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BASE AUDITBASE AUDIT

GUIDELINESGUIDELINESVersion 2.1

Designed for Large employers

(20 or more employees and dependent contractors)

420 Albert Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 2V7Phone: 250-741-1060 | Toll Free: 1-877-741-1060 | Fax: 250-741-1068 | www.bcforestsafe.org

BC Forest Safety Council

SAFE Companies ProgramBASE Audit 2.1 Guidelines

Table of Contents

BASE AUDIT APPLICATION.......................................................................................................................................................................3

BASE AUDIT INSTRUCTIONS........................................................................................................................................................... 4

AUDIT SCORING............................................................................................................................................................................ 6

VERIFYING THE INFORMATION...................................................................................................................................................... 7

AUDIT GUIDELINES........................................................................................................................................................................ 8

‘NOT APPLICABLE’ QUESTIONS...................................................................................................................................................... 9

BREAK POINT TO AWARD POINTS IN FULL POINT QUESTIONS...................................................................................................... 10

RECOMMENDATION DEVELOPMENT........................................................................................................................................... 11

MAINTENANCE AUDITS............................................................................................................................................................... 11

ADMINISTRATIVE AUDITS............................................................................................................................................................ 12

INDIVIDUAL QUESTION GUIDELINES............................................................................................................................................ 13

A. MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP.................................................................................................................................................................13B. HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND RISK ASSESSMENT.....................................................................................................................................17C. STANDARDS, PROCEDURES AND WORK INSTRUCTIONS..............................................................................................................................23D. TRAINING, EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATION............................................................................................................................................32E. HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS...................................................................................................................................35F. INCIDENT REPORTING AND INVESTIGATIONS SYSTEMS................................................................................................................................40G. CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT..............................................................................................................................................................46H. PRIME CONTRACTOR SELECTION AND MANAGEMENT...............................................................................................................................50I. INJURY MANAGEMENT / RETURN-TO-WORK PROGRAMS...........................................................................................................................54

TECHNICAL AUDIT MODULES....................................................................................................................................................... 61

LOCKOUT..............................................................................................................................................................................................61CONFINED SPACE...................................................................................................................................................................................63WORKING AT HEIGHT.............................................................................................................................................................................66HOT WORK.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 68RESPIRATORY PROTECTION...................................................................................................................................................................... 69CAMPS AND REMOTE ACCOMMODATIONS..................................................................................................................................................71WORKING NEAR HIGH VOLTAGE POWER LINES...........................................................................................................................................73COMBUSTIBLE DUSTS..............................................................................................................................................................................75CHEMICALS AND ASBESTOS......................................................................................................................................................................77MANUAL TREE FALLING.......................................................................................................................................................................... 79

Definitions............................................................................................................................................................................................. 81

This publication is the property of the BC Forest Safety Council. Reproduction in any form by any means, in whole or in part, or use of this publication for other than its intended purposes is prohibited.

BASE Guidelines Revised: 2010-10-25 of 85



BASE Audit ApplicationThe BASE (Basic Audit and Safety Evaluation) Audit standard applies to companies with 20 or more employees and/or dependent contractors. If a company meets either of the following criteria, they will be considered a large company:

1. The average size of the company in its operating* months for the year is 20 or more.2. The peak size of a company for any month of the year is 25 or more.

*an operating month is any month that the company is at least 25% of its peak size.

SAFE Certification provides recognition to interested parties that the company has established health and safety program meeting the BASE Audit standard of the BC Forest Safety Council. Association members of the BC Forest Safety Council agree that SAFE Companies certification is a prerequisite for companies to contract work or to bid for work in the forest industry.

The BASE Audit standard contains 2 main audit components:

1. Health and Safety program – Elements A – H 2. Injury Management / Return-to-Work program – Element I

When a company achieves SAFE certification and is in good standing with WorkSafeBC (WSBC), they will be eligible to receive a 10% rebate on their annual WorkSafeBC assessment if the audit covers safety program Elements A – H. An additional 5% rebate on the annual WorkSafeBC assessment will be awarded if the company passes the audit covering Element I (Injury Management / Return-to-Work Program).

The SAFE Companies program gives forest operations clear, practical and achievable standards for successful health and safety programs. The BASE Audit standard is applicable to all companies involved in forest harvesting and related activities and other naturally aligned operations.

A large company must be registered with the SAFE Companies program and retain a certified external auditor to conduct the certification audit using the BASE Audit standard in order to achieve SAFE Certification. SAFE Certification is valid for 3 years and a company is required to carry out an annual audit each year to maintain certification status. A company must utilize a certified external auditor to carry out the initial Certification audit and Recertification audit, and may choose to train an internal auditor to carry out the annual Maintenance audit.





BASE Audit Instructions The BASE Audit Guidelines provide instructions and interpretation for the ‘BASE Audit Questions’. Please refer to that document for the exact question text.

BASE Audit

The BASE Audit has nine elements that provide the fundamental measurement of an effective health and safety program:

A. Management LeadershipB. Hazard and Risk AssessmentC. Standards, Procedures and Work InstructionsD. Training, Education and CertificationE. Health and Safety Communications SystemsF. Incident Reporting and Investigations SystemsG. Contractor ManagementH. Prime Contractor Selection and ManagementI. Injury Management / Return-to-Work Program

Activity-specific Technical Audit Modules that are only applicable if the company engages in the activity:

Lockout Confined Spaces Working at Heights Hot Work Respiratory Protection Camps and Remote Accommodations Working Near Power Lines Combustible Dusts Chemicals and Asbestos Manual Falling

The BASE Audit is a measuring tool established by the sector and can also be used by companies to help develop a basic safety program. This audit document will be reviewed with industry representatives on at least an annual basis.





This audit can be used by both internal and external auditors to:

1. Assess how the company, workers and contractors are performing to the expected safety standard.

Where deficiencies are found in their program or as improvement opportunities are identified, companies can develop a corrective action log to keep track of what needs to get done, by whom and when.

Each individual company will need to determine the implementation priority of the identified actions, based on risks of the deficiencies, operating conditions and regulatory requirements.

2. Determine if the company has created a working environment in which the worker has the opportunity to make informed decisions.

For example, do workers recognize the hazards and risks they are being exposed to and that they have the right to refuse unsafe work? If the worker does not know, they may proceed with work believing they have no choice but to try to get it done. If the worker does know, the working environment could be considered conducive to them making the right choice. Ultimately, the worker must have the necessary competence to make the correct choice to ensure safety.

The BASE Audit is designed around common auditing principles. The audit is designed to give a real time, practical evaluation of the abilities and operational effectiveness of a company’s health and safety program. When the actual audit is performed it is a snapshot in time of a company’s program and does not necessarily reflect its future practices.

The BASE Audit asks many different questions, and, when evaluated by a certified auditor, determines whether the company being audited meets the required standard for that question.

For example:

A. Management Leadership – BasicA1. Company Health and Safety Policies Question Award

A1.1 Does the company have a written health and safety policy? O D

0,5

I Total

/5

This questions whether the company has a written health and safety policy. A company should have one in place in its program thus meeting the requirements of the audit guidelines.





Audit ScoringScoring for the audit is very prescriptive. Auditors are given very particular instructions and there must be valid reasons for awarding or not awarding points. Scoring is discussed further in the audit guidelines. Scoring is important. As a basic requirement, every company that undertakes an audit must meet a minimum standard as determined by the sector through the Council.

Companies must obtain at least 50% in each of the applicable elements A-H and an overall mark of 80% to meet the BASE Audit standard and be SAFE certified.

Companies must achieve at least 50% in every applicable Technical Audit Module, but these scores do not add into the overall total.

Companies must obtain at least 50% in each module of Element I and an overall mark of 80% in Element I to meet the Injury Management /Return-to-Work Audit standard.

There are two different types of scoring used in the audit. The first is called “all or nothing”, which is used by the auditor to determine if the company has met the required standard. See the example below:

A. Management Leadership – BasicA1. Company Health and Safety Policies Question AwardA1.1 Does the company have a written health and safety policy that

discusses health and safety responsibilities of management, supervisors and workers?

O D

0,15

I Total

/15

A full point score is indicated in the guidelines section of the audit question by having zero, comma, then another number. This indicates that full points (15 in this case) or zero can be awarded, depending on the finding of the auditor. In this case, the company has a written health and safety policy signed by the current top management and contains a statement of intent or a safety objective or it does not. There is no room for auditor judgment or partial award in this question.

The second type of scoring is called “range scoring”. See the example below:

C2. Standards and Work ProceduresQuestion AwardC3.1 Are there written safe work procedures for all high risk routine

and normal non-routine activities? Do these include ergonomic concerns?

O D

0-15

I Total

/15

Range scoring is indicated in the guidelines section of the audit question by having a zero, a hyphen, then another number. This indicates a company can score anywhere between zero and 10 (for this question) based This publication is the property of the BC Forest Safety Council. Reproduction in any form by any means, in whole or in part, or use of this publication for other than its intended purposes is prohibited.




on the findings of the auditor. This type of scoring allows for recognition of the company for doing some of the required work. Using this question as an example, if the auditor found that many of the required safe work procedures had been written (but not all of them), the audit instrument credits the company for doing so. A recommendation must be provided if full points are not awarded. A recommendation is also required when there are deficiencies found and where full points are awarded due to rounding off the points.

Additionally, points can be awarded based on the percentage of positive responses that are given or found. For example, if four out of five workers answer a question correctly, the auditor would award the company 80% of the available score. If all five answered with the right information, the auditor would award the company 100% of the available score.

Verifying the InformationAuditors are required to support their findings by three methods:

C2. Safety RulesQuestion Award

C2.3 Has a WHMIS program been implemented within the company? O

0-3

D

0-5

I

0-2

Total

/10

Observation: The auditor observes the activity being performed during the audit including correct, legible WHMIS-compliant labeling AND ready availability of MSDS.

Documentation: Documentation, records and general paperwork such as policy, procedure and diary notes that the auditor reviews during the audit including verification of workers with WHMIS training compared to those whose tasks require it.

Interview: Questions the auditor will ask employees and contractors during the audit. Interviewed workers should be able to describe the hazards, precautions and emergency response procedures for controlled products that they handle or work near. Workers need to have a general, practical knowledge, rather than a detailed technical knowledge. Knowing where to go, or whom to ask, for more information beyond the fundamentals is sufficient.

For ease of use of these instructions, the section(s) highlighted in yellow are the applicable ones for each particular question in these examples. In the actual audit document, there is simply a blank area to record the score.





Audit GuidelinesAudit guidelines are clear, written instructions on how to determine the type of information to be obtained (observation, documentation and/or interview), how to award the question (all or nothing, or partial award), and what to look for when determining whether the company has met the requirements of the question. Auditors must be certain that their findings are reproducible and valid in all cases.

B. Hazard Identification and Risk Control – BasicB1. Hazard IdentificationQuestion GuidelineB1.1

D- If the program documentation includes a detailed risk assessment process, award 5 points.The process needs to include:

when hazard identification and risk assessment should be conducted the people or groups responsible for the process the method, format and/or form to be used

The method may be developed by the company or be a standard process such as RADAR or SafeStart.

If the process includes prioritization of risks, award a further 5 points.

If the process includes an evaluation of ergonomic / MSI risk factors, award a further 5 points.

If the process requires that control measures be developed based on the following hierarchy: Elimination Substitution Engineering controls Signage/warnings and/or administrative controls PPE

Award a further 5 points.

Ref: OHSR 4.1 Safe WorkplaceA workplace must be planned, constructed, used and maintained to protect from danger any person working at the workplace.





In this case, the guideline explains how the auditor is to award up to 20 total documentation points for the question:

B. Hazard Identification and Risk Control – BasicB1. Hazard IdentificationQuestion Award

B1.1 Is there a process to determine what the hazards and risks are in the work place before the job starts for routine, modified and non-routine job tasks? Does this include ergonomic issues?

O D

0-20

I Total

/20

The example question only has possible scores of 0, 5, 10, 15 or 20, despite being a range question, since it is built of 4, 5-point all-or-nothing guidelines. The first guideline includes guidance on what a ‘detailed risk assessment process’ should include to be worth the points.

In every case, there must be a definitive method of determining and proving the facts and evidence. These guidelines are to be used to help the auditor in determining whether the company is meeting the required standard.

It is critical that persons using this audit instrument understand that the term “workers” can also refer to dependent contractors, where applicable. For example, if a company is using dependent contractors and treating them the “same as workers”, then the word “employee” would also mean contractor.

‘Not Applicable’ QuestionsIn some cases, particularly in Elements F, G, H and I, some questions may not be able to be answered exactly as written. Guidelines attempt to cover expected cases, but not all situations found in the field audit can be predicted in the guidelines. If there are cases where the auditor is finding that the question cannot be answered according to the guidelines please contact Quality Assurance for specific advice. The general philosophy is that where possible, analogue information is evaluated rather than removing the question by scoring it as ‘Not Applicable’. For example, the company has had no incidents in the last year to investigate, and the question asks about completed investigations. It is a better feedback for the company if the auditor evaluates the written process and blank templates for investigation, or looks at historical investigations rather than discards the question by scoring it as ‘N/A’.

However, in cases where the question cannot be answered and parallel information is not practical, the question should indeed be scored as ‘N/A’ and the available total score correspondingly reduced. An example of this is where the audit asks for evaluation of completed injury management cases, but the company has had no injuries significant enough to cause a worker to not be able to perform their full regular duties. In a situation like that, scoring a zero would effectively penalize a company for not having injured workers, which is contrary to the entire purpose of SAFE Companies in reducing injuries. In cases where ‘N/A’ is the score, the auditor needs to clearly explain why scoring ‘N/A’ is the method of answering the question that is fairest to the company and most useful in evaluating safety systems.This publication is the property of the BC Forest Safety Council. Reproduction in any form by any means, in whole or in part, or use of this publication for other than its intended purposes is prohibited.




Break Point to Award Points in Full Point QuestionsIn some cases, there will be a note in the guidelines such as “50% positive responses / observation / documentation required to award points”. This terminology is used to guide the auditor on how much observation, documentation or interview evidence is required to justify a score. For example:

B. Hazard Identification and Risk Control – BasicB1. Hazard IdentificationQuestion Award

B1.5 Is there a process in place to ensure that risks associated with new products, equipment and tools are assessed before they are purchased?

O D

0,3

I

0,2

Total

/5

With associated Guideline of:

B. Hazard Identification and Risk Control – BasicB1. Hazard IdentificationQuestion GuidelineB1.5 D- If records support that pre-purchase assessments are occurring in at least 70% of cases,

award 3 points.

If there have been no purchases requiring assessment in the scope of the audit timeframe, award the points if a written process exists.

I- If at least 70% of interviewed persons with purchasing responsibility can describe the pre-purchase assessment process (whether or not it has been needed to be used), award 2 points.

In this example, the auditor is instructed to ensure that at least 70% of new products, equipment and tools purchased have documentation showing that they have gone through the risk assessment process prior to purchase, and at least 70% of persons responsible for purchasing and risk assessment interviewed are able to confirm this occurred. Break points can vary in their percentages. 50%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100% are used in various questions.





Recommendation DevelopmentAfter a question has been answered and commented on, a recommendation may be made. In every instance when full points are not awarded by the auditor, a recommendation must be made regarding how the company can improve its program. Recommendations must also be made when the requirements of the question are not completely fulfilled but full points are awarded by meeting the threshold break point or by way of rounding off. For example, a 98% positive observation in a 10 point question rounds to a score of 10 out of 10. A recommendation is still required to address the 2% deficiencies observed.

Recommendations should be written following the SMART practice:

Simple: Not designed or stated with such complexity as to be difficult to understand or do.

