VBF-The State of Safety – Jul 7, 2022
Kate Baillie – Technical Safety in an uncertain world
On today’s Virtual Breakfast Forum, members heard a presentation from Kate Baillie of Technical Safety BC, entitled “Technical Safety in an Uncertain World”.
Kate shared that each of us interact with the systems Technical Safety BC is concerned with on a daily basis, such as electrical equipment, natural gas and propane appliances, elevators, escalators and railways to name a few. Safety is a shared responsibility. We rely on people with different skills within the safety system to help keep people safe.
Every year, Technical Safety BC publishes a report that provides key stats on incidents. Proper maintenance, inspection and log books are really important. When safety systems are built, they are built within a context of a site. The site around the safety system might change, which could make the system itself more dangerous.
Preparation matters – how you come back from disasters is directly related to how you prepare for them. Never assume you’re immune to these disasters. Build a safety plan, and before you reenergize anything (gas/electrical/boilers) have someone skilled to look at them to ensure their integrity. Incidents result in a lot more downtime if you wait to repair something, causing the company more money.
Wear and tear should be addressed in a proactive manner. Over time, larger systems that surround technical systems can undergo changes or alterations that make the technical system itself unsafe.
The safety system is vulnerable to pressures that influence other kinds of business decision making. Skilled, knowledgeable people are at the heart of safety minded decision making. It’s people that make decisions about technical equipment that cause harm. It’s having the right people in the right positions that can make the difference.
The presentation slide deck can be downloaded here.
The presentation was recorded for members to review at a later date.
A reminder of future events:
Oct. 6th, our annual Round Table takes place.
