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.

B. C. workers missed 3 million days of work in 2022 due to work-related incidents and disease, and 181 British Columbians lost their lives to workplace injury or illness. 

Designing an effective safety program is the responsible thing to do for your employees and your business—an essential 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: Impacting recruiting, retention, and morale
  • Your financial performance: Improving productivity, reducing sick time, shrinking WorkSafeBC premiums, and eliminating penalties
  • Your reputation: Driving your brand profile and competitive advantage

That’s where the Manufacturing Safety Alliance comes in.

The not-for-profit health and safety association for manufacturing and food processing companies across British Columbia, the Alliance provides free health and safety advice and support, some free education, and low member rates on a range of fee-based training and specialized services.

Industry funded, the Alliance supports more than 3,000 BC manufacturers and food processors today with services and training, in 47 industries—from machine shops to wineries, trailer manufacturers to meat processing plants. 

If you work in one of these industries, you may already be a member—and each year, more companies and industries join the Alliance—your single source and partner for health and safety advice, services, and training.

The Alliance is also the WorkSafeBC Certifying Partner for COR in the manufacturing sector, supporting companies to achieve the Occupational Safety Standard of Excellence.

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 launched a specialized 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.

2020: Launched a webinar series and introduced Make It Safe Online, partnering with more than 20 international organizations to host a flagship health and safety event at the height of the pandemic. 

2021: Partnered with provincial health authorities to support priority COVID-19 vaccination of frontline manufacturing and food processing workers. Published the OHS Competency Framework, the result of multiple years of research and consultation with government, industry, and academic stakeholders.

2023: Expanded our Make It Safe Conference series to the Okanagan, hosting two in-person and one online conference for members and a growing audience beyond our B.C. manufacturing membership. Published new online tools to support OHS professionals and employers in defining health and safety skills requirements and professional development paths. Developed new workplace mental health training, coaching, and consultation services to support the growing need among our member companies.

2024: Expanded the Make It Safe Conference series again with a third in-person event on Vancouver Island and a workshop day in Prince George to provide more health and safety training and support around the province. Published an updated OHS Competency Framework and Profile.