Measurable: Actions and/or changes must be measurable so the company can overtly tell that the change is working as intended.

Attainable: Setting a standard that is high, but not unreachable by the company.

Realistic: A recommendation must be practical, so that the company can make it fit into their business unit.

Timely: Something that can be implemented in a short time (where possible).

Maintenance AuditsFor maintenance audits, the company has the option for marked questions dealing with policy issues to simply state that there has been no material change to the policy/procedure since the last certification/recertification audit, provided that the previous audit awarded a full score. The auditor then awards a full score to the question without additional justification. The company may still choose to fully answer the question if they wish. Questions for which this option applies are marked with an ‘M’ under the question number in these guidelines.





Administrative AuditsA company may not have sufficient work activities to be audited due to the inability to perform interviews and observations, but may need to perform an audit within the calendar year or in order to be eligible to bid on or perform work. In these situations a company may conduct an Administrative audit. The audit will be performed by a certified internal or external auditor and submitted to Council to undergo the same rigours of quality assurance as a “normal” audit. This audit will act as a bridge only, until such time that the company returns back to work. Once the company is at 70% of their intended operating size for the current calendar year, they are required to undertake a Re-certification audit to maintain their SAFE Certification. Any questions in the Re-certification audit that were already answered in the Administrative audit would not have to be re-addressed in the same calendar year. If this is a maintenance year, internal auditor resources can be used. In the event that this is a recertification year, the company will be required to engage an External Auditor to conduct the audit.

Contact the BC Forest Safety Council (Toll Free: 1-877-741-1060) at any time for assistance or go the Council’s website at www.bcforestsafe.org for safety audit advisor staff contact information.



http://www.bcforestsafe.org/



Individual Question GuidelinesA. Management LeadershipThe management leadership section of this BASE Audit is a measurement and evaluation of how management personnel (supervisors, mid-level management, presidents and CEOs) carry out their leadership roles and responsibilities with regards to the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) program. The standard requirement for safety documentation, such as policies and programs, is intertwined in this audit with more emphasis placed on the requirement for managers and supervisors to “walk the talk”. A health and safety program will only be successful if supervisors and management staff are completely involved in establishing the policies, ensuring their implementation, monitoring program effectiveness and driving continual improvement.

A. Management Leadership A1. Company Health and Safety Policies Question GuidelineA1.1

M

D - If the policy contains: A statement of intent or a safety objective; Responsibilities of management; Responsibilities of supervisors; and Responsibilities of workers.

award 15 points.

The responsibilities may partially overlap, but cannot be wholly duplicated to award points unless all the company managers are supervisors and there are no supervisors that are not also managers.

Ref: WCA 3.3 (a) a statement of the employer's aims and the responsibilities of the employer, supervisors and workers.

A1.2 O - If the policy is posted or made available to workers in other means such as electronic access, wallet cards or a handbook or manual that is readily available to workers, award 5 points.

A3. Health and Safety ResponsibilitiesQuestion GuidelineA2.1

M

D - If the company has written specific safety roles and responsibilities for at least 70% of all occupations, award 7 points.

I - If at least 70% of interviewed workers have had their specific safety responsibilities communicated to them, award 8 points.

Ref: WCA 3.3 (c) appropriate written instructions, available for reference by all workers, to supplement this Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.





A. Management Leadership A2.2 O- If 100% of observations of supervisors show that supervisors are ensuring workers are following safe work

procedures, specifically including intervening where workers are not following safe work procedures, award 5 points.

If no interventions are necessary, evaluate based on % good supervisory techniques, such as observing and coaching workers, inspecting the site and directing the correction of deficiencies.

D- Award up to 5 points based on the % completion of records showing that supervision is being provided to all workers with a frequency appropriate to the scope, complexity and risk of the tasks. Potential records include, but are not limited to, supervisor diaries, notes, inspections and assessment reports.

I- Award up to 5 points based on % interviewed workers and supervisors reporting appropriate supervisory presence and communication of known and foreseeable hazards at the work site.

Ref: General duties of supervisors, WCA 117(1) Every supervisor must:

(a) ensure the health and safety of all workers under the direct supervision of the supervisor.A2.3 D- Award up to 5 points based on % of completed supervisor records that contain appropriate depth and

breadth of information to show that supervisors understand the legal requirements, company safety standards and control measures required to ensure the safety of work activities. Potential records include, but are not limited to, supervisor diaries, notes, inspections and assessment reports.

I- Award up to 10 points based on the % of positive responses from interviewed supervisors understanding the applicable legal and regulatory requirements, company safety standards and control measures required for evaluating work activities. This is intended to evaluate aggregate supervisor knowledge, so if 4 of 5 supervisors fully understand and 1 understands 50%, this would be worth 9/10 points.

Ref: General duties of supervisors, WCA 117(1) Every supervisor must:

(a) ensure the health and safety of all workers under the direct supervision of the supervisor.A2.4 D- If documents show managers measure and evaluate key safety performance indicators, award 4 points.

Key performance indicators may include, but are not limited to: a) timely completion of safety program activities such as inspections, assessments, investigations and

corrective actions; b) near miss / close call, first aid, medical aid and time loss statistics; andc) training and competency assessments.If documents show managers provide directions for continual improvement based on the results of their evaluations, award a further 4 points.

I- Award up to 7 points based on % of interviewed managers able to confirm that they are appropriately evaluating key safety performance indicators and providing direction for continual improvement based on those evaluations.

Ref: WCA 3.3 (d) provision for holding periodic management meetings for the purpose of reviewing health and safety activities and incident trends, and for the determination of necessary courses of action.





A. Management Leadership A2.5 O- If at least 90% of observations show that managers and supervisors are actively following regulatory,

manufacturer and company safety rules and requirements, award 10 points. Examples of positive observations may include, but are not limited to; wearing appropriate PPE, wearing seat belts and driving within road rules and conditions, communicating their presence around mobile equipment and keeping clear of hazard areas.

I- If at least 70% of interviewed workers state that managers and supervisors always follow all safety rules, award 10 points.

Ref: General duties of supervisors117(1) Every supervisor must:

(c) comply with this Part, the regulations and any applicable orders.A2.6 O- Award up to 12 points if:

a) the Regulation,b) industry codes of practice, and c) other relevant resources such as equipment operations manuals are observed to be available to workers. They may be accessible in physical and/or electronic format, but must be accessible to all workers.

I- If 70% of interviewed workers and supervisors are aware of the types of safety resources available and can describe how to access them, award 3 points.

Ref: General duties of employers115(1) Every employer must:

(f) make a copy of this Act and the regulations readily available for review by the employer's workers and, at each workplace where workers of the employer are regularly employed, post and keep posted a notice advising where the copy is available for review.

A2.7 D- Award up to 10 points based on the % of topics covered in the annual management review. A comprehensive plan will include at least review of:a) results of inspections;b) results of audits;c) corrective / preventive action completion and status reports;d) completion level of safety program objectives (as defined in annual plan);e) changing business and legal/regulatory circumstances; andf) safety improvement from previous year.

Award points based on the % of topics covered.

Ref: WCA 3.3 (d) provision for holding periodic management meetings for the purpose of reviewing health and safety activities and incident trends, and for the determination of necessary courses of action.





A. Management Leadership A2.8 I- Award up to 20 points based on the % positive responses from senior management able to describe how

safety resources are allocated appropriately within the company with respect to financial, operational and other constraints as well as to the activities, hazards and risks that the company manages.

Resources may be financial, personnel and/or equipment.

Senior management should have an understanding of budgeting and priority setting for safety activities and initiatives within the company structure and be able to explain this to the auditor.





B. Hazard Identification and Risk AssessmentThis section of the BASE Audit measures whether the risks of the operation have been evaluated, if the hazards have been identified, and if appropriate controls are in place to reduce the probability and consequence of the hazards impacting the safe operations of the company affecting people, material, equipment or environment.

Assessing risks and controlling hazards is the most important process within an Occupational Health and Safety program. There are tangible results produced from this process, and a company will only be successful with their program if they grasp this practice and utilize it to its fullest potential.

A hazard is defined as “source, situation or act with a potential for harm in terms of injury or ill health or a combination of these”. For example, machinery working in close proximity to a nearby worker is a hazard because it has the potential to injure a worker.

Risk is defined as a “combination of the likelihood of an occurrence of a hazardous event or exposure(s) and the severity of or ill health that can be caused by the event or exposure(s)”. Companies and workers should ask, “What is the chance of something going wrong and what is the potential consequence?” Based on this evaluation, the need to put controls in place to reduce the risk to an acceptable level is determined. Risk evaluation should be based on known, quantifiable information, not supposition or use of a belief system. Typically, this requires the involvement of different levels of personnel within the company. Every job has risks, even administrative ones, but the development and implementation of safety policies and procedures should be risk based. The expectation, therefore, is that the hazard identification and risk assessment process should be prioritized on high risk activities.

When determining controls or considering changes to the existing controls, consideration should be given to reducing the risks according to the following hierarchy:

a) Elimination;b) Substitution;c) Engineering controls;d) Signage / warnings and / or administrative controls; ande) Personal protective equipment.





B. Hazard Identification and Risk Control – BasicB1. Hazard IdentificationQuestion GuidelineB1.1

M

D- If the program documentation includes a detailed risk assessment process, award 5 points.The process needs to include:

when hazard identification and risk assessment should be conducted; the people or groups responsible for the process; and the method, format and/or form to be used.

The method may be developed by the company or be a standard process such as RADAR or SafeStart.

If the process includes prioritization of risks, award a further 5 points.

If the process includes an evaluation of ergonomic / MSI risk factors, award a further 5 points.

If the process requires that control measures be developed based on the following hierarchy: Elimination Substitution Engineering controls Signage/warnings and/or administrative controls PPE

award a further 5 points.

Ref: OHSR 4.1 Safe WorkplaceA workplace must be planned, constructed, used and maintained to protect from danger any person working at the workplace.

B1.2

M

D- Award up to 5 points based on the completeness and timeliness of assessments conducted.Assessments need to be conducted for routine, non-routine and modified tasks for both operational and maintenance activities in field and shop settings.

A typical assessment of maintenance activities may be captured in a JSA or JSB for those activities.

Ref: OHSR 26.2 (4), 4.1.1, 4.13, 4.48, 5.53, 9.9 and othersB1.3 O- Award up to 10 points based on % of positive observations of work settings and processes having hazards

identified and controlled so that workers are not placed in positions of unacceptable risk.

Good work settings and processes should not place workers in hazardous situations without controls in place. Where practical, work activities should be separated by time or distance. Physical controls such as lockout or keeping specified distances away from mobile equipment should be in place where maintenance and operational activities may be in conflict.

Ref: all WCA and OHSR





B. Hazard Identification and Risk Control – BasicB1.4 D- Award up to 7 points based on the % of hazards communicated to workers.

Potential hazard communication methods may include, but are not limited to: Pre-work meeting records; Shift change log book; Site safety meeting records; Supervisor journals; Machine, vehicle or process log books; and Tag-out.

I- Award up to 8 points based on % of positive responses from interviewed workers reporting receiving communication on the hazards, risks and controls for their work activities.

The reported risk communication may be written and/or verbal.


B1.5 D- If records support that pre-purchase assessments are occurring in at least 70% of cases, award 3 points.If there have been no purchases requiring assessment in the scope of the audit timeframe, award the points if a written process exists.

I- If at least 70% of interviewed persons with purchasing responsibility can describe the pre-purchase assessment process (whether or not it has been needed to be used), award 2 points.

Ref: OHSR 26.2 (4), 4.1.1, 4.13, 4.48, 5.53, 9.9 and others.B2. Risk ControlsQuestion GuidelineB2.1 D- Award up to 15 points based on the % of sampled tools and equipment covered by the maintenance

program in a manner that meets manufacturer, regulatory and company safety requirements.Potential sources of records include, but are not limited to:

Equipment inventory lists; Maintenance schedule; Equipment inspection records (whether user or maintenance personnel inspections); and Computer-based maintenance management systems.

I- Award up to 5 points based on the % of positive responses from interviewed managers and supervisors confirming the maintenance program meets manufacturer, regulatory and company safety requirements.

Mobile equipment user inspection records need to meet all requirements for the appropriate type of mobile equipment, including the requirement for pre-use inspections and testing of emergency and warning systems.

Ref: OHSR 4.3





B. Hazard Identification and Risk Control – BasicB2.2 O- Award up to 5 points based on % observations on sampled tools and equipment being in good working

condition. Tools or equipment not in good working condition, but identified and taken out of service, are positive observations.

Tools and equipment include, but are not limited to items such as: Hand tools (hammers, shovels, fire-fighting equipment, etc.) Power tools (hand grinders, drills, etc.) Shop equipment (drill press, grinder, welding equipment, etc.) Mobile equipment (skidders, forklifts, etc.) Non-mobile equipment (kiln, boiler, power distribution systems, overhead cranes, conveyors, tanks,

etc.) Vehicles (highway and off-highway, ATV, snowmobiles, trailers, etc.)

D- Award up to 10 points based on % of records supporting that maintenance occurs as required.Potential records include, but are not limited to:

Machine or process log sheets; Lock out records; Supervisor journals; and Computerized maintenance management system reports.

I- Award up to 5 points based on the % of maintenance personnel and tool/equipment users that confirm the maintenance program is being followed.

Ref: OHSR 4.3, 4.9B2.3 O- Award up to 20 points based on observations of workers following:

Safe Work Procedures (0-5 points) Manufacturer requirements (0-5 points) PPE requirements (0-5 points) Codes of practice, engineering standards and other risk control measures (0-5 points).

Codes of practice or engineering standards may include, but are not limited to: WSBC – operating around helicopters; ANSI – all terrain vehicle standards; CSA – fall protection, crane operation, guarding, lockout and forklift operator training; and Factory Mutual – hot work.

Ref: All WCA and OHSR.B2.4

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D- Award up to 5 points based on records showing that risk control measures and safe work procedures are reviewed at least every 2 years and/or updated when necessary. It is not necessary to show that the procedures change every 2 years, only that they are examined to determine if they are still applicable.

Ref: OHSR 3.16, 5.5, 7.5, 8.6 and others





B. Hazard Identification and Risk Control – BasicB2.5 I- If at least 70% of interviewed managers, supervisors and workers report that workers are involved in the

review process, award 5 points.

It is not necessary for every worker to be directly involved in the process. Worker involvement may be via a committee or representative. However, every interviewed worker must be aware how their issue or idea could be evaluated for incorporation into a revised procedure.

Ref: OHSR 3.8 Participation of the committee or representative.An inspection required by section 3.5 (General Inspection) and a major inspection required by section 3.7 (Special Inspection) must, where feasible, include the participation of members of the joint committee or the worker health and safety representative, as applicable.

B2.6

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D- If the discipline process includes progressive steps, award 5 points.

I- Award up to 5 points based on % of interviewed managers and supervisors reporting dealing with non-compliance appropriately, consistent and progressively AND on % of interviewed workers reporting that necessary corrective actions have been taken to deal with non-compliance.

Interviews that report no corrective actions were taken due to none being needed should be re-questioned to evaluate if the person is aware of the company process and evaluated on their knowledge of the possibility of corrective action being applied for non-compliance.

Ref: Guideline G-D3-116B3. Inspections

Question GuidelineB3.1

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D- If the written company inspection program exists and contains a statement guiding the intent of inspections, award 5 points.

Ref: OHSR 3.3 (b)B3.2

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D- Award 2 points for each of the following topics covered in the inspection program: Equipment; Facilities; Materials (i.e. supplies such as explosives, fuels and raw materials); Worker activities and practices; and Site conditions.

Up to a maximum 10 points. Topics must define the frequency of inspection.

