Port McNeill, B.C. Fall 2020 - Lemare achieved another year of SAFE Certification from the BC Forest Safety Council this fall. This marks almost twenty years of SAFE Certification, and is a reflection of our focus on safety as our foremost priority for workers on the job.
"The BC Forest Safety Council is the Health and Safety Association for BC's forestry industry. Our vision is to see every forestry worker goes home safe - every day."
The BCFSC was created in September 2004 as a not-for-profit society dedicated to the health and safety of forest workers. The creation of the BCFSC, and its initial focus and tasks, were set out by the Forest Safety Task Force* from a 2004 report which outlined a comprehensive strategy to improve safety in the BC forest sector.
The values, beliefs and commitments that form the basis of the BCFSC and its work are set out in the Forest Safety Accord and are summarized by governance, funding and departments in the BCFSC Backgrounder.
Becoming SAFE Certified:
Forestry workers and/or employers in the BC forest or forest product sectors are eligible to become SAFE certified. It takes commitment, training and a sound safety management system to achieve a successful audit and become SAFE Certified.
There are three steps to become SAFE Certified the standard way:
Register to become SAFE Certified
Train or engage an auditor
Individual Owner Operators (IOO) - Train a permanent employee/owner (form, fee & training)
Small employers - Train a permanent employee/owner (form, fee & training)
Large employers - Hire a BASE external auditor
Complete a Certification Audit (Safety Management System assessment)
SAFE Certification Three-year Cycle:
Once you are successfully certified, your company will:
Receive a SAFE certification number
Listed as a SAFE Certified Company.
Receive audit results, a Corrective Action Log (CAL) and a timeline for your next audit.
SAFE certification is maintained as long as you continue to submit successful audits annually. See Maintain SAFE Certification.
Maintaining SAFE Certification:
Companies are required to submit audits in 2021 to meet their SAFE and COR program requirements.
The audit needs to cover the 12 months prior to the audit date.
Have Questions? Contact Us
As COVID-19 challenges continue, we are committed to working with you to navigate these uncertain times and provide guidance on your safety management system and audit requirements.
Annual Audit Submission SAFE and COR Certification require an annual audit by a qualified auditor. Within the three-year cycle, companies must submit an audit each calendar year on their certification anniversary date to maintain SAFE Certification.
Audits are required EVERY year. Your audit is due on your certification expiry anniversary date. However, there is more flexibility in maintenance years. You can delay until June 30th or December 31st, whichever comes first, without loss of SAFE Certification. For example, a company certifying March 10, 2020 is due to submit a maintenance audit March 10, 2021 for the previous 12 months. The audit will include records from March 2020 to February 2021.
To avoid a lapse in certification, re-certification audits must be submitted before the SAFE certification expiry date.
Re-certification and maintenance audits use the same form as the certification audit. If your company has grown since the last audit, you may need to upgrade your SAFE Companies registration and program requirements. This may require additional training. Please contact us before starting your next audit if there has been a change in any of the following: company size, name, ownership, auditor, business activities, WorkSafeBC account or classification(s) or other information affecting your account. For additional information, see the Terms and Conditions for maintaining SAFE.
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