British Columbia Safety Council

The British Columbia Safety Council is a provincial, non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to safety, helping business and individuals prevent injury through safety education and awareness throughout British Columbia.

=Mission= The British Columbia Safety Council's mission is to assist the Province's citizens in preventing injuries arising from work, travel, home or leisure activities. It will be realized through safety education and training which makes safety a priority for all, and through our advocacy efforts for effective policy and regulation.

=History= In December of 1945, the B.C. Safety Council was established and also incorporated under the Society Act of British Columbia. Originally focused on war production, the Council was seriously involved in traffic safety issues by the early 1950’s. While ‘Leave it to Beaver’ was enjoying popularity on television, the Council was introducing the Defensive Driving Program to B.C. Surprisingly, back then; fatalities from road accidents were twice what they are today, so driver education became an urgent and top priority for British Columbia citizens. Licensing and monitoring of new drivers was not taken as seriously as it is today, and drinking and driving was not yet recognized as the social epidemic it later became. In the workplace, serious trauma injuries were almost commonplace, stress was thought to be just a part of the job and repetitive strain injuries hadn’t been defined yet in the popular jargon.

In the 60's the 'baby boomer' generation was just being unleashed on an unsuspecting world and satellites were the initial precursors for Man's landing on the Moon in 1969. The BC Safety Council, however, was concerned with more 'down-to-earth' issues such as the arduous task of convincing government and the public alike that seat belt and motorcycle helmet laws were necessary in order to ensure public safety. During this same period, the Council's Underwater Section provided training for fledgling scuba divers and continued to do so until the industry developed and instituted its own specialized training programs.

The Safety Council opened the Professional Driver Center in 1971, at the unused Boundary Bay Airport in Delta. Their Class 1-3, Air Brake Courses and Motorcycle Rider Training Program provided professional, hands-on training to novice operators of these vehicles. Believe it or not, in those days professional driver training was an innovation.

Meanwhile, the Council's Industrial Section soldiered on, providing an extensive array of programs for supervisors, safety committees and managers. In the 90’s they moved into construction safety training in a big way with the Safety Officer and Trade Safety Coordinator programs which were developed from scratch. The Blasting Course, which helped miners learn to properly prepare for blasting operations, was a new and very significant part of this training.

BCSC's reputation for innovative, effective training has been hard-won as they evolved their programs to meet the needs of a changing environment. Far from smooth sailing, though, the Council certainly had its ups and downs over the years. In its first 50 years they enjoyed public funding support via grants from the provincial government and the WCB, but all of that ended in 1995. Like many other not-for-profit groups, they faced a significant funding crisis that year, one that generated a fundamental change in their game plan. When half of your budget disappears, it's time to get creative if you want to survive! With no shareholders to inject capital into the organization, they became solely reliant on income from memberships and tuitions, making self-sufficiency essential. At the same time, the business world was now placing a new emphasis on marketing, sales and customer service, issues which became critical for their continued survival.

Council staffing levels, which had peaked at 24 in the early 80’s, went from 19 to 9 almost overnight, and programs that weren’t monetarily self-sustaining, were chopped if they couldn’t be quickly reformed. Their non-fee community safety efforts had to be suspended or drastically cut back. Despite the fact that the Council is a registered charity, they had to begin thinking like any other business – evolve or die.

They chose to evolve! Today, the British Columbia Safety Council is a strong, effective and efficient organization. They function with a highly skilled but relatively small core staff; with the delivery of programs placed mainly in the hands of experienced and knowledgeable contract and part-time instructors. As a result, they have raised the bar and set the example for other organizations within B.C., offering one of the broadest ranges of education and training programs in occupational, traffic and community safety. The Council offers training to its members and clients anywhere in B.C., 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

=Training and Education=

The BC Safety Council offers courses for motorcycle riding skills (performance management, hazard awareness and avoidance, maneuvering skills,etc.), occupational safety programs, driver education (air brake training, defensive driving, etc.), instructor training (WHMIS, Traffic Control, etc.), community safety & awareness {mature driver evaluation, swimming, etc.), and forklift operator certification. They also offer awards for recognition of safety, used to promote awareness and encourage morale.  Some of the awards include awards of merit and awards of honour and distinction.

=Footnotes=

=External links=
 * BC Safety Council Website
 * Gearing Up
 * Canada Safety Council Website
 * WorkSafeBC (formerly Workers Compensation Board of BC)
 * Transport Canada Website