Ref: OHSR 3.5B3.3 D- Award 5 points if all inspection frequencies are shown to occur at intervals that can reasonably be

expected to prevent the development of unsafe working conditions.

Award 5 points if all inspection is conducted by qualified individuals.

Ref: OHSR 3.5B4. Risk Management





B. Hazard Identification and Risk Control – BasicQuestion GuidelineB4.1 O - Award up to 10 points based on % auditor observation verification that sampled corrective actions have

been completed.

D - Award up to 5 points based on the % of documented deficiencies reported and corrected within established time frames.

Potential records of interest may include, but are not limited to: Daily equipment logs; Maintenance reports; Monthly inspection reports; Supervisor journals; and Report forms such as RADAR or SafeStart.

I - Award up to 5 points based on % of positive responses of interviewed workers reporting BOTH that: 1. Deficiencies are reported; AND2. Deficiencies are addressed in a timely manner.

Ref: WCA S115 (2) Without limiting subsection (1), an employer must:(a) remedy any workplace conditions that are hazardous to the health or safety of the employer's workers.

OHSR 3.9 Remedy without delay:Unsafe or harmful conditions found in the course of an inspection must be remedied without delay.





C. Standards, Procedures and Work InstructionsManagement must ensure that workers are familiar with the necessary safe work procedures to ensure that these procedures are being applied in a consistent and diligent manner to prevent incidents. This section of the BASE Audit examines whether this practice is ongoing within the company.

Companies should develop safe work procedures based on the results of the hazard identification and risk assessment process and relevant regulatory requirements. The process of establishing and communicating health and safety rules will remind workers of the expected standards of safe work behaviour in the work place. Attention will be drawn to the hazards and expected safety precautions, such as working at heights, lockout, confined spaces, hot work, respiratory protection, camps and remote accommodations, working near power lines, combustible dusts, chemicals and asbestos, manual falling and ergonomics. These items have been broken into modules and the Organization must address each module that is applicable to its business.

The adopted standards and safe work procedures should be documented, communicated and made available to all affected personnel including employees, dependent contractors, independent contractors and visitors. Auditors are to assess whether the adopted standards and procedures are appropriate in controlling the risks and meeting regulatory requirements.

If gaps are identified in the safe work procedures with respect to regulatory requirements, results of hazard identification and risk assessments and relevant standards such as manufacturer operating guidelines, the auditor should document the findings in the notes of the audit report. Specific recommendations addressing the deficiencies identified must be provided so that the company can bring its program into compliance.





C. Standards, Procedures and Work Instructions – BasicC1. Safety RulesQuestion GuidelineC1.1

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O- Award up to 5 points based on % availability of applicable safety rules to workers and visitors.

Rules may be made available by any combination of: Conspicuous posting; Handout; Electronic communication; and Practices determined effective by the auditor.

D- Award up to 5 points based on the % of the applicable safety rules present compared to those needed by the nature of the company’s work activities. Safety rules need to cover the company’s scope of activities as described in their company profile as opposed to being restricted to only activities observed during the audit.

Examples of safety rules include: Smoking restrictions; PPE requirements; Vehicle speed limits; Seat belt requirements; Personal floatation device requirements; and Harassment / horseplay / improper conduct.

I- Award up to 5 points based on the % of positive responses for interviewed workers and available visitors aware of the applicable company health and safety rules. If the auditor is a visitor, auditor awareness is to be included in the interview evidence by self-assessment.






C. Standards, Procedures and Work Instructions – BasicC1.2

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O- Award up to 6 points based on % observation of workers wearing PPE appropriate for the tasks, based on regulatory and company requirements.

D- If the PPE policy includes selection criteria (including meeting regulatory and recognized safety standards such as CSA or ANSI), award 2 points.

If the PPE policy contains requirements for training on the use and maintenance of PPE, award 1 point.

If maintenance is not required due to using disposable PPE, the requirements for when to dispose of PPE are to be included and evaluated instead. Award 1 point.

If the PPE policy includes providing and replacing PPE in a manner consistent with regulation, award 1 point.

I- If at least 70% of interviewed managers, supervisors and workers know how to use, maintain/dispose and gain access to necessary PPE, award 4 points.

Ref: OHSR 8.3C1.3

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D- If the company has standards and/or rules regarding alcohol and drug use/abuse, award 2 points.

I- If at least 80% of interviewed supervisors and workers are aware in a general sense of the company rules on alcohol and drug use/abuse, award 3 points.

OHSR 4.20C2. Regulatory ComplianceQuestion Guideline





C. Standards, Procedures and Work Instructions – BasicC2.1 O- Award up to 8 points based on % observations of worksite conditions meeting regulatory and company

standards.Potential topics include but are not limited to:

Housekeeping; Material storage; Buildings, structures and installations; Roads and access; Signage; and Air quality.

Potential regulatory requirements include, but are not limited to: OHS Legislation and Regulations; Canada Labour Code; Transport of Dangerous Goods; Explosives Act and Regulations; Ministry of Transportation Regulations; BC Fire Code, Electrical Code and Building Code; and Motor Vehicle Act and Regulation.

D- Award up to 8 points based on % of safety-related inspection or certification records that indicate compliance with inspection or certification frequency by a certified individual or service.Examples include, but are not limited to:

Fire safety inspections; Boiler and pressure vessel inspections; Crane inspections; Commercial vehicle inspections; and Hoist and elevator inspections.

A company may have any combination of on-staff certified individuals and external service providers to meet this requirement. It is not intended to include non-safety-related certification in this question, such as calibration of measuring devices, unless those devices impact worker safety.

I- Award up to 4 points based on % of positive responses from interviewed supervisors and managers being aware of, and requiring compliance with, applicable worksite safety standards.

Ref: Regulatory and Legislative mentioned in guideline text.





C. Standards, Procedures and Work Instructions – BasicC2.2 O- Award up to 10 points based on % observations of workers following applicable company, regulatory and

manufacturer requirements.

I- Award up to 10 points based on % of positive responses from interviewed workers understanding the safety rules applicable to their tasks.

If possible, include new hires and dependent and non-dependent contractors in the interview sample size.It is not necessary for workers to be able to separate regulatory, manufacturer and company requirements, only that they understand the total requirements.

Ref: WCA General DutiesS 115 Employers

(ii) comply with this Part, the regulations and any applicable orders.C2.3 O- Award up to 3 points based on % observation of correct, legible Workplace Hazardous Materials

Information System (WHMIS)-compliant labelling AND ready availability of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS’s).

D- Award up to 5 points based on % of workers with WHMIS training compared to those whose tasks require it.

I- Award up to 2 points based on % of interviewed workers able to describe the hazards, precautions and emergency response procedures for controlled products that they handle or work near. Workers need to have a general, practical knowledge, rather than a detailed technical knowledge. Knowing where to go, or whom to ask, for more information beyond the fundamentals is sufficient.

Ref: The Federal Hazardous Products Act and the pursuant Controlled Products Regulation, which apply to suppliers, define which materials (i.e., controlled products) are included in the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) and what information suppliers must provide to employers for controlled products used in the workplace.

The Workers' Compensation Board administers the requirements of the Hazardous Products Act in British Columbia under section 114 of the Workers Compensation Act, and WorkSafeBC officers enforce federal requirements on suppliers under the Hazardous Products Act.

OHSR 5.5 WHMIS ProgramIf controlled products are used in the workplace the employer, in consultation with the joint committee or worker health and safety representative, as applicable, must establish and maintain an effective WHMIS program, as part of the overall workplace health and safety program, which:(a) addresses applicable WHMIS Requirements including education and training; and(b) is reviewed at least annually, or more frequently if required by a change in work conditions or available hazard information.

C3. Standards and Work ProceduresThis publication is the property of the BC Forest Safety Council. Reproduction in any form by any means, in whole or in part, or use of this publication for other than its intended purposes is prohibited.




C. Standards, Procedures and Work Instructions – Basic

Question GuidelineC3.1

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D- Award up to 5 points based on % of safe work procedures written compared to those required based on the company work activities.

The auditor needs to examine the list or table of contents of the safe work procedures (SWPs) and compare to the company profile activities, observed field activities and auditor experience to determine if the list is appropriate. It is recognized that since auditor experience is used as one of the scoring inputs, scores may vary from auditor to auditor.

Award up to 5 further points based on the average completeness of the safe work procedures that have been written.

Safe work procedures should cover the basics of routine, non-routine and likely upset conditions, but not necessarily to the level of a full operating manual from a manufacturer. Point form and graphics are fully acceptable substitutes for full sentences when appropriate and are not intended to be a measure of completeness for the purposes of this question.

Award up to a further 5 points based on the average inclusion of ergonomic / MSI (Musculoskeletal Injuries) risk factor controls. The ergonomic / MSI risk factor controls may exist separately from the main safe work procedures, but there must be an ergonomic / MSI control specific to each safe work procedure in order to be awarded full points. Having a single overall ergonomic / MSI process is not applicable to the scope of this question unless the company only has one safe work procedure.

Ref: WCA General DutiesS 115 Employers (e) provide to the employer's workers the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure the health and safety of those workers in carrying out their work and to ensure the health and safety of other workers at the workplace.





C. Standards, Procedures and Work Instructions – BasicC3.2 O- Award up to 5 points based on observations of transportation equipment meeting regulatory requirements,

including provision of properly maintained safety equipment on board.

Transportation equipment includes, but is not limited to: On road vehicles; Off road vehicles; Boats; Aircraft; and Bicycles.

Safety equipment includes, but is not limited to: Seatbelts; First aid kits; PFD’s; Radios; and Helmets.

D- Award up to 5 points based on % completeness of worker transportation Safe Work Procedure (SWP) in controlling the hazards associated with the modes of transportation used by the company. Typical hazards include road hazards and hazards to the driver, passengers and public. Safe Work Procedures may consist of signs and graphics where appropriate. The procedures are required whether the transportation equipment is used on a public road or on private property.

I- If at least 90% of positive responses of interviewed supervisors and workers being aware of AND able to state that everyone follows worker transportation safe work procedures, award 5 points.

If the company does not have or use transportation equipment, score this question as ‘N/A’ and adjust the total accordingly.

Ref: OHSR 17.1.1 Transportation of Workers, General Responsibilities Vehicles used to transport workers must be designed, maintained and operated in a safe manner.

Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, S 37.22

WCA General DutiesS 115 Employers (ii) comply with this Part, the regulations and any applicable orders.

C4. Emergency ResponseThis publication is the property of the BC Forest Safety Council. Reproduction in any form by any means, in whole or in part, or use of this publication for other than its intended purposes is prohibited.




C. Standards, Procedures and Work Instructions – BasicQuestion GuidelineC4.1 D- Award up to 5 points based on % of completed, correct First Aid Assessments in the last year compared

to those needed.

Assessments are needed for: Fixed facilities such as shops, offices, warehouses, processing facilities; Field sites; and Mobile sites (worker transportation and solo drivers).

A company may supply supporting logic to justify grouping assessments due to similar situations. Examples include a single assessment covering all log transport vehicles or all survey sites in a local geographic area.

Ref: OHSR 3.16 (and associated guideline)(1) The employer must provide for each workplace such equipment, supplies, facilities, first aid attendants and services as are adequate and appropriate for:

(a) promptly rendering first aid to workers if they suffer an injury at work; and (b) transporting injured workers to medical treatment.

C4.2 O- Award up to 10 points based on % observations of appropriate first aid personnel, equipment, supplies and services for the site.

Appropriate, in this case, means whichever is tougher of company or regulatory requirements.

Personnel need to be evaluated for number and level at the time of the audit.

Award up to 5 points based on the % observation of equipment and supplies being complete and in good working condition. First aid kits need to be sampled for accessibility, completeness, condition and usability of contents.

Supplies, such as oxygen and AED’s, need to be sampled for correct storage, volume/charge and accessibility.

Ref: as per C4.1C4.3

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D- If the first aid procedure clearly describes how a worker is to obtain first aid services for themselves or an injured worker, award 5 points.

If the first aid procedure clearly defines what first aid services are to be provided, award a further 3 points.

If the first aid procedure includes a checklist of required supplies and services, that at least meets regulatory requirements, award a further 2 points.

Ref: as per C4.1





C. Standards, Procedures and Work Instructions – BasicC4.4

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D- Award up to 5 points based on the % of topics included in the company Emergency Response Plan (ERP) compared to those needed for the operation.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to: Injuries; Fires (structural, equipment and/or wildfire, as appropriate); Fatalities; Environmental incidents (spills, leaks, etc.); Natural disasters appropriate to the geography (floods, landslides, earthquake, tsunami sudden

severe weather, etc.); Missing worker (at least for when a worker who is working alone fails to check in); Violence in the workplace appropriate to needs (road rage, protestors, theft-in-progress, etc.); Rescue from height; Water rescue; and Wildlife encounter.

Topics may be combined or standalone and there is no requirement that the titles in the above list be used by the company.

If a selected sample of emergency contact phone numbers or radio frequencies are all correct, award 1 point.Award up to a further 4 points based on the % completeness and usefulness of the overall ERP, regardless of the number of topics covered.

The ERP must be obvious in its instruction, have contact information and number/frequency, and assign general responsibilities. It should be easy to understand for all the topics.

A company with a very good fire ERP but nothing else written would score poorly on the % of topics portion, but highly on the % of completeness portion. A company with many, poorly written ERP topics would score highly on the % of topics portion, but poorly on the completeness portion.

I- Award up to 5 points based on the % of interviewed workers aware of their roles in applicable emergencies. The workers should be able to discuss marshalling points, communication devices, how to contact help, location of emergency numbers and understand any specific assigned responsibilities.

Ref: Emergency Preparedness and Response4.13 Risk Assessment(1) The employer must conduct a risk assessment in any workplace in which a need to rescue or evacuate workers may arise.





C. Standards, Procedures and Work Instructions – BasicC4.5 O- If appropriate functioning communication devices are readily available to all workers, award 5 points.

Communication devices include, but are not limited to: Radios; Cell phones; Land line phones; Satellite phones; Whistles; and Horns, bells and alarms, including manual fire pull stations.

The auditor must test a sample of communication devices if they are not otherwise observed in action to award the points. Testing of fire alarm bells or evacuation devices may be accomplished by reviewing test records rather than activating the alarm.

Having multiple workers share a communication device is acceptable as long as all workers in that group remain within verbal communication range with consideration for ambient noise, distance, terrain/layout and weather. For helicopter evacuation, there must be a method of communication with the pilot.

Ref: OHSR 3.17 (b)C4.6 D- If an emergency response drill, such as a general fire/evacuation drill, has been conducted in the last 12

months, award 2 points.

If drills have been conducted to test at least one other scenario, such as injury, confined space rescue or missing worker, award a further 1 point.

If results of drills are reviewed and the ERP amended as necessary award a further 2 points.

Proof of review may include meeting minutes or formal reports to management, workers, JOHSC, etc.

Ref: OHSR 4.14 Emergency Procedures(3) At least once each year emergency drills must be held to ensure awareness and effectiveness of emergency exit routes and procedures, and a record of the drills must be kept.





D. Training, Education and Certification Auditors must understand the difference between training and education when conducting the analysis of this section. Training is a task-specific orientation or set of skills shown or given to a worker in order to understand how to do a specific job. For example, a mechanic would need training to learn how to put a starter on an engine. Education is a process to transfer knowledge, skills and values for doing a specific job. Many times training and education go hand in hand since they provide workers with the necessary skills to accomplish job tasks safely and the ability to assess hazards under different work environments. This section of the BASE Audit essentially asks the question: “Does the workforce know all the aspects of the task they are asked to perform, and can the company demonstrate this?”

