Safety is Responsible Business
Any business operator would be devastated to have a worker seriously injured or killed on the job. To break the news to the worker’s family. To face the damage to their company’s reputation.
Injury rates are trending down in the manufacturing sector, but more than 400 injuries still happened in BC workplaces in 2017.
Designing an effective safety program is the responsible thing to do for your employees and your business. It’s a basic building block for sustainability. With today’s aging workforce and low unemployment, your investment in safety management is a critical factor in:
Your workplace culture:Â Impacting recruiting, retention, and morale
Your financials:Â Improving productivity, reducing sick time, cutting WorkSafeBC premiums and eliminating penalties
Your reputation:Â Driving your brand profile and competitive advantage
That’s where the Manufacturing Safety Alliance comes in.
Milestones in Our Journey
2007: Founded by CEO Lisa McGuire as the BC Food Processors Health and Safety Council, the organization’s mandate was to foster a higher level of health and safety within 21 WorkSafeBC classification units in the food processing sector (approximately 1,100 member companies).
2008: The association began to administer the Certificate of Recognition (COR) program for these food processors. The first three participants achieved COR certification through the association in 2009.
2010: The organization grew to 10 employees.
2011: Convened a full-day conference of key leaders in the food and beverage processing and manufacturing industry that resulted in the creation of the BC Safety Charter—an industry-driven strategy where CEOs and senior executives sign a public commitment to create an effective and sustainable workplace culture.
2012: The association released its own COR program for manufacturing, the Occupational Safety Standard of Excellence, expanding the industry-specific elements in its audit tool.
2013: With support from WorkSafeBC and the BC Division of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, the organization added 18 manufacturing classification units to its membership and changed its name to the Food Industry Occupational Association – Manufacturing Industry Occupational Safety Alliance of BC (FIOSA-MIOSA).
2015: Revised the organization’s Vision and Mission.
2016: Rebranded as the Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC and moved both our Chilliwack headquarters and Okanagan satellite office to accommodate continuing growth. Completed a Sector Labour Market Study, part of a multi-year government-and-industry partnership, identifying OHS-related issues in the manufacturing sector.
2017: Completed a research report, analyzing the status of OHS professionals within the manufacturing sector, Phase 2 in the Sector Labour Market Program.
2018: Created a new, integrated management team and expanded our team to 30. Completed Phase 3 of the Sector Labour Market Program, publishing an industry-validated strategy and sustainability plan for the OHS profession in the BC manufacturing industry, with potential implications for the profession in BC and Canada.