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VICTORIA – BC Timber Sales is improving forest worker safety by requiring all its
contractors and those companies that conduct on-the-ground works under a timber
sale licence advertised after Dec. 31, 2008 to be SAFE Company certified.
“We are committed to improving the safety of forest
workers,” said Rich Coleman, Minister of Forests and Range. “Making safety
certification a requirement will help ensure that forest operators have
effective health and safety programs for their employees.”
Since
April 1, 2007, BC Timber Sales has required its contractors in road building
and reforestation, and those forest companies conducting on-the-ground work on
Timber Sale Licences to be registered in the Safety Accord Forestry Enterprise
(SAFE Companies) program of the B.C. Forest Safety Council.
Effective Jan. 1, 2009, the requirement will move from registration to
certification. A company obtains SAFE certification when an audit demonstrates
that the company has effectively implemented a health and safety management
system that meets the industry set safety standard.
“The endorsement and support of the
provincial government have been critical to the successful launch and
implementation of the SAFE Companies program,” said Tanner Elton, CEO of the BC
Forest Safety Council. “The Province is not only ‘talking the talk’ of worker
and worksite safety, they are also ‘walking the walk’ by requiring
certification of their contractors and regional operations. They are treating
worker safety as an overriding priority.”
BC Timber Sales is the
single largest forestry operator in the province, managing about one-fifth of
the province’s allowable annual cut. It manages public forest land, issues
licences to harvest public timber, and is responsible for reforestation and
road construction activities in areas that it manages. Its role is to provide a
credible reference point for costs and pricing of timber harvested from public
forests in B.C.
The SAFE Companies
program was launched in 2006, and has registered 3,543 companies and certified
639 operations to date. The program has been established as an industry-wide
standard, with 66 per cent of large employers certified, and nearly 30 per cent
of small employers registered as of early June. Developed by the BC Forest
Safety Council in conjunction with industry and WorkSafeBC, SAFE Companies is
an initiative to develop, certify and annually audit the effectiveness of
safety programs in forestry operations in British Columbia. SAFE certified
companies benefit from reduced injuries and lost time, and are eligible to
receive an annual rebate on their WorkSafeBC assessment premiums.
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Public Affairs Officer 250 387-4592 |
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