Certification is defined as recognition of having obtained certain qualifications. Many different jobs in the forest sector, regardless of discipline, require that the worker has a certification, otherwise known as a “ticket”, to do specific tasks. While certification does not ensure that the worker will not get injured in the course of their work, it does allow the company to have a reasonable expectation that the worker understands the basic tasks of the job, understands how to prevent getting injured or injuring others, and has the fundamental knowledge to complete the task at hand. There are no guarantees, but with certification comes the belief that the worker has at least completed a level of training which can help keep them safe.

Auditors must be clear that there is a distinct difference between certification and competency. Certification shows a level of education or training received. Competency is defined as having the ability, skill, proficiency and expertise to perform the task(s) required in a safe, reliable, reproducible manner. These differences must be recognized by the auditor and by the company.

D. Training, Education and Certification – BasicD1. OrientationsQuestion GuidelineD1.1 D- If there is documentation evidence that at least 90% of all workers, including workers of dependent and

non-dependent contractors, receive orientation on or before the first day of work, award 5 points.

Award up to 5 points based on the % of orientation forms including all regulatory and company requirements.

I- If at least 90% of interviewed new workers confirm orientation on or before the first day of work, award 5 points.

New workers include new hires, Return-to-Work cases and reassigned or transferred workers.Workers include workers of the company, of dependent contractors and of non-dependent contractors.If there are no new workers in the scope of the audit, interview a sample of workers hired in the last 5 years.If there are no new workers hired within the last 5 years, interview managers and supervisors for knowledge of the system and its applicability to future new workers.

Ref: OHSR 3.23 to 3.25 Young or new worker orientation and trainingThis publication is the property of the BC Forest Safety Council. Reproduction in any form by any means, in whole or in part, or use of this publication for other than its intended purposes is prohibited.




D. Training, Education and Certification – BasicD1.2

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O- If the auditor was oriented to the company operations in general and to each different work site visited, award 2 points. Note: If the auditor is an internal auditor present routinely at the audited sites, a company orientation is not necessary; however field orientations to sites where the auditor is not an on-site supervisor are still required. If the internal auditor is routinely present on all company operations, score the observation as ‘Not Applicable’ and adjust scoring accordingly.

D- If records support that all visitors to each site receive an orientation appropriate to their risks, award 3 points.

The degree of orientation should relate to whether the visitor is escorted or not and the degree of risks in the tasks that the visitor performs. For example, an escorted inspector should receive less orientation details than a welding company team performing inside a confined space where the company has no skills in confined space entry.

Ref: WCA General Duties of Employers115(1) Every employer must:(a) ensure the health and safety of

(i) all workers working for that employer, and(ii) any other workers present at a workplace at which that employer's work is being carried out, and

(b) comply with this Part, the regulations and any applicable orders.D2. Training and EducationQuestion GuidelineD2.1

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D- Award up to 7 points based on the % of worker and supervisor competence assessments completed compared to number of workers and supervisor.

Every worker and supervisor must have a documented competence assessment for their current position, regardless of the time in that position. Competence assessments must include observation of the persons performing the tasks. Competence assessments may include, but are not necessarily limited to:

Training and examination records; Certificates; Supervisor journal notations; Assessments; and Inspections.

I- If at least 90% of interviewed supervisors and managers are: knowledgeable about the company program and regulatory requirements, and assessing workers in accordance with company and regulatory requirements,

award 3 points.

If managers also assess workers, include applicable managers in the interview sample size.If all supervisors are also managers, exclude supervisor assessment from the question.

Ref: OHSR 3.24 Additional orientation and trainingAn employer must provide a young or new worker with additional orientation and training if (a) workplace observation reveals that the young or new worker is not able to perform work tasks or work processes safely, or (b) requested by the young or new worker.





D. Training, Education and Certification – BasicD2.2 D- Award up to 5 points based on the % of sampled workers with current, appropriate initial and ongoing

training records.

I- If at least 90% of interviewed supervisors are aware of what training is required for which tasks and are ensuring only appropriately trained workers perform those tasks, award 2 points.

If at least 90% of workers are aware of and have received the training necessary for their assigned tasks, award 3 points.

Ref: WCA Section 117 – General Duties of SupervisorsD2.3 D- Award up to 5 points based on the % of current Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (JOHSC)

members with records of training in their duties and responsibilities AND having received 8 hours of annual training. Training may be provided by an external agency or competent internal trainer, but initial training should be based on the 8-hour WorkSafeBC course ‘Responsibilities of Joint Health and Safety Committees’. Each member also has an entitlement to 8 hours of annual training.

I- Award up to 5 points based on % of interviewed current JOHSC members able to confirm all of: Attending initial training; Basic knowledge of their duties under the combination of legal, regulatory and company

requirements; and Attending 8 hours of JOHSC training per year.

Ref: WCA Educational Leave S 135D3. CertificationsQuestion GuidelineD3.1 O- Award up to 5 points based on the % of sampled workers observed to be carrying appropriate current

certifications with them.

Appropriate certifications may include, but are not limited to: Driver’s licenses of the appropriate class and endorsement (while in control of a vehicle); Valid original first aid certificates (wallet or wall sized) readily available on site; Faller certification (while working in that role); Blaster certification (while working in that role); and Certificates required by the company, company’s client or licensee.

For first aid attendants at field sites, this means at least on the block with them. For fixed facilities, this means at least on the premises. There is no requirement that the certificate be posted for general worker access.Auditors need to be aware of WSBC guideline OFA-1 revised January 1, 2010, on acceptability of out-of-province certificates and expiry dates.

Ref: OHSR Definitions:"qualified" means being knowledgeable of the work, the hazards involved and the means to control the hazards, by reason of education, training, experience or a combination thereof;





E. Health and Safety Communications SystemsOne of the key elements of an Occupational Health and Safety program is an effective method of communication between management, workers and contractors. This communications system can take the form of written or verbal methods, but more importantly, the route of communication must be two-way. A system which only permits management to speak to workers, for instance, will not be very effective, as it will not allow for feedback and input from workers to drive continual improvement.

Companies subscribing to SAFE Companies (BASE audit) are required by the Workers Compensation Act to establish and maintain a Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (JOHSC). The JOHSC is the heart of a company’s health and safety program as it creates the communication system between management and workers. The JOHSC allows workers to put forward ideas and suggestions, to discuss difficulties or ask questions. The JOHSC allows management to receive feed-back from workers, and becomes a unique method of changing and strengthening the health and safety program.

Even if the infrastructure of the health and safety program is in place within a company, without proper and adequate communication of issues and responsibilities the program will be ineffective. Auditors will evaluate the existence of communications systems and measure their effectiveness. In this section of the BASE Audit, emphasis will be on evaluating how information is communicated between management and workers.





E. Health and Safety Communication Systems – BasicE1. Safety MeetingsQuestion GuidelineE1.1 D- Award up to 10 points based on the % of safety meetings held in operating months in the previous 12

months.

The scope of these safety meetings is different from JOHSC meetings. They are intended as all-employee meetings. It is not necessary for all employees to physically meet. Telephone, radio and/or video aids may be used. It is expected that not all employees are able to attend all meetings, but there must be a mechanism to pass meeting information on to absent people. The minimum frequency of these meetings is to be monthly during operating months. More frequent meetings such as site-specific, new-project, weekly or daily meetings also meet the requirements of this question provided the meetings are documented.

I- If at least 70% of interviewed workers confirm existence of the monthly (or more frequent) meetings and their personal attendance at all of those meetings or having meeting information passed to them after the meeting, award 5 points.

Ref: General Duties of Employers115(1) Every employer must:(b) ensure that the employer's workers(i) are made aware of all known or reasonably foreseeable health or safety hazards to which they are likely to be exposed by their work,(ii) comply with this Part, the regulations and any applicable orders, and(iii) are made aware of their rights and duties under this Part and the regulations,(c) establish occupational health and safety policies and programs in accordance with the regulations,

WCA Joint Committee Procedure S 131(1) Subject to this Part and the regulations, a joint committee must establish its own rules of procedure, including rules respecting how it is to perform its duties and functions.(2) A joint committee must meet regularly at least once each month, unless another schedule is permitted or required by regulation or order.

OHSR 3.2 Small OperationsIn any operation where the workforce is less than that referred to in section 3.1(1) the employer must(a) initiate and maintain a less formal program based on regular monthly meetings with workers for discussion of health and safety matters,





E. Health and Safety Communication Systems – BasicE1.2 I- Award up to 5 points based on the % of interviewed workers confirming that they have an active

opportunity to bring forward safety issues at the meetings and that they have a recollection of the broad topics discussed at recent safety meetings that correspond to the meeting minutes.JOHSC meetings are excluded from the scope of this question.

Ref: WCA 116 (3) (e) report to the supervisor or employer(i) any contravention of this Part, the regulations or an applicable order of which the worker is aware, and(ii) the absence of or defect in any protective equipment, device or clothing, or the existence of any other hazard, that the worker considers is likely to endanger the worker or any other person,(f) cooperate with the joint committee or worker health and safety representative for the workplace,

E1.3

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D- If the company uses a standard template for recording safety meetings, award 3 points.

If the contents of meetings are consistently recorded in sufficient detail, award a further 2 points.

The company may have different templates for different types of safety meetings and the templates may be as little as a uniform style of supervisor journal notes for tailgate meetings.

Date, time, location and attendees must be included in the meeting notes, along with the contents.While not required, having a sign-off for attendees is highly recommended.

General duties of employers S115(1) Every employer must:b) ensure that the employer's workers(i) are made aware of all known or reasonably foreseeable health or safety hazards to which they are likely to be exposed by their work,(ii) comply with this Part, the regulations and any applicable orders, and(iii) are made aware of their rights and duties under this Part and the regulations,(c) establish occupational health and safety policies and programs in accordance with the regulations,

E1.4 O- Award up to 10 points based on the % observations of the last 3 safety and JOHSC meeting minutes being posted or otherwise made available to all workers.

Scoring is to be based on the % of workers with access to the minutes. For example, if 80% of workers could access all minutes, award 8 points, while if 80% of workers could only access half the minutes, award 4 points.

Ref: WCA Employer must post committee information S138E2. DocumentationQuestion Guideline





E. Health and Safety Communication Systems – BasicE2.1 D- Award up to 5 points based on one point for each of the following types of information with documented

proof of communication or posting, up to a maximum of 5 points: Workplace inspection results; WSBC reports; Hazard / safety alerts (company or industry); Incident investigation reports; Corrective action logs (or similar system); Progress towards safety goals; and Safety statistics of the company.

I- Award up to 5 points based on the % of interviewed workers with an awareness of the company safety program and its current key issues.

E2.2 D- If all program reports are available in the company filing system, award 2 points.

Program reports may include, but are not limited to: Internal audits; External audits and inspections; Ergonomic assessments; Environmental audits and surveys; Perception surveys; Medical or health monitoring results; and Noise, chemical or other parameter surveys.

I- If at least 70% of interviewed workers and JOHSC members are at least aware of how to access the reports, award 3 points.

Award up to 15 points based on the % of interviewed supervisors (including safety supervisors if any) that can correctly describe the safety records management system and demonstrate their understanding by retrieving necessary documentation in a timely manner throughout the audit.

Ref: OHSR 3.3 Contents of Program(f) the maintenance of records and statistics, including reports of inspections and incident investigations, with provision for making this information available to the joint committee or worker health and safety representative, as applicable and, upon request, to an officer, the union representing the workers at the workplace or, if there is no union, the workers at the workplace.

E3. Health and Safety CommitteeQuestion Guideline





E. Health and Safety Communication Systems – BasicE3.1 D- If the structure of the JOHSC meets regulatory requirements, award 10 points.

The BASE audit requires a company to have a JOHSC with a structure, roles and responsibility (or ‘Terms of Reference’) meeting the regulatory requirements of a company with 20 or more workers on site, even if the company does not have 20 workers on site.

Award up to 10 points based on % of monthly JOHSC meetings being held in the operating months of the last year. Meetings must have quorum and produce minutes in order to be considered as being held.

Ref: WCA, Part 3 Division 4 - Joint Committees and Worker RepresentativesWhen a joint committee is required125An employer must establish and maintain a joint health and safety committee(a) in each workplace where 20 or more workers of the employer are regularly employed, and(b) in any other workplace for which a joint committee is required by order.

E3.2 D- Award up to 10 points based on the % of records demonstrating that the committee is fulfilling their legal and regulatory roles and responsibilities.

Records may include, but are not limited to: Meeting minutes; Inspection reports; Investigation reports; WorkSafeBC reports; Journals; and Corrective action logs.

I- If at least 70% of interviewed JOHSC members can speak knowledgeably about how the JOHSC supports the company safety program though its activities and the responses indicate a compliant system, award 10 points.

Ref: WCA Duties and functions of joint committee130





F. Incident Reporting and Investigations SystemsIncident reports and investigations are developed in response to a failure within a company’s systems. An Incident Report documents what occurred, who was involved and the causes for the incident. Incident investigations determine underlying OHS deficiencies and other factors that might be causing or contributing to these incidents. The objective is to develop effective recommendations addressing the necessary corrective and preventive actions required to achieve continual improvement.

Reports and investigations are often too general in terms of providing only brief description of what has occurred and recommendations to correct the immediate deficiencies (e.g. repair worn out brakes). This section of the BASE Audit questions whether incidents are being reported, and if reported, properly investigated. Is there a system in place to report and investigate incidents which occur? Does the company have a methodology for this system? Do workers, supervisors and managers understand why this system is important?

Drilling down to the reason or causes of a systems’ failure must be undertaken in order to determine why the incident initiated in the first place (causation) and further put controls in place to prevent recurrence. Those conducting the investigations must also be trained in this discipline in order to:

Provide adequate assessments of the events; Identify controls of the system which failed; and Develop effective recommendations for the prevention of recurrence.

Ultimately, the result of a report and investigation will be to implement corrective and preventive actions, which will correct the immediate problems, and to close the gaps at the safety management system level to help prevent the incident from recurring.





F. Incident Reporting and Investigating Systems – BasicF1. Incident ReportsQuestion GuidelineF1.1

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D- If the investigation policies and procedures include: Responsibilities of reporting by all personnel (employees, visitors, contractors), award 2 points. Immediate reporting of all incidents including injuries, close calls / near misses and property damage,

award 2 points. Reporting of soft tissue / ergonomic / MSI signs and symptoms, award 5 points. Responsibilities and authorities of persons involved in the investigation, award 2 points. Procedure for carrying out investigations, award 2 points. A requirement for worker participation in investigations (other than the affected worker or as

witnesses), award 2 points.

The company must specifically list injuries, close calls / near misses, property damage and Reporting of soft tissue / ergonomic / MSI signs and symptoms (or equivalent words/phrases) to be awarded the applicable points. Specifying ‘all incidents’ is insufficient unless the phrase ‘all incidents’ contains a definition that includes the specifics.

Ref: WCA, Incidents that must be investigated173

F1.2 O- If there is unreported damage found based on observation of worksite and equipment conditions, award zero points. Otherwise, award 3 points. Unreported damage could be found as equipment damage, property damage and signs of malfunctions.

D- If documentation (first aid records, incident reports, maintenance records, reports to authorities, etc.) is positively correlated to indicate all incidents are reported, award 3 points.

I- Award up to 4 points based on % of positive responses of interviewed workers being aware of, and following, reporting procedures.

Ref: WCA, General Duties of Workers e) report to the supervisor or employer(i) any contravention of this Part, the regulations or an applicable order of which the worker is aware, and(ii) the absence of or defect in any protective equipment, device or clothing, or the existence of any other hazard, that the worker considers is likely to endanger the worker or any other person





F. Incident Reporting and Investigating Systems – BasicF1.3

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D- Award up to 5 points based on % of completeness of instructions for reporting to relevant authorities for types of incidents that could reasonably occur in the scope of company operations.

