elevating devices, such as elevators and escalators
• Natural gas or propane appliances and systems, including hydrogen
• Passenger ropeways such as aerial trams and ski lifts, and
• Railways, including rapid transit

The British Columbia Safety Authority keeps people safe by mandating the safe installation and use of technical equipment. As the province’s delegated authority, BCSA administers safety standards and enforces compliance.  It also issues permits and licences, educates, and conducts onsite inspections in high-risk situations. 

Sign up to receive an email alert when BC Safety Authority news is released. Go to http://www.safetyauthority.ca/user/register.

The Vernon office (currently located at 3201 30th Street) will be CLOSED on Monday December 19th as they will be moving to their new facilities located at: 205-5100 Anderson Way, Vernon, BC.

The new office on Anderson Way will be OPEN for business on Tuesday December 20th at 8:30 am.

We apologize for any inconvenience and any disruption in service.

Other office locations are opened to provide service or answer any of your inquiries.

Please update your records to indicate the new Vernon office location, effective December 19th at:

205-5100 Anderson Way
Vernon, BC
V1T 9V2

The Electrical Safety Manager and the Gas Safety Manager each imposed 3 monetary penalties to 6 companies.

For more information, please refer to the July to September 2011 Enforcement Action report.

The BCSA system is now back online to serve you! Please note the new changes, effective October 17th.

The upgrade is being done in different phases based on the various services that we provide.

Effective October 17, 2011, the upgrade will affect the following services:

• Contractor Licensing
• Certificate of Qualification Examinations

Please note the following changes effective October 17, 2011:

1. Processing of new gas or electrical contractor licence applications may take up to three days.
2. Clients are advised to renew their licence before expiry and prior to applying for a permit.
3. Contractor Licences that have been expired for more than one year will be closed and cannot be renewed. Clients will have to reapply for their licence. Certificates of Qualification that have been expired for more than 3 years will be closed and cannot be renewed. Clients will have to reapply for their certification of qualification.
4. Contractor Licences and Certificates of Qualification that are renewed after expiry will maintain the original expiry date. Full renewal fee will apply.
5. Upon renewal, clients will note that their Certificate of Qualification and Contractor Licence numbers will have a prefix identifying it as a Certificate or Licence, and the technology. For example, an Electrical Contractor Licence will have a prefix of ‘LEL’. Leading zeros will also be added between the prefix and the previous number.
6. Contractor Licences and Certificates of Qualification will no longer expire at the end of the month. Expiry dates will be calculated based on the actual date of issuance.

Aiming for client service excellence and technical safety improvements, CEO Catherine Roome has announced new appointments to her Executive team.

Spectra Energy and Superior Propane have been selected as exemplar clients for the Alternative Safety Approaches (ASA) Program. Both companies will work with an assigned BCSA liaison in developing and submitting a Safety Management Plan. If the plan is accepted, the client may then operate its facility under the plan.

The BCSA selection team found that the two companies’ proposals scored significantly higher on the criteria outlined in the Client Exemplar Process document. The criteria includes:

1. Project is sufficiently advanced in design and/or construction to engage in meaningful development of a Safety Management Plan. While completed projects will be considered, preference will be given to impending or in progress new projects and/or new technology;
2. Workforce involvement in the development of the Safety Management Plan;
3. A willingness to be transparent in practices and exchange of information;
4. Demonstrated ability to implement a Safety Management Plan;
5. A commitment to invest time and resources to the exemplar process; and
6. Proponent’s agreement to work in conjunction with their industry trade association during the development of the Safety Management Plan to facilitate information transfer in their industry.

The external client exemplar process was initially limited to new bioenergy projects. However, the proposed projects from this sector were not advanced enough to achieve the objectives of the exemplar process in a timely manner. Thus, the process was opened to a larger client base.

On the two selected clients, BCSA noted the following advantages:

1. Equipment and work processes are in service and will enable timely completion of the process.
2. Two different market sectors are represented.
3. Strong management systems are in place and capable of implementing a safety management system approach.
4. For several years, Superior Propane, a leading propane supplier, has been seeking to manage its propane installations using a safety management plan to ensure safe operation and full regulatory compliance.
5. Spectra Energy’s proposal involves a currently classified third class plant with significant automation features built into the original design. The proposal seeks exemptions from sections of prescriptive regulations on supervision and inspection requirements for regulated pressure equipment.

For any inquiries regarding the ASA, please email asa@safetyauthority.ca.

The BC Safety Authority took 47 enforcement actions against companies and individuals who did not comply with the Safety Standards Act.

In the second quarter of 2011, safety officers and safety managers issued 44 compliance orders, imposed one discipline order suspending a certificate of qualification, and imposed two monetary penalties.

For more information, please see the April to June 2011 Enforcement Action report.

Effective July 04, 2011, the new service hours will be:

• 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday

The call centre answers general inquiries about permits, inspections, exams and accepts credit card payments.

Our toll free number is 1-866-566-7233.

Thank you and we look forward to serving you.