Many of the province’s licensees have demonstrated tremendous support for the SAFE Companies program and their commitment to safety by committing to only working with SAFE Companies. We are fast approaching these timelines for certificate requirements.

So you haven’t been able to achieve SAFE certification yet and everyone that you work for is requiring SAFE certification to bid on new projects. Don’t throw in the towel yet as there are still ways to achieve SAFE certification. 

If your company finds itself in one of the following situations, read on to learn your best path to certification.

Are you experiencing reduced work or shutdowns, making it difficult to conduct audit activities?

As a SEBASE company or IOO, you require 3 months of documentation to demonstrate successful implementation of your health and safety program. If you are not currently working,

• First, make sure you have all your safety policies and procedures in place – that’s something that you can do even if you are not in the field. Records that require active operations to complete are only one part of the audit submission. However, you will need to be ready to submit completed records for the months that you were active during the past year leading up to your application to be a SAFE Company.

• In collecting records for your audit submission, look back to your previous records. If you had a pretty good safety program before your SAFE certification pursuit started, you can likely use some of you old documentation. Most of the records required for your SAFE certification audit submission are safety activities that you should have been documenting as per regulation before SAFE Companies came on the scene, so chances are you may have some of them in place. Use the most recent records you have.

In general, as a BASE company (20 or more employees), you need to be operating at 70% capacity in order to undertake your audit. It’s okay if your worker count has dropped below 20 workers as your auditor will ensure an appropriate interview sample size for the audit. If you have reduced active operations and you think it will make it difficult to provide a representative sample for onsite observation activities, give us a call and we can offer some guidance on a case by case basis.

Are you not currently working in the forest sector, but plan to when the work is available?

Your company’s health and safety program is applicable and should transfer to different sectors or types of work. When you do this, you will need to ensure that you are meeting the appropriate regulations and have the safe work procedures for that activity, but you can use this documentation and ‘out of sector’ activities for your audit submission.

For example, if you are a log truck driver and do some hauling for another sector, you can use those records in your audit submission.

Are you just starting up a new business?

If you are a new business established within the last 90 days, a company that has been inactive for an extended period of time, an existing company that is expanding into the forest sector, or a company not currently registered in BC, you likely qualify as a new entrant to the SAFE Companies program. New entrants are eligible for the Endorsement of Safety Program and Commitment to SAFE Certification.  This may used as an evaluation criteria when SAFE certification is a pre-requisite to bid or work as you work toward SAFE certification.

The process for achieving the Endorsement of Safety Program and Commitment to SAFE Certification is as follows:

• New Entrant applicant company must be registered in the SAFE Companies program
• New entrant applicant must have completed the next step in the certification process:

• A large company must have an external auditor booked (NOAA submitted).
• A small company must be registered in a Small Employer OHS training course.
• An individual owner operator must be registered in IOO SAFEty course.

• New Entrant applicant must complete application package which would consist of:

• New Entrant application form including:

• supporting documentation of new entrant status,
• timelines for certification,
• declaration of no previous registration in SAFE Companies,
• involvement in other training and or safety certification activities.
• Copy of the company’s OHS program.
• Administration fee ($300).

• Upon evaluation, the new entrant applicant will be advised if they are granted Endorsement of Safety Program and Commitment to SAFE Certification from the Council within 30 days of receipt.

• Endorsement will be time limited to a maximum of 6 months; length of endorsement will be dependent on their certification timeline commitment as outlined in their application.
• Endorsement will only be granted once.

An Endorsement of Safety Program and Commitment to SAFE Certification list will be posted on the website.

If you are a new entrant in the forest sector looking to obtain an Endorsement of Safety Program and Commitment to SAFE Certification so you can bid and work in BC’s forests, please contact Ken Hall at hall@bcforestsafe.org for an application package.

Can I obtain SAFE certification using the records I am collecting as a dependent contractor working for another forest company or contractor?

Yes. Depending on the size of your company, the audit process you will follow as well as the records that you will need to have on hand would be the same as those required for the certification you are seeking (IOO, SEBASE or BASE).

No matter what your case is, there are options available to you and your company that will meet your needs and enable you to become a SAFE Certified Company. Should you require further assistance or have questions please contact Ken Hall, Manager SAFE Companies, in any of the following ways;

Phone: 1-877-741-1060
e-mail: hall@bcforestsafe.org