Types of incidents may include, but are not limited to: Minor injuries requiring medical treatment; Serious injuries; Fatality; Structural Failure/Collapse; Major release of a hazardous substance; Motor vehicle accident on public road; Motor vehicle accident on forest service road; Motor vehicle accident on other forestry road (on public or private land); Power line contact; Explosives handling incident; and Fire.

Relevant authorities depend on the company’s activities and location. They may include, but are not limited to:

WSBC (fatality, serious injury, hazardous occurrence, etc.); BC Safety Authority (boilers and pressure vessels, etc.); BC Hydro or local power provider (power lines); Ministry of Environment (specified spills); Ministry of Forest and Range (wildfire and other issues); Ministry of Transportation (certain vehicle incidents); ICBC (certain vehicle incidents); HRSDC / Transport Canada (certain aircraft and watercraft incidents); and Clients and licensees (meeting contractual obligations).

The intent of this question would be satisfied with a list of parties to notify in different cases.Award up to 5 points based on the % of reporting occurring compared to the % required. If the company had no reportable incidents in the audit scope, score these second 5 points only as ‘N/A’ and adjust total accordingly.

Ref: WCA, Incident investigation report175

F2. Incident InvestigatingQuestion GuidelineF2.1 D- If at least 90% of total incidents have an investigation report appropriate for the severity of the incident,

award 5 points.

The minimum level of investigation for any reported incident is a preliminary informal review by the supervisor to determine if a more serious investigation is warranted.

This portion of the question applies to total incidents rather that reported incidents. For example, if only 50% of incidents are reported, but all of those are investigated, only 50% of incidents are investigated, and no points are awardable for this question.

I- Award up to 5 points based on the % of positive responses from interviewed workers and supervisors





F. Incident Reporting and Investigating Systems – Basicstating all reported incidents are investigated.

This portion of the question applies to reported incidents. For example, if an interview response is that only 50% of total incidents are reported, but all of those are investigated, this counts as a positive response.

Ref: WCA, Incidents that must be investigated173OHSR 3.3 Contents of Programe) provision for the prompt investigation of incidents to determine the action necessary to prevent their recurrence,OHSR 3.4 Incident investigation reports

F2.2 D- Award up to 10 points based on the % of completeness of evidence collection as appropriate for the incident.

Evidence collection will usually, but not always, include: Events leading to the incident; Conditions of the work environment, tools, equipment and employees; Witness statements (if any witnesses); Photos, diagrams and/or sketches; Reports on relevant employee training; Applicable safe work procedures; and Emergency response actions.

Ref: WCA, Investigation process 174F2.3 D- Award up to 10 points based on the % of completed investigations with fundamental recommendations

compared to investigations completed.

The investigation needs to use any standard investigative method to dig to the deeper system causes of an event in order to make fundamental recommendations. While addressing symptoms or immediate causes is important, it alone is insufficient for a positive finding.

Ref: WCA Investigation process174(2) As far as possible, the investigation must (a) determine the cause or causes of the incident, (b) identify any unsafe conditions, acts or procedures that contributed in any manner to the incident, and (c) if unsafe conditions, acts or procedures are identified, recommend corrective action to prevent similar incidents.

F2.4 I- Award up to 15 points based on the % of positive responses from individuals investigating incidents that can describe their incident investigation training and how it covered topics necessary for their scope of investigations.

If there have been no incidents investigated in the scope of the audit, interview individuals who are assigned responsibility for investigations. If the company system does not assign responsibilities, interview supervisors by default. Training does not necessarily include classroom sessions or external instructors and may include mentoring and internal training.

F3. Recommendations and Follow-up





F. Incident Reporting and Investigating Systems – BasicQuestion GuidelineF3.1

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D- If the investigation program contains steps for: Evaluating the potential future risks that the recommendation(s) may create, award 1 point. Reviewing and, where necessary, amending safe work procedures, award 1 point. Defining the responsibilities and authority for implementing the corrective actions / recommendations,

award 1 point. Communicating the recommendations and corrective actions to relevant parties, including JOHSC,

employees, contractors and the sector in general (where appropriate), award 1 point. Monitoring the effectiveness of implementation, award 1 point.

I- If at least 90% of interviewed managers, supervisors and JOHSC members understand their roles in the above system, award 10 points.

Ref: WCA Follow-up action and report 176F3.2 D- If there is a process for tracking corrective actions from investigations, award 2 points.

Award up to 3 points based on the % of sampled investigations having all their corrective actions tracked using that system.

The process may be integral with the investigation form, a separate system or part of an overall company system, but it must include target completion dates and assign tasks to people.

I- Award up to 5 points based on the % of positive responses from interviewed workers stating corrective actions completed by the target date.

Actions that are not yet due should be excluded from the calculation.

If the company has a system, but has no actions assigned that should have been completed, score the second part of the question as ‘N/A’ and deduct 5 points from the total.

If due dates are not included in the company system award zero points for both parts of this question.

Ref: OHSR 3.4 Incident Investigation reports(g) recommended corrective actions to prevent similar incidents





F. Incident Reporting and Investigating Systems – BasicF3.3

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D- If the investigation program requires that: Senior management, Managers and supervisors responsible for the area of operations of the incident, and JOHSC

all receive copies of the investigation report, award 3 points.

Award up to 2 points based on the % of evidence found that investigation reports are reviewed by the required individuals and JOHSC.

I- If at least 90% of interviewed senior managers, managers, supervisors and JOHSC members state that they review all incidents, award 5 points.

Ref: WCA Incident investigation report175WCA Follow-up action and report176





G. Contractor ManagementContractors are an integral part of the forest sector and serve companies in various areas of operations, most often with “phase” work. Typically, a stump to dump company will contract out some of its work when it is either unfamiliar with that particular business or has the need for expanded operations for a short duration only.

The majority of the claims which occur in the forest sector in BC are related to contractors. Contractors, therefore, must have their Occupational Health and Safety programs evaluated. To simply hire a contractor based on their price or agreed upon work requirement does not meet the intent of a successful program. Additionally, it has been made clear that companies cannot legally contract out their safety responsibilities.

This section of the BASE Audit questions the selection, evaluation and monitoring of contractors’ safety performance. Additionally, it evaluates how cascading responsibilities are designed to work within that particular business model.

G. Non-Prime Contractor Management Systems – BasicG1. Contractor SelectionQuestion GuidelineG1.1 D- If there is a clear documented outline of non-dependent contractor safety requirements, award 5 points.

The requirements are to be applied to contractors prior to accepting the contractor’s proposal, rather than imposed on them after acceptance.

If there are records of the selection requirements being applied consistently to all contractors, award 5 points.

I- Award up to 3 points based on % interviewed persons hiring contractors understanding the company program.

Selection criteria may include non-safety items.

This question applies to all contractors working for the company rather than just forestry contractors. Service providers are excluded from the scope of this question. See ‘Definitions’ section for contractors and service providers

Ref: WCA Coordination at multiple-employer workplaces S 118 (2) The Prime Contractor (or Owner if no Prime Contractor) of a multiple-employer workplace must(a) ensure that the activities of employers, workers and other persons at the workplace relating to occupational health and safety are coordinated, and(b) do everything that is reasonably practicable to establish and maintain a system or process that will ensure compliance with this Part and the regulations in respect of the workplace.





G. Non-Prime Contractor Management Systems – BasicG1.2

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D- If there is a requirement in the pre-qualification process for direct forestry contractors to be SAFE-certified or be recognized by a Certifying Partner with which the BC Forest Safety Council has a reciprocity agreement, award 5 points.

I- If all interviewed persons hiring contractors are aware of the requirement and apply it in all cases, award 2 points.

Registration for SAFE-certification is insufficient for the purposes of this question.

This question only applies to a company’s forestry contractors who have staff who physically enter into forestry settings to assist in the forestry activities (i.e., those who ‘touch the wood’). Other contractors and service providers are not prohibited from SAFE-certification and the company may require them to be SAFE-certified, but it is not a requirement of this audit question. Score this question as ‘N/A’ if the company has no hands-on forestry contractors or if the company has no forestry operations.

Ref: Coroner’s report, Forest Ombudsman’s Report 2009G1.3 D- Award up to 4 points based on % of documentation showing all contractors have received written and

verbal communication.

Documents may include, but are not necessarily limited to: Contractor agreement / contract; Contractor roles and responsibilities sign-off; Contractor meeting minutes or journal notes (ideally showing verbal communication); and Pre-work assessment papers.

I- Award up to 6 points based on the % of positive responses of interviewed contractors understanding their place in the company system.

If no contractors are available on-site to interview, a sample may be interviewed by telephone.

If contractors are not reasonably available by any method or refuse to answer, score the interview portion of the question as ‘N/A’ and adjust the score accordingly.

Ref: WCA General Duties of Employers115(1) Every employer must(a) ensure the health and safety of(i) all workers working for that employer, and(ii) any other workers present at a workplace at which that employer's work is being carried out, and (b) comply with this Part, the regulations and any applicable orders.





G. Non-Prime Contractor Management Systems – BasicG1.4

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D- If there is a method to manage non-SAFE-certified forestry sub-contractors working in the company’s forestry operations, award 5 points.

I- Award up to 5 points based on the % of interviewed persons hiring contractors being aware of the requirement and applying it in all their cases.

The method may be by prohibiting subcontracting or by requiring direct forestry sub-contractors to be SAFE-certified or be recognized by a Certifying Partner with which the BC Forest Safety Council has a reciprocity agreement. Registration for SAFE-certification is insufficient for the purposes of this question.

This question only applies to a company’s forestry contractors who have staff who physically enter into forestry settings to assist in the forestry activities (i.e., those who ‘touch the wood’). Other contractors and service providers are not prohibited from SAFE-certification and the company may require them to be SAFE-certified, but it is not a requirement of this audit question. Score this question as ‘N/A’ if the company has no hands-on forestry contractors or if they have no forestry operations.

Ref: Coroner’s report, Forest Ombudsman’s Report 2009G1. Contractor ManagementQuestion GuidelineG2.1 D- If documentation shows that 100% of contractors have received information on known and reasonably

foreseeable hazards, including a Notice of Project (NOP) covering the appropriate phases of the operation, award 5 points.

I- Award up to 5 points based on the % of positive responses of interviewed contractors understanding the known and foreseeable hazards of the project.


If contractors are not reasonably available by any method or refuse to answer, score the interview portion of the question as ‘N/A’ and adjust the score accordingly

Ref: WCA General duties of owner S 119Every owner of a workplace must(b) give to the employer or Prime Contractor at the workplace the information known to the owner that is necessary to identify and eliminate or control hazards to the health or safety of persons at the workplace, and

OHSR Part 20, Construction, Excavation and Demolition, General Requirements20.2 Notice of project





G. Non-Prime Contractor Management Systems – BasicG2.2 D- If a monitoring frequency is established based on the scope and risk level of contractor activities and a list

of contractor assessment criteria exists, award 5 points.

Award up to 10 points based on the % of documented contractor assessments performed compared to those required by the system.

If no assessments have yet been required by the system, score the second part of the documentation as ‘N/A’ and adjust the score accordingly.

I- Award up to 5 points based on % of positive responses of interviews with personnel responsible for overseeing contractors confirming their understanding of the frequency and criteria and applying it correctly.

Ref: WCA Coordination at multiple-employer workplaces S 118(2) The Prime Contractor of a multiple-employer workplace must(a) ensure that the activities of employers, workers and other persons at the workplace relating to occupational health and safety are coordinated, and(b) do everything that is reasonably practicable to establish and maintain a system or process that will ensure compliance with this Part and the regulations in respect of the workplace.

G2.3 D- Award up to 10 points based on the % of documentation showing that all contractors have had meetings with the company where safety-related items were discussed.

Documentation may include, but is not limited to: Meeting minutes; Pre-work assessments; Site inspections; Supervisor journals; and E-mails.

Contractors include both short and long-term contractors.

I- Award up to 5 points based on the % of positive responses of interviewed persons hiring contractors being aware of the requirement and applying it in all their cases.

Ref: as per G2.2





H. Prime Contractor Selection and ManagementThis section of the BASE Audit only applies to companies, institutions, government agencies and any other parties who assign Prime Contractor status to contractors they are hiring. This element applies to multi-employer worksites where there are workers from more than one company working at the site or operation. If gaps are identified in Prime Contractor Selection and Management with respect to regulatory requirements and good practice, the auditor should document the findings in the notes of the audit report. Specific recommendations addressing the deficiencies identified must be provided so that the company can bring its program into compliance.

H. PRIME CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS - BASICH1. Selection CriteriaQuestion GuidelineH1.1 D- If there is a clear documented outline of Prime Contractor safety requirements, award 5 points.

The requirements are to be applied to contractors prior to accepting, or at acceptance of, the contractor’s proposal, rather than imposed on them after acceptance. The selection criteria must include a method of assessing qualifications based on education, training and experience of the contractor, specifically including the ability of the contractor to coordinate the program and have site control.

If there are records of the selection requirements being applied consistently to all Prime Contractors, award 5 points.

This question applies to all Prime Contractors working for the company rather than just forestry contractors.

Ref: OHSR 26.1.1, WCA 118 & 119H1.2

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D- If there is a requirement in the pre-qualification process for direct forestry Prime Contractors to be SAFE-certified or be recognized by a Certifying Partner with which the BC Forest Safety Council has a reciprocity agreement, award 5 points.

If all Prime Contractors in the last year are SAFE-certified or recognized by a Certifying Partner with which the BC Forest Safety Council has a reciprocity agreement, award 5 points.

This question only applies to a company’s forestry contractors who have staff who physically enter into forestry settings to assist in the forestry activities (i.e., those who ‘touch the wood’). Other contractors and service providers are not prohibited from SAFE-certification and the company may require them to be SAFE-certified, but it is not a requirement of this audit question. Score this question as ‘N/A’ if the company has no hands-on forestry Prime Contractors or if the company has no forestry operations.

Ref: Coroner’s Report, Forest Ombudsman’s Report 2009





H. PRIME CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS - BASICH1.3 D- If all Prime Contractor agreements are signed and dated and include:

The assignment of Prime Contractor; Responsibilities of both parties; and Authority of the Prime Contractor.

Award 10 points.For very large companies, with multiple Prime Contractors, sampling agreements is sufficient.

Ref: WCA, Coordination at multiple-employer workplaces118(1) In this section:"multiple-employer workplace" means a workplace where workers of 2 or more employers are working at the same time;"Prime Contractor" means, in relation to a multiple-employer workplace,(a) the directing contractor, employer or other person who enters into a written agreement with the owner of that workplace to be the Prime Contractor for the purposes of this Part,

Ref: WCA, Coordination at multiple-employer workplaces118(1) In this section:"multiple-employer workplace" means a workplace where workers of 2 or more employers are working at the same time;"Prime Contractor" means, in relation to a multiple-employer workplace,(a) the directing contractor, employer or other person who enters into a written agreement with the owner of that workplace to be the Prime Contractor for the purposes of this Part,

H2. ManagementQuestion GuidelineH2.1 O- Award up to 2 points based on % of observed company contract managers/supervisors monitoring Prime

Contractor safety compliance in the field.

D- Award up to 4 points based on % documented confirmation of Prime Contractor safety compliance monitoring.

Documentation may include, but is not limited to: Inspection sheets Assessment sheets Audit reports Third-party reports Supervisor/manager journal notes Notice of Project

I- Award up to 4 points based on % of interviewed contract supervisors/managers correctly describing their responsibilities and how they fulfill them with respect to legal, regulatory, contract and company requirements.

