Health and Safety Program
The British Columbia Conservation Foundation is committed to the health, safety and well-being of our workers. Our comprehensive Health and Safety Program operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and uses the latest technology to keep in touch with geographically dispersed field staff working in isolated and remote locations. The Program includes policies, procedures, safe work practices, and innovative in-person and online training. It is upheld by regular safety meetings, workplace inspections, and ongoing supervision and support.
We integrate health and safety into all work activities and provide every employee with the training, equipment and supervision necessary to perform work safely. We expect our employees to fulfil their health and safety responsibilities and actively contribute to a safe work environment.
We continually monitor the effectiveness of our safety procedures and strive to enhance our safety offerings to give employees quality assurance and peace of mind that safety remains our highest priority.
Resources
The Health and Safety website contains documents, templates, training tools and videos designed to support employees' physical and psychological health and safety.
Newsletters and other communications provide accurate, up-to-date safety information and reminders.
The health and safety manual outlines our Health and Safety Program. Click the link to receive a comprehensive overview of worker rights and responsibilities, safety policies and requirements. BC Conservation Foundation employees should review the manual and abide by all policies and procedures.
Project Safety Assessment Templates
The BC Conservation Foundation utilizes Project Safety Assessments (PSAs) to proactively keep workers safe. PSAs provide a standardized process to identify foreseeable hazards in the workplace and assess risk. Once a hazard has been identified and evaluated, appropriate control measures are implemented to eliminate or minimize the risk of worker injury or illness.
Written safety instructions provide guidance on performing work tasks safely while adhering to applicable legislation and industry best practices.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Guides
Employees use effective Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when workplace hazards cannot be eliminated. Personal Protective Equipment Guides provide direction on the selection, use, maintenance and limitations of PPE.
We offer a variety of flexible online courses, including a Safety Orientation, Wildlife Safety and Awareness, WHMIS 2015 and Bullying and Harassment. Other Training and Education resources include on-the-job training records, satellite equipment manuals and SafetyLine Lone Worker instructional guides.
Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (JOHSC) Meeting Minutes
The Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (JOHSC) meets monthly to collaboratively identify and resolve health and safety issues to ensure the continued effectiveness of the Health and Safety Program.
Emergency Preparedness Templates
Emergency Response Plan (ERP) templates provide a standardized method for handling emergencies in the field or office.
Workplace Violence, Bullying and Harassment Reporting Templates
We do not condone or tolerate workplace violence or bullying and harassment of any kind. Employees are encouraged to report incidents of workplace violence or bullying and harassment to their Project Coordinator using our reporting templates. Complaints are treated seriously, fairly and confidentially.
Bear spray is an effective non-lethal deterrent to stop aggressive encounters with bears and other wildlife predators. The Bear Spray Use video provides a short, 8-minute overview on safely transporting, storing, and deploying bear spray.
Learn about cold water immersion and the lifesaving 1-10-1 principle. This video is recommended for anyone working on or around water in Canada.
Staying Safe in Bear Country Video
Learn about bear behaviour to minimize the chance of encounters, conflicts and attacks. All fieldwork staff should view this video.