May 1, 2015 – BC Safety Authority (BCSA) released its 2014 State of Safety Report, which also includes information on as-found hazards—conditions observed by BCSA officers during physical assessments “where intrinsic hazards are not suitably controlled”.

“All the information in this report comes right from industry and from public reporting. It’s your information, and so we encourage you to use it to make decisions that fit the risk—whether you are working or recreating around regulated technical equipment,” said Catherine Roome, BCSA president & CEO.

The report is an overview of BCSA’s activities and information analysis, including data on installation and operating assessments, incident investigations, as well as research and enforcement activities.

In addition to summarizing information on installation and operating permits, physical assessments and incident investigations, the 2014 report also highlights longer-term trends on specific types of incidents (e.g. uncontrolled refrigerant ammonia releases, carbon monoxide leaks).

Summary of 2014 statistics:

• New installation permits – 94,850
• Operating permits – 92,609
• Physical assessments – 34,208
• New licences – 692
• New certificates of qualification – 2387
• Enforcement actions taken – 69
• Safety orders – 2
• Directives – 13
• Information bulletins – 10

BCSA is an “independent, self-funded organization mandated to oversee the safe installation and operation of technical systems and equipment”. In addition to issuing permits, licences and certificates, it works “with industry to reduce safety risks through assessment, education and outreach, enforcement and research”.