Ref: General duties of owner119Every owner of a workplace must:(c) comply with this Part, the regulations and any applicable orders





H. PRIME CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS - BASICH2.2 O- If Prime Contractor signage and communication practices are clearly posted on each site and readily

visible to anyone entering the site, award 5 points.

D- If the contract and/or the contractor’s safety program require the posting of signs and communication practices in all cases, award 5 points.

H2.3 I- If at least 90 % of interviewed non-Prime Contractors understand the authority of the Prime Contractor in coordinating the health and safety activities of the workplace, award 10 points.


If contractors are not reasonably available by any method or refuse to answer, score the question as ‘N/A’ and adjust the score accordingly.

Ref: See H1.3H2.4 D- Award up to 10 points based on the % of documented hazard communications with the Prime Contractors

compared to what is required.

Potential records include, but are not limited to: Meeting notes; Hazard alerts; Planning maps; Journals; Site assessment reports; and Notices of Project.

I- Award up to 5 points based on % interviewed managers, supervisors and, if possible, contractors to confirm hazards are communicated. If no contractors are available on-site to interview, a sample may be interviewed by telephone.

If contractors are not reasonably available by any method or refuse to answer, base the % interview only on managers and supervisors.

Ref: WCA General duties of owner, S119b) give to the employer or Prime Contractor at the workplace the information known to the owner that is necessary to identify and eliminate or control hazards to the health or safety of persons at the workplace

H2.5 D- If documentation supports that all Prime Contractors have appropriate on-site supervision, award 5 points.

I- If at least 80% of interviewed company contract managers/supervisors are aware of the company requirements, their obligations to ensuring competent supervision and are ensuring it, award 5 points.

Ref: OHSR 20.3 Coordination of multiple employer workplaces





H. PRIME CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS - BASICH2.6 I- If at least 90% of contract managers/supervisors can correctly identify the site health and safety contact of

the Prime Contractor on each site, award 5 points.

It will be necessary for the auditor to determine the correct contact either by documentation or by interview with the indentified person.

Ref: OHSR 20.3(2)(a)(i) Coordination of multiple employer workplaces





I. Injury Management / Return-to-Work ProgramsInjury Management (IM) / Return-to-Work (RTW) programs are a proactive way for employers to help injured workers Stay-at-Work or return to productive and safe employment as soon as physically possible. They are based on the fact that many injured workers can safely perform productive work during the process of recovery. Returning to work is part of the worker’s therapy and recovery.

Effective injury management/return-to-work programs are initiated when the worker first contacts the employer. At this time, an early intervention procedure can be initiated to determine if the worker is capable of staying at work performing their normal duties or modified duties while the injury heals. These at work programs are an effective tool utilized to ensure healing occurs while the injured worker is still performing meaningful and productive work. In many cases, this prevents any time loss from work. If workers do need time away from work, the injury management/return-to-work program can reintegrate the injured worker into the workforce much earlier.

The RTW Plan Chart indicates the number of RTW plans that must be reviewed. An RTW Plan is any case where a worker is on a Stay-At-Work or Return-to-Work program. The auditor should review RTW Plans that represent variance in restrictions accommodated, duration of RTW Plan, and worker’s pre-injury/illness job/department. The auditor should review both completed and ongoing RTW plans. (If there are no ongoing RTW plans in place at the time of the audit, the auditor should include the most recent RTW Plan in the review.) If there have been no injuries the question should be marked as N/A and the points for the element adjusted accordingly.

While a company IM/RTW program may include non-occupational injuries and illnesses in its scope, there is no requirement in this audit for their inclusion. Plan sampling must be based on at least the occupational cases but may include non-occupational cases.

RTW PLAN CHART# of RTW Plans

1 - 8 9 - 11 12 - 13 14 - 15 16 - 17 18 - 19 20 - 23 24 - 27

Min # reviewed

all 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

# of RTW Plans

28 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 67 68 - 80 81 - 100 >100

Min. # reviewed

15 16 17 18 19 20 20%

Companies must obtain at least 51% in every section and an overall mark of 80% in this element to meet the BASE Audit standard and be SAFE certified.





Completion of this audit element by an external auditor with injury management training, certified with a passing mark of at least 80 percent overall and 51% in every section, allows the certifying partner to award the RTW COR and can entitle the employer to receive a rebate from WSBC.

Note: Personal Information - A knowledgeable person, such as the Injury Management/RTW Coordinator, must ensure that no personal information is reviewed by the auditor. In the event that personal information is inadvertently revealed to the auditor in the normal course of their duties, the auditor must treat that information with utmost confidentiality as in all other audit activities.

I. Injury Management / Return-to-Work ProgramsI1. Return-to-Work Policy, Management and Leadership Question GuidelineI1.1 O- If the company IM/RTW policy is conspicuously posted or otherwise made available to workers in physical

or electronic format, award 10 points.

Possible methods may include handouts, manuals or reference materials as well as physical or electronic posting.

D- If the document includes an outline of the intent of the program, award 10 points.

If the document outlines the objectives of the program, award 10 points.I1.2

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D- If there is a written program containing responsibilities for at least the following groups, award 10 points: OHS personnel; Human resources department; Medical professional; WCB case management; Employee assistance program; Employee representation (e.g. union); Senior management representation; and Workers (i.e. potential users of the IM/RTW program).

Depending on the company structure, several responsibilities may be combined into a single person (i.e. senior management, OHS and HR may be covered by an owner). This is acceptable for the purpose of the question. The responsibilities can exist in any company program/policy/procedural document, not necessarily in an IM/RTW-specific document. Examples include but are not limited to JSB’s and job descriptions.

Documenting the responsibilities in a record document such as meeting minutes or a report is not sufficiently significant or directive to be awarded the points.

I- Award up to 10 points based on the % of positive responses of interviewed representatives of groups understanding their responsibilities.





I. Injury Management / Return-to-Work ProgramsI1.3 D- Award up to 5 points based on % of case files showing progress review.

Progress review may include, but is not necessarily limited to: Injured worker contact; Results of medical assessment; Performance on alternate or modified duty program; and Modification of RTW plan.

Award up to 5 points based on % of case files showing outcome review.

Outcome review may include, but is not necessarily limited to: Duration of short and long term injury; WSBC claim cost; and End results of case.

If there are no case files in the scope of the audit, score this question as ‘N/A’ and deduct 10 points from the total.

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D- If there is a process to review case files for opportunities for improvement to the IM/RTW system, award 5 points.

If the process involves multiple groups (see I1.2) in the process, award 5 points.

I- If at least 70% of interviewed group members can describe the review process, award 5 points.

This question is to address opportunities for improvement in the system, rather than in individual cases.

Examples of opportunities for improvement would include but are not limited to items such as: Modifying a form to be sent to a doctor for increased clarity and options ; Changing the default planned contact frequency for absent workers; and Changing the default progress review frequency for workers present at work on an IM plan.

It is a positive finding if the company reviews files for system improvements, but finds no practicable opportunities.

I1.5 D- Award up to 10 points based on % of case files having documentation indicating program review occurred.

I- If at least 70% of group members can describe examples of program improvement based on reviews, award 5 points.

If there are no cases, or no cases resulting in system improvement, score this question as ‘N/A’ and deduct 15 points from the total.

I2. Resources, Education and Training





I. Injury Management / Return-to-Work ProgramsQuestion GuidelineI2.1

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D- If the IM/RTW program or other documentation assigns program coordination duties, award 10 points.

I- If at least 70% of interviewed workers, supervisors, managers are aware of the program coordinator’s duties, award 10 points.

The coordinator may be a committee, a lead or technical member of a committee or an individual. Each site or division may have its own coordinator.

I2.2 D- If records demonstrate appropriate training for the IM/RTW coordinator with respect to their role in the program, award 15 points.

Records may include attending courses, seminars, presentations or formal education.

I- If the IM/RTW coordinator, when interviewed, understands their role in the program and is aware of relevant legislation award 15 points.

The IM/RTW coordinator needs to at least know where to access information on: Human Rights Act; BC Human Rights Code; Workers Compensation Act; Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act; and (PIPA) Personal Information Privacy Act (SBC 2003, Chapter 63).

If the IM/RTW coordinator is a contract agency, review agency publications for evidence and score the interview portion as ‘N/A’.

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D- If policies and procedures for record retention and security exist and they meet legal and regulatory requirements, award 10 points.

I2.4 I- Award up to 10 points based on the % of positive responses of interviewed groups having appropriate knowledge and education on their role in the IM/RTW program, including Stay-At-Work and privacy issues.

Interviewed groups include: Managers; Supervisors; Human resources personnel; OHS personnel; Committee members; and Union representatives.

I3. Stay-at-Work and Return-to-WorkQuestion Guideline





I. Injury Management / Return-to-Work ProgramsI3.1 O- If the overview of steps in the IM/RTW process is conspicuously posted or otherwise made available to

workers in physical or electronic format, award 10 points.

Possible methods may include handouts, manuals or reference materials as well as physical or electronic posting.

D- Award up to 20 points based on the % completeness of the IM/RTW process.

It needs to include a summarized step-by-step instruction for injury management. For example:1. 1st response to injury;2. Worker reporting requirements;3. Medical assessment;4. Contact with worker;5. Employer reporting requirement to WSBC;6. Claims management;7. Identification of available alternate or modified duties; and8. Process to develop IM/RTW plan.

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D- If the documentation indicates that the program applies to ‘Stay-at-Work’ cases, award 15 points.

I- Award up to 10 points based on the % of interviewed supervisors describing how they use Stay-at-Work opportunities to avoid time loss.

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D- If alternate duties are identified in advance, award 10 points.

Alternate duties may include a range of standard opportunities, a list of functionally acceptable restrictions on workers or a statement that alternate duties have been researched and none exist in the company. If no duties are possible, the company needs to justify this conclusion in order to be awarded the points.

I- Award up to 10 points based on the % of supervisors understanding how they can offer or arrange modified or alternate duties to workers in both Stay-at-Work and Return-to-Work situations.

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D- If the company has a procedure for initial and ongoing contact with absent injured workers, including timelines or methods for developing case-specific timelines, award 10 points.

I- Award up to 5 points based on % of interviewed supervisors, IM/RTW coordinator or other contact personnel used in the company system being able to correctly describe the initial and ongoing contact protocol.

I3.5 D- Award up to 5 points based on the % of case files showing initial and ongoing contact being followed.

If there are no case files, score the question as ‘N/A’ and adjust the score accordingly.I3.6 D- If the company has a procedure to develop, approve, monitor and modify IM/RTW case plans, award 10

points. The process must include a mechanism to set and modify plan end-dates.

I- Award up to 10 points based on the % of interviewed IM/RTW Coordinator (and any other company personnel involved in case plan decisions) being able to describe the company process to develop, approve, monitor and modify IM/RTW case plans, including the mechanism for setting and modifying end-dates.





I. Injury Management / Return-to-Work ProgramsI3.7 D- Award up to 10 points based on the % of IM/RTW case files showing proper development, approval,

monitoring and if necessary modification.

If there are no case files, score the question as ‘N/A’ and adjust the score accordingly.I3.8 D- Award up to 5 points based on the % of IM/RTW case files showing a planned progress review date.

Award up to 10 points based on the % of IM/RTW case files showing a planned end date, where such a date can be medically determined or estimated.

If there are no case files, score the question as ‘N/A’ and adjust the score accordingly.

Not all case files can have a planned end date, since some case progressions are not reasonably medically determinable. These cases should be excluded from the sample for the end date portion of the question.

If all case files have end dates that are not able to be medically determined, score the end date portion of the question as ‘N/A’ and adjust the score accordingly.

I3.9 I- Award up to 3 points based on the % of interviewed supervisors able to describe their reporting requirements to authorities. If the company program has supervisors reporting information to other company parties for submission to authorities, also include those other parties in the interview sample.

Award up to 7 points based on % of interviewed workers having correct knowledge of reporting requirements. Reporting requirements must include both the obligation to report an injury and the obligation to report seeking medical aid for a work-related reason.

I3.10 D- Award up to 5 points based on % of reviewed case plans that show a coordinated approach to case management.

A coordinated approach will be shown by an absence of conflicts and a presence of smooth interaction between:

Employee benefit package (medical, extended healthcare plan, employee assistance plan); OHS (incident reporting, training); Claims management; and Stay-at-Work / Return-to-Work program.

If there are no case files, score the question as ‘N/A’ and adjust the score accordingly.I4. CommunicationsQuestion GuidelineI4.1 D- If IM/RTW policies and procedures have been communicated to all employees as evidenced by a

systematic process to provide Injury Management/RTW information to the workforce, award 20 points.

I- Award up to 25 points based on % of interviews at all levels showing awareness of the company IM/RTW program.





I. Injury Management / Return-to-Work ProgramsI4.2 O- Award up to 15 points based on % positive evidence of posting or making information available to

employees.

Promotion materials should be posted at strategic locations throughout the company such as bulletin boards, lunch rooms and circulation of pamphlets. If there is no opportunity to post information for workers, determine if the employer has distributed printed information to workers. The promotion material must convey the benefits of the program rather than just state that the program exists.

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O- If workers are observed to be given IM/RTW materials during orientation, award 20 points.

D- If an orientation session was not observed, award 20 points if IM/RTW materials were included in orientation packages or templates.

Note: This question is an observation OR a documentation question, not both.I4.4

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D- If the company has a process to communicate the existence of the company IM/RTW plan to medical practitioners, award 10 points.

Award up to 10 points based on the completeness of the package, form or template ready to send to medical practitioners with an injured worker.

Examples of documents included in the package are: Description of the company’s IM/RTW program; List of available alternate or modified duties; Company cover letter to medical practitioners; and Physician report template.





Technical Audit ModulesLockoutA company must complete this Module if they own or operate fixed or mobile equipment other than:

office equipment; hand-held tools; vehicles under 6000 kg GVW.

LO. LockoutQuestion GuidelineLO.1

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D- Award up to 16 points based on the % of applicable items from the following list covered in the company program:

1. A definition of all forms of energy on site;2. Lock and key control (e.g., one key per lock) or templates or other rules to ensure uniform identifiable

tags where the company is only required to have a tag-out program; 3. Lock or tag removal process; 4. Training and education requirements; 5. Program coordination and evaluation; 6. Contractor or service provider coordination procedures and requirements, where contractors or

service providers exist;7. Site specific rules (including requirement for test starting); 8. List of equipment and related energy sources; and9. Lockout / tag-out procedures for emergency response activities.

Ref: OHSR 10.2LO.2

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D- Award up to 5 points based on the % of sampled equipment with written lockout procedures that are specific to that type of equipment.

It is not sufficient to have an overall procedure unless that procedure lists specific lockout methods and points for each piece of equipment that requires lockout in the company inventory.

Ref: OHSR 10.1, 10.2 and 10.4LO.3 I- Award up to 5 points based on the % of interviewed workers able to access and understand written lockout

procedures applicable to their work.

Ref: OHSR 10.2 and 10.4





LO. LockoutLO.4 O- Award 9 points if all lockout/tag-out observations are positive. If any lockout violation is observed during

the audit, award zero points. If no lockout or tag-out procedures were observed during the audit, score the observation as ‘N/A’ and deduct 9 points from the available total.

If at least 90% of interviewed workers report always using lockout procedures themselves AND always observing other co-workers, supervisors and contractors using appropriate lockout on company processes, award 5 points.

Ref: OHSR Part 10





Confined SpaceA company must complete this Module if they own or enter Confined Spaces as defined by WSBC OHS Regulation.

CS. Confined SpacesQuestion GuidelineCS.1 D- If the company has performed a survey of the operations within the last year to determine if confined

spaces exist, award 10 points.

If the survey identified confined spaces, the survey must have been performed by a competent person as defined by Reg. 9.11(2). If no spaces were found, the survey may have been performed by any knowledgeable person in the company.

If no spaces were found, score this question as 10 points and score the remaining questions in this module as ‘N/A’.

If the survey was not performed, or was not performed by the appropriate person, award 0 points and the remaining questions in this module MUST be evaluated.

If the company operations historically do not include confined spaces, the annual survey may be an evaluation only of changes to the operation.

If there are no changes to the company operations since the last survey, the annual survey may consist only of a review and report that there are no changes.

Confined spaces often include, but are not limited to: Pressure vessels, tanks and piping; Barge hulls; Bilge and sump areas; and Sewage collection systems.

Ref: OHSR 9.9 Hazard Assessment(1) A hazard assessment must be conducted for each(a) confined space, or each group of confined spaces which share similar characteristics, and(b) work activity, or group of work activities which present similar hazards, to be performed inside a confined space.

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D- If written procedures exist, award 5 points.

If all confined spaces are managed by prohibiting worker entry and referring all necessary entries to trained service providers, this is a positive finding and worth the 5 points.

Ref: OHSR 9.10 ProceduresWritten procedures specifying the means to eliminate or minimize all hazards likely to prevail must be developed, based on the hazard assessment required by section 9.9.





CS. Confined SpacesCS.3 O- If all confined spaces observed are properly signed, award 5 points. If any space is found without a legible

sign, award zero points.

D- If the procedure includes rules and/or templates for signs, award 2 points.

I- Award up to 3 points based on % of positive responses of interviewed workers stating that all confined spaces are marked.

Ref: OHSR 9.12 IdentificationWhen a confined space requires entry by a worker, each point of access which is not secured against entry must be identified by a sign or other effective means which indicates the hazard and prohibits entry by unauthorized workers.

CS.4 D- If all persons entering confined spaces in the last year have appropriate records of training, award 2 points.

It is sufficient to confirm via training summaries, rather than original certificates. Training may be from an external agency or by a competent internal trainer.

If there were no entries in the last year, award 2 points if the company has a roster of trained people.If there were no entries and the company has no roster, score as ‘N/A’

I- Award up to 3 points based on % of positive responses of interviewed workers (or contractors) who enter or are expected to enter confined spaces reporting appropriate training and being able to describe general confined space entry protocols.

If there are no workers who have entered a confined space within the last year and no workers on the roster of trained entry workers, score as ‘N/A’.

Ref: OHSR 9.8 InstructionEach person who is assigned duties or responsibilities related to entry into a confined space must be adequately instructed and trained in(a) the hazards of the space, and(b) the precautions identified in written procedures to properly perform their duties. AND RescueOHSR 9.38 Equipment and training(1) Every person assigned rescue duties must be properly equipped and adequately trained to carry out such duties.





CS. Confined SpacesCS.5 D- If records show a confined space rescue drill OR a site visit by an external response agency in the last

year, award 2 points.

I- Award up to 8 points based on % of positive responses of interviewed confined space rescue personnel confirming a drill in the last year OR on % of interviewed supervisors with confined spaces in their work areas confirming a site visit by external response agency.

A company may satisfy rescue requirements using either their own team, or having an agreement with an external service provider / emergency responder. How this question is evaluated is based on which method the company has selected. If the company uses both methods, evaluate both, scoring each method at half the total for each of documentation and interview.

Ref: OHSR 9.38 Equipment and training(2) A practice drill must be conducted at least annually.(3) Records of training and practice drills must be maintained by the employer of the rescue persons.

CS.6 D- If all personnel charged with atmosphere testing responsibilities are trained, award 2 points.

It is sufficient to confirm via training summaries, rather than original certificates. Training may be from an external agency or by a competent internal trainer.

I- Award up to 3 points based on % of positive responses of interviewed workers with atmospheric testing responsibilities who can confirm training and describe their scope of duties.

Ref: OHSR 9.8 InstructionEach person who is assigned duties or responsibilities related to entry into a confined space must be adequately instructed and trained in(a) the hazards of the space, and(b) the precautions identified in written procedures to properly perform their duties.

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D- If regulation-compliant duties are found in the procedure for the attendant / stand-by person, award 2 points.

I- Award up to 3 points based on the % of positive responses of interviewed confined space attendants / stand-by people able to correctly describe their duties.

It is not necessary for those workers to be able to separate regulatory and company obligations, only that they understand the total process and their duties.

Ref OHSR 9.34 – 9.36





Working at HeightA company must complete this Module if they have workers who are at risk of falling from heights over3m / 10ft or they own or work on sites where falls from over 3m / 10ft are a hazard.

WH. Working at HeightsQuestion GuidelineWH.1

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D- If there is a written program to protect workers while working at height, award 2 points.

A fall protection plan is required to be part of the program where the worker is at risk of a fall over 7.5m / 25ft.

If there are situations where a worker could work at heights over 10ft / 3m but there is no written program, score zero points. The rest of the questions in the Working at Height section MUST be evaluated.

If there are no situations where workers could work at heights over 10ft / 3m score this question and all questions in the Working at Height section as “N/A”

Ref: OHSR 11.2 Obligation to use fall protection(1) Unless elsewhere provided for in this Regulation, an employer must ensure that a fall protection system is used when work is being done at a place(a) from which a fall of 3 m (10 ft) or more may occur, or(b) where a fall from a height of less than 3 m involves a risk of injury greater than the risk of injury from the impact on a flat surface.

OHSR 11.3 Fall protection plan(1) The employer must have a written fall protection plan for a workplace if (a) work is being done at a location where workers are not protected by permanent guardrails, and from which a fall of 7.5 m (25 ft) or more may occur, or(b) section 11.2(5) applies.

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D- If equipment and procedures are identified, award 5 points.

Potential equipment and procedures may include, but are not limited to: Full body harness; Lanyard; Vertical and horizontal life lines; Travel limiting devices; Mobile aerial equipment (scissor lifts, boom lifts, etc.); Limits of approach; and Safety observers and/or check-in.

Ref: OHSR 11.5 Equipment StandardsEquipment used for a fall protection system must: (a) consist of compatible and suitable components,(b) be sufficient to support the fall restraint or arrest forces, and(c) meet, and be used in accordance with, an applicable CSA or ANSI standard in effect when the equipment was manufactured, subject to any modification or upgrading considered necessary by the Board.





WH. Working at HeightsWH.3 D- Award up to 8 points based on the % of workers who are trained out of those who are reasonably

expected to be exposed to the risk.

I- Award up to 5 points based on % of positive responses of interviewed workers who are reasonably expected to be exposed to the risk who are able to describe their training with respect to the applicable topics in WH.2 and any other topics in the company procedure.

Ref: OHSR 11.2 (6) Before a worker is allowed into an area where a risk of falling exists, the employer must ensure that the worker is instructed in the fall protection system for the area and the procedures to be followed.

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D- If the company program contains a regulatory-compliant scaffold permitting system including a requirement for pre-use inspection by the user, award 2 points.

If the company program contains an inspection form, award 1 point.

I- If at least 90% of workers confirm use of a tag system for non-compliant scaffolding AND the practice of only using scaffolds that have passed a pre-use inspection, award 2 points.

If the company does not use scaffolds, score the entire question as ‘N/A’.

Ref: OHSR Part 13, Scaffolds, Ladders and Temporary Work Platforms, 13.13 ResponsibilitiesThe employer must ensure that scaffolds used by workers are in a safe condition and are able to withstand the load, regardless of who erected the scaffold.

WH.5 O- Award up to 10 points based on % observed compliant use and storage of equipment used for working at heights. If any non-compliant situation is found where a worker is at risk above 10ft / 3m, award zero points. If no observations of working at height are made, score as ‘N/A’.

I- Award up to 5 points based on % of interviewed workers able to correctly describe their working at height safety precautions.

Ref: OHSR 11.2 Obligation to Use Fall Protection (7) A worker must use the fall protection system provided by the employer





Hot WorkA company must complete this Module if they have indoor workers who weld, cut, grind or otherwise generate sparks outside of controlled, designated areas, such as a shop or welding booth.

HW. Hot WorkQuestion GuidelineHW.1

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D- If the company has a method to determine necessary regulatory, insurer, fire code and manufacturer requirements, and has used these requirement to create their written hot work procedure, award 5 points.

Ref: CSA Standard W117.2-06, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes, 11.7.1 and 11.7.2 in particular.

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D- If a permit is required, award 5 points.

Ref: CSA Standard W117.2-06, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes.

HW.3 D- If at least 90% of completed hot work permits contain the following: Date and time for the work to be done; A description of the equipment to be worked on; A description of fire suppression equipment required; Identification of potential combustible situations; and Precautions to be taken.

Award 2 points per completed item above. A blank is an incomplete item. An ‘N/A’ is a complete item.

Ref: CSA Standard W117.2-06, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes.HW.4 O- If all hot work requirements are observed to be correctly applied correctly as required, award 10 points. If

any incorrect hot work situation is observed, award zero points. If no hot work situation is observed, score as ‘N/A’.

D- If the procedure includes a requirement for fire watch personnel during and after, the relocation or other protection of combustible materials and precautions against radiant and conductive heat, award 5 points.

Ref: CSA Standard W117.2-94, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes.





Respiratory ProtectionA company must complete this Module if they have workers who use respiratory protection (other than disposable dust masks worn by employees who choose to wear them even when not required by a hazard assessment).

RP. Respiratory ProtectionQuestion GuidelineRP.1

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D- If the written program contains:

A statement of purpose and responsibilities, award 2 points. Written procedures for selection, use, inspection, cleaning, maintenance and storage of protective

equipment, when required, award 5 points. Instruction and training in the correct use and maintenance of the equipment, award 5 points. Medical assessment of respirator wearers, when required, award 2 points. Documentation when required, award 5 points. Program review, award 1 point.

If only disposable dust masks are used on a voluntary basis and are not necessary to protect employees from exposure, mark "N/A" to all questions in the Respiratory Protection module.

Ref: OHSR PPE 8.32 When requiredThe employer must provide appropriate respiratory protective equipment if a worker is or may be exposed to concentrations of an air contaminant in excess of an applicable exposure or excursion limit, or to an oxygen deficient atmosphere.

OHSR Tools, Machinery and Equipment 12.124 Respiratory protectionRespiratory protective equipment must be provided and worn if an effective means of natural, mechanical or local exhaust ventilation is not practicable(a) during short duration welding, burning or similar operations, and(b) during emergency work.

CSA Standard CAN/CSA-Z94.4-02, Selection, Use, and Care of Respirators

RP.2 D- If all fit testers are qualified, award 5 points.

The company must demonstrate what criteria were used to determine qualification of those performing employee fit tests. Evidence of appropriate training for these people is necessary. Review the training records or other qualifications for all persons performing fit testing. If the testers are an external service, review the training standard of the external service. This is typically available in advertizing literature from the testing service.

Ref: OHSR 8.40 Fit Test (2) Fit tests must be performed in accordance with procedures in CSA Standard CAN/CSA-Z94.4-02, Selection, Use, and Care of Respirators which includes the requirement that the persons who conduct fit testing have a minimum level of training.





RP. Respiratory ProtectionRP.3 D- Award up to 10 points based on % of employees that have fully complete fit test records compared to

those that are required to wear respiratory protection.

There must be a record for each employee qualified to wear a respirator, indicating make, model, and size of each respirator that has been successfully fitted to that employee. If necessary for the person and hazard, appropriate medical testing records must also exist.

Ref: OHSR 8.44 RecordsThe employer must maintain a record of(a) fit test results and worker instruction,

RP.4 O- Award up to 10 points based on % observations of correctly used, stored and maintained respirators. If any respirator is observed incorrectly in use, or any person who is reasonably expected to need to wear a respirator is not clean shaven where their respirator fits to their face, award zero points.

Respirators need to be correctly used for the hazard and application, stored when not in use; and maintained, with maintenance records, in the manner specified. Observe the respirators in use and storage for correct use for the application, correct storage to avoid contamination or damage and correct maintenance records on or with the respirators.

Ref: OHSR PPE, Respiratory Equipment 8.44 RecordsThe employer must maintain a record of:(b) maintenance for air supplying respirators, powered air purifying respirators, and for sorbent cartridges and canisters, and (c) maintenance and repairs for each self-contained breathing apparatus and all air cylinders in accordance with the requirements of CSA Standard CAN/CSA-Z94.4-02, Selection, Use, and Care of Respirators





Camps and Remote AccommodationsA company must complete this Module if they own, operate or have workers in accommodations other than a licensed hotel or motel.

RA. Camps and Remote AccommodationsQuestion GuidelineRA.1 O- Award up to 10 points based on % observation of the camp being in a reasonable location.

Location parameters may include but are not limited to: Slope; Groundwater flow; Hazards from above; Wildlife habitats; and Wind/tide (for floating or near-shore camps).

If the company does not operate or use camps or remote accommodations, score this question and module as ‘N/A’. Using a camp provided by a third party, including cases where workers provide tents or trailers or where the accommodation is an unlicensed hotel/motel, is applicable to the scope of this module. Using a licensed hotel or motel is not applicable to the scope of this module.

Ref: BC Reg 427/83 Industrial Camp RegulationsBC Reg 411/85 Sewage Disposal RegulationsBC Reg 230/92 Safe Drinking Water RegulationsBC Reg 210/99 Food Premises Regulations

Silviculture Contract, Camp StandardsRA.2 O- Award up to 10 points based on % observation of camp standards being met.

I- Award up to 5 points based on % of interviewed workers using the camp that confirm standards are routinely met.

Ref: As per RA.1RA.3 O- Award up to 10 points based on the % observed utilities appropriately provided.

I- Award up to 5 points based on the % of interviewed workers using the camp that confirm utilities are routinely appropriately provided.

Ref: As per RA.1





RA. Camps and Remote AccommodationsRA.4 D- Award up to 10 points based on the camp keeping appropriate facility and utility inspection records up to

date.

Records may include, but are not limited to: Water sampling; Fuel levels; Freezer and refrigeration performance; and Fire suppression systems.

Ref: As per RA.1 and OHSR 3.5





Working Near High Voltage Power LinesA company must complete this Module if they have workers who fell or trim trees within 2 tree lengths of the limits of approach of High Voltage Power Lines or who operate equipment that may come within the limits of approach, either in the field or in a fixed facility. High Voltage Power Lines are as defined by OHS Regulation.

PL. Working Near High Voltage Power LinesQuestion GuidelinePL.1

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D- If the company has a written process for planning work near power lines, award 5 points.

If at least 90% of completed records support site inspection and communication with the operator of the power line system, award a further 5 points.

If the company does not work near power lines, score this question and this module as ‘N/A’.

Ref: OHSR 19.29, 19.30, 19.31PL.2 O- If all site observations are in compliance for limits of approach, including necessary precautions for

working within those limits award 10 points. If any non-compliance is observed, award zero points. If observations do not include working near power lines, score the observation as ‘N/A’.

D- Award up to 5 points based on % of completed pre-works including correct minimum approach distance information and procedures to follow when inside that distance.

I- If at least 95% of workers can correctly identify the minimum approach distance for the current job, award 5 points. If the current job does not include working near power lines, the workers will need to correctly describe the last job to be awarded points.

REF: OHSR 19.24 Minimum ClearancesPL.3 D- If appropriate training documentation is on file for all workers who may be assigned to work near power

lines, award 5 points.

I- Award up to 5 points based on % of interviewed workers able to correctly describe their training with respect to working near power lines.

Ref: WCA S 115 Employer(e) provide to the employer's workers the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure the health and safety of those workers in carrying out their work and to ensure the health and safety of other workers at the workplace,Tree Pruning and Falling near Energized Conductors19.27 Specially Trained19.32 Qualifications





PL. Working Near High Voltage Power LinesPL.4 O- If there are any observations of non-compliant use of insulated tools, award zero points. Otherwise, award

5 points. Non-compliance includes the use of a non-approved tool or a tool with out-of-date test information.

D- Award up to 5 points based on % of correctly completed testing records, performed at the required frequency by a competent person.

I- Award up to 5 points based on the % of interviewed relevant workers able to correctly describe the use, storage, maintenance and testing of the approved insulated tools.

If the company activities do not require the use of insulated tools, score both the observation and interview portions of the question as ‘Not applicable’ and adjust scoring accordingly.

Ref: OHSR 19.35PL.5 O- If an appropriately trained rescue person is observed to be available, award 5 points.

I- If the interviewed identified rescue person(s) can correctly confirm their training and assigned duties with respect to rescue, award 5 points.

Ref: OHSR 4.13, 19.33(b)





Combustible DustsA company must complete this Module if they or a regulatory or insurance agency has determined a risk of combustible dusts exists in their processes.

CD. Combustible DustsQuestion GuidelineCD.1 O- If observations reveal less than ½” dust accumulation on surfaces, award 5 points.

D- Award up to 5 points based on the % of completed inspection reports including dust accumulation information in relevant areas.

I- If at least 70% of interviewed workers report that dust accumulation is not permitted above the specified level before cleaning is required, award 5 points.

Ref: NFPACD.2 O- If observations reveal that all high risk areas are identified and entry to those areas is restricted by

signage or other markings, award 5 points. If any area is found without a legible identifier, award zero points.

D- Award up to 5 points based on the % completeness of the company inventory of high risk areas.

I- If at least 90% of workers in or near high risk areas can identify the boundaries of the high risk areas, award 5 points.

Ref: NFPACD.3 O- If isolation, grounding, bonding and/or mechanical protection of electrical devices is always observed to be

present in areas where combustible dusts may be present, award 5 points. If any non-protected situation is observed, award zero points.

D- Award up to 5 points based on the % of safe work procedures for tasks in or near areas where combustible dusts may be present that contain appropriate methods to control ignition sources.

I- If at least 90% of workers in or near areas where combustible dusts may be present can correctly described their safe work procedures for controlling ignition, award 5 points.

Grounding includes, but is not limited to the use of the ground pin on connectors, GFCI, power bars and ‘double square’ on powered hand tools and intrinsically safe electrical devices.

Ref: NFPA





CD. Combustible DustsCD.4 D- Award up to 5 points based on the % of machine procedures that correctly sequence start-up and shut

down of the dust producing and dust controlling equipment.

Dust control equipment must be started before dust producing equipment and be shut down after the dust producing equipment is stopped.

I- If at least 95% of workers working with dust producing equipment can correctly describe the above sequence and its specific application to their task(s), award 5 points.

Ref: NFPA, OHSR 5.71 (3)





Chemicals and AsbestosA company must complete this Module if they have chemicals, asbestos or other materials listed in parts 5 and 6 of the OHS Regulation for which an exposure control plan is required. Examples include but are not limited to most pesticides, asbestos, lead, certain solvents and blood-bourne pathogens.

CH. Chemicals and AsbestosQuestion GuidelineCH.1

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D- If control plans exist for all required substances and demonstrate the correct hierarchy of control, award 10 points. If the company has no substances requiring a control plan, score this question and all questions in this module as ‘N/A’.

Ref: Chemical Agents and Biological Agents - Definitions, Designation as Hazardous Substances, and General Information Requirement, 5.2 General information requirement.

OHSR Part 6 Substance Specific Requirements, Asbestos 6.3 Exposure control plan(1) If a worker is or may be exposed to potentially harmful levels of asbestos, the employer must develop and implement an exposure control plan meeting the requirements of section 5.54. See also Section 5.54 Types of Controls

CH.2 O- Award up to 5 points based on % observations of appropriately located and properly functioning eye and body wash facilities and supplies within the required distances.

D- Award up to 5 points based on the % of ERP’s that correctly prescribe plans for personnel and environmental contamination, based on the chemicals present.

Ref: 5.54 Exposure control plan(2) The exposure control plan must incorporate the following elements:(d) written work procedures, when required;(e) hygiene facilities and decontamination procedures, when required;

CH.3 D- Award up to 5 points based on the % of workers in the last year being monitored for each necessary health parameter compared to exposed workers. It is not necessary to examine actual health records. If possible, examine summaries instead in order to avoid learning confidential medical information.

I- Award up to 5 points based on % of health parameters described by the person(s) in the company coordinating monitoring compared to the necessary parameters.

If health monitoring is not required by regulation or company policy, score this question as ‘Not Applicable’ and adjust the score accordingly.

Ref: 5.54 Exposure control plan(2) The exposure control plan must incorporate the following elements:(f) health monitoring, when required;



http://www2.worksafebc.com/Publications/OHSRegulation/Part5.asp#SectionNumber:5.54



CH. Chemicals and AsbestosCH.4 D- Award up to 10 points based on the % correctness of the chemical inventory as written compared to a

sampling of product containers found in the company.

Ref: Emergency Procedures, 5.98 Inventory(1) An inventory must be maintained which identifies all hazardous substances at the workplace in quantities that may endanger workers in an emergency including controlled products covered by WHMIS, explosives, pesticides, radioactive materials, hazardous wastes, and consumer products.

CH.5 D- If the company can demonstrate communicating the chemical hazard to external emergency responders, award 10 points. If the company can demonstrate offering to communicate and the offer being declined by emergency responders, this is also sufficient. If there are no external emergency responders relevant to the company operations, the company must demonstrate that coordinators of the internal emergency responders are aware of the chemical hazard inventory.

Ref: Emergency Procedures 5.100 Procedures for evacuation(1) Written evacuation procedures appropriate to the risk must be developed and implemented to(d) notify the fire department or other emergency responders, and(2) Notification of the public must be in conformity with the requirements of other jurisdictions, including provincial and municipal agencies.





Manual Tree FallingA company must complete this Module if they have workers or contractors manually falling trees over 6” in diameter at breast height.

Contractors include both dependant and non-dependent contractors working for the company.

Activities include but are not limited to production falling, right-of-way falling and occasional snag, oversize and danger tree falling.

MF. Manual Tree FallingQuestion GuidelineMF.1 D- If the company can demonstrate that the supervisor is qualified to supervise manual tree falling, award 10

points.

I- Award up to 5 points based on % of qualified supervisor describing how they have appropriate duties and sufficient time to allow a proper scope of supervision.

Ref: OHSR 26.22.1 Falling supervisors for forestry operations(1) A qualified supervisor must be designated for all falling and associated bucking activities in a forestry operation.

MF.2 D- If all fallers are currently qualified by any standard accepted by Regulation to a level appropriate for the site, award 10 points. All Faller Cards for current company and contract fallers must be current and of an appropriate rating.

Ref: OHSR 26.22 Forestry operation faller training (1) A worker may not work as a faller in a forestry operation unless the worker receives training for falling that is acceptable to the Board and is certified in writing as a competent faller under this section.

MF.3 D- If there is a falling plan signed by all parties, award 10 points. The falling plan may be a separate plan or fall within a general pre-work, depending on the scope of falling within the company operations. Production falling requires a more rigorous plan than occasional snag falling. The plan must be up to date with any amendments caused by changing circumstances. A Notice of Project must be available.

Ref: OHSR 26.23 Procedures for falling and bucking(2) Fallers and buckers associated with falling activities must be provided with and follow written safe work practices acceptable to the Board for the type of work activity they perform, including procedures for the following…

MF.4 D- If there is a block hazard assessment signed off by all parties, award 10 points. If the company (or its contractors or sub-contractors etc.) is not engaged in production falling of blocks, score this question as ‘N/A’.

Ref: 26.2 Planning and conducting a forestry operation





MF. Manual Tree FallingMF.5 O- If there is observed to be a method available for managing danger trees, award 5 points. If the available

method includes danger tree blasting, the observation must include valid certification for the blaster to be awarded points.

D- If the method appears correctly on the pre-work documentation, award 10 points.

Ref: OHSR 26.26 Falling dangerous treesMF.6 D- If the supervisor has correctly determined that all fallers on site are appropriately qualified using any tool

accepted by Regulation, award 10 points. If any company or contract faller is undertaking work for which they are not qualified, award zero points.

Ref: OHSR 26.21 Faller qualifications





DefinitionsWord or Phrase DefinitionAdministrative Controls

Procedures and methods established by an employer or sector that significantly reduce exposure to risk factors by altering the way in which work is performed. Examples include employee rotation, adjustment of work pace, training requirements and certification of specific jobs.

Alternate Duties Duties assigned to the worker who is able to return to pre-injury/illness job site but not the former job. Worker may act as a helper for another job or can perform work that is specifically reserved for injured workers. The objective is to keep the worker at the job site, possibly while receiving treatment at the same time.

Audit A review of systems and processes within the program to determine how the program is working against the stated intentions.

Break Point The percentage the auditor must ensure is completed or found in order to award points during the audit process.

Close Call An incident where, under slightly different circumstances, injury to people, damage to equipment or harm to the environment could have occurred. The level of investigation on close calls should be based on a realistic perception of what the consequences may have been if contact had been made.

Competent Properly qualified, suitably trained and with sufficient experience to perform the required task with limited supervision.

Contractor A company or person engaged in providing work with or on behalf of another company for the purpose of compensation under terms specified in an agreement (see dependent contractor).

For the purposes of this audit, service providers (see definition) are excluded from the scope of contractor.

COR Certification of Recognition, a program owned by WorkSafeBC.Corrective Action Log Known as a CAL, this document is a compiled list of identified deficiencies. In detail, it lists

the deficiency, the corrective action required to fix it, the person responsible for the corrective action and the deadline date.

CP Acronym for “Certifying Partner” (WSBC terminology). In the BC forest sector, this is the BC Forest Safety Council.

Dependent Contractor In the context of this document (and not in the legal meaning), a dependent contractor is a business entity that conducts 100% of its work for only one company on a continual basis. Its workers are treated “same as employees” concerning the parent company’s health and safety program. Dependent contractors can be included in the company’s numbers for determining the appropriate audit instrument. Some companies may choose to require their dependent contractors obtain their own SAFE Companies certification.

Due Diligence Due diligence refers to the level of judgment, care, prudence, determination and activity required to take all reasonable precautions to prevent injuries or incidents in the workplace.

Education A process by which knowledge (theory) is conveyed.





Word or Phrase DefinitionEffective Within the context of this audit document, the word “effective” means producing or capable

of producing an intended result or having the intended effect.End Date The date at which the Return-to-Work (RTW) accommodation is planned to end and the

worker will return to regular duties.Engineering Controls Physical changes to jobs that control exposure to risk. Engineering controls act on the

source of the hazard and control employee exposure to the hazard without relying on the employee to take self-protective action or intervention. Examples include changing the handle angle of a tool, using a lighter weight part and installing a muffler onto a noisy engine.

Graduated Return-to-Work

Work arrangement under which the worker is gradually progressed to the full regular pre-injury work over a specified period of time. Work may be graduated with respect to modified working hours and/or alternate duties. It is important to ensure that all Return-to-Work plans have a specified end date.

Hazard Source, situation or act with a potential for harm in terms of injury or ill health or a combination of these.

Incident An undesired event that results (or could have resulted) in physical harm to a person, damage to equipment, property, the environment or a loss of production (also see close call).

Injury Management / Return-to-Work Coordinator

An employee, or 3rd party provider, assigned the responsibility of overseeing the Injury Management/RTW Program. (Actual job titles will vary depending on the company.)

Injury Management/ RTW Program

A detailed planned process to manage the impact of work-related injury/illness.

Inspection The careful examination of workers, equipment, property, materials or the environment conducted to compare the findings against the required standard(s).

Investigation Form Any sector-recognized form for reporting the findings of an incident investigation which meets the minimum standard as required by WSBC.

JOHSC Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee.JSA A Job Safety Analysis is a process used to identify, analyze and record the steps involved

in performing specific jobs, the existing or potential safety and health hazards associated with each step, and the recommended action(s)/procedure(s) that will eliminate or reduce the hazards and risks of a workplace injury or illness.

JSB Job Safety Breakdown is a stand-alone document which details the safety aspect of a worker’s job. JSB’s should include a worker’s hazards, risks and applicable controls.

Loss A loss is defined as physical injury, equipment damage, harm to the environment; loss of money, contracts, or a company’s reputation; loss of processes and systems.

LTI Loss of Time Incident occurs when the worker is unable to return to their normal duties at the next scheduled shift due to injury.

Modified Duties Duties assigned to injured workers when they return to their own jobs with changes to specific duties or method of how those duties are to be performed, e.g. only lift to a specific height or up to a specific weight, or additional equipment is provided, such as footstool or ladder, or only perform specific parts of the regular duties.

Non-dependent contractor

A contractor that is not a dependent contractor. See definitions for Contractor and Dependent Contractor.

OHS Occupational Health and Safety.This publication is the property of the BC Forest Safety Council. Reproduction in any form by any means, in whole or in part, or use of this publication for other than its intended purposes is prohibited.




Word or Phrase DefinitionOJT On the Job Training is formal training at the jobsite that is undertaken by a worker to

upgrade their skills or knowledge while still performing some of the required tasks of the job. In some cases, this can be part of an apprentice program.

Operational Controls Methods put in place on a worksite or within a work process to establish how or when a task is performed to ensure that it is completed in a manner consistent with good work practices.

PPE Personal Protective Equipment, which includes high visibility vests, safety glasses, chainsaw pants, hard hats, hearing protection, gloves, proper footwear, etc.

Policy A senior management statement which guides the program’s administration processes, reflects management’s attitudes and commitment, and defines the authority and respective relationships required to accomplish the company’s goals and objectives.

Pre-Work Documentation

Any documentation which is completed as part of a hazard identification program and is used to advise workers on hazards, risks, controls and plans for the site. In most cases, it is a combination document which may also include operational specific data for the worksite.

Procedure An established and defined method of performing a work task.Qualified Individual An individual who is knowledgeable regarding the formal standards and requirements to

conduct a task and is sufficiently capable and experienced to make proper judgments about the task when required.

Return-to-Work Plan An individualized, planned process to manage the impact of a worker’s injury/illness. It is important to ensure that all Return-to-Work plans have a specified end date.

Risk The combination of the likelihood of an occurrence of a hazardous event or exposure(s) and the severity of or ill health that can be caused by the event or exposure(s).

Senior Operations Manager

An individual who, by occupation, is the head of an operation or worksite and controls finances, operations and other vital areas of a company’s activities.

Service Provider A type of contractor that is excluded from the audit definition of contractor. Service providers provide auxiliary services to the company and are not part of the core woodlands or manufacturing activities. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Mobile fuel delivery services; Vending machine providers; Contract accounting services; and Sewage or pit clean-out services.

Significant Incident Any incident where there is a change to processes, conditions or operations because of a developed situation which requires supervisory or management personnel intervention to control the situation. This can include personal injury, environmental spills, equipment damage or situations which would normally cause the company to contact an external agency (such as WSBC, etc.).

Stay-at-Work An early intervention process that provides modified or alternate duties to an injured worker before time loss occurs.

Standard The defined measure of effective performance.SWP Safe Work Procedure.Supervisor An individual who is tasked with the command and control of another individual or

individuals and directs the work of these people. A supervisor can also be an individual who controls the work aspects of a contractor or sub-contractor. In the context of this audit document, a supervisor could also be identified as woods foreman, charge hand, etc.





Word or Phrase DefinitionTraining A process by which a skill is developed.Worker A worker in this document specifically means an individual engaged as an employee by the

company to conduct work on its behalf. This also includes “dependent contractors” (see definition in this document).

WSBC WorkSafeBC

