Greetings to all certificants.
Despite the impact of COVID-19 the Board of Governors continues to be busy and making progress with the strategic plan. All meetings and discussions are being done virtually. We are making progress in the areas of advocacy, accreditation of educational institutions, the development of the “national framework”, and the item bank development for questions that reflect the latest CRSP & CRST Examination Blueprints.
During the pandemic Safety Professionals have taken a leadership role. This was reflected in the panel sessions held in conjunction with the Canada’s Safest Employer awards. Repeatedly we heard panelists from leading employers describe how their leadership is driving their organization with safety in the lead. Robert Palmer of Air Canada noted: “Organizations depend on safety professionals for their financial survival”. Erin Oliver, CRSP, and winner of this year’s Safety Leader of the Year award, discussed how “Safety” is the most commonly used word in the media today.
If you have a story to share regarding your role as a CRSP/CRST in providing leadership to your respective organization, please forward those stories to staylor@bcrsp.ca. We hope to use these stories as evidence of the value of the safety profession in our discussions with stakeholders. BCRSP will only make use of information that is approved and authorized by your organization.
It is interesting to note that Pearson VUE, the provider of the on-line examination, has designated the OHS professional as essential. As such the CRSP and CRST examination windows will be able to run, at Pearson VUE owned test centres (not third party centres) as part of ‘essential services’ testing. This decision by Pearson VUE speaks to the importance and recognition others place on our profession.
In my last communication I discussed the need for the safety profession to speak with a unified voice. To that end the BCRSP is holding regular meetings with the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) and the Canadian Registration Board of Occupational Hygienists (CRBOH). With CSSE we are working towards mutually agreed upon objectives that will build on the strengths of both organizations to advance the safety profession. Much of this is focused on working towards establishing the “national framework” previously communicated by BCRSP and CSSE.
With CRBOH we are in very early discussion about roles and responsibilities of CRSP/CRST and ROH certificants but more importantly, we are investigating how we can help each other in ensuring occupational health and safety is advanced in Canada without compromise. To help us move to this common ground it is important that we build trust with each other. As certificants, a big part of building trust with all of our stakeholders is ensuring that we consistently meet the BCRSP Code of Ethics. In particular “to recognize their limitations and perform only those services that may be handled competently based on one’s training and experience”.
Speaking of ethics, certificants will be aware that the mandatory ethics course requirement commences with the 2021 CPD submissions. The Board acknowledges that due to the impact COVID19 has had on many certificants in 2020, some may require an extension to this requirement. If your CPD is due in 2021 and you will require an extension in order to complete the mandatory ethics course requirement, please contact the Board office at info@bcrsp.ca. There are now two approved ethics courses available to certificants for which information is available on the BCRSP website. If you have taken a code of ethics course elsewhere (e.g. your employer) you can submit that course to BCRSP for review and approval as an alternative to taking one of the courses mentioned above, provided it meets the required content. We are also continuing to accept submissions from course providers who are interested in developing an ethics course for certificants.
ADVOCACY
As mentioned at the introduction, the Board has been busy in its advocacy work to obtain legal recognition of the occupational health and safety profession. Currently, anybody can claim to be a health and safety professional, no matter what their credentials or competence may be. It is a significant and unacceptable risk to the working public when unqualified persons provide OHS advice to workers, employers, and government.
It is important to note that the BCRSP’s recommendation to government introduces no additional costs or burden to employers or government. In fact, it would improve the ease and efficiency of an employer’s decision-making process when hiring an OHS professional if they were assured there is a legal process in place that would confirm only qualified persons could claim to be an OHS professional.
In Ontario, we are making steady progress and I am cautiously optimistic in our efforts to achieve title protection for OHS professionals in Ontario. We have met with politicians, government staff, employer organizations, and labour leaders to make our case. Once we have had the opportunity to articulate our objectives the meeting usually ends with an acknowledgement that what we are proposing makes sense and they are supportive.
In Alberta, the BCRSP was invited to make a submission to Alberta Labour and Immigration regarding “Streamlining Professional Legislation 2020” and to contribute to the first full review of the Professional and Occupational Associations Registrations Act (POARA). The fact that BCRSP was invited to make a submission speaks to the recognition of the professionalism of BCRSP and that our previous discussions and recommendations resonate with the regulator.
Special thanks to past chairs Paul Andre, Kevin Dawson, and Monica Szabo who have carried forward the advocacy agenda for the Board over the past 4 years as well as to all Governors and certificants who have participated in stakeholder meetings or provided feedback to the Board on this important topic.
STAKEHOLDER ACTIVITIES AND ENGAGEMENT DURING THIS REPORTING PERIOD
- August 17 – CSSE touch base meeting
- August 18 – CRBOH liaison meeting
- August 19 – BCRSP Executive Committee
- August 25 – Ryerson University Career and Co-op Centre: Part of panel to discuss trends, skills gaps, needs and any other information that may contribute to the success of OHS students.
- September 3 – BCRSP/CSSE Accreditation Task Force discussion
- September 14 – Steven De Luca, Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, to discuss title protection for OHS professionals
- September 15 – Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Ontario Green Party, to discuss title protection for OHS professionals
- September 15 – Conference Board of Canada, Health and Safety Leadership Committee - Injury Prevention During COVID-19
- September 19-20 – BCRSP Governing Board Meeting
- September 23 – Conference Board of Canada, Discussion on research capabilities
- September 24 – CRBOH liaison meeting
- September 25 – Exam Advisory Committee Meeting
- September 29 – Conference Board of Canada, Health and Safety Leadership Committee, Psychological Safety for Employees in Critical Services
- September 30 – University of Alberta, provided requested video for prospective student’s virtual open house.
- October 5-6 – World Congress on Safety Virtual Session on COVID-19
- October 8 – Conference Board of Canada, HSLC, Cultivating a Civil Respectful Safe Workplace
- October 13 – CSSE Touch base meeting
- October 22 – Ontario Chamber of Commerce, discuss BCRSP objectives
- October 28 – CRBOH liaison meeting
SEASON’s GREETINGS AND THANK YOU!
Wishing all a joyous time during the holidays and a safe and healthy New Year.
A special thank you to all volunteers this year and those who have stepped up to volunteer in 2021. Safety professionals have this incredible ability to adapt to any circumstance and find resources like nobody else. This year is testimony to that ability and to persevere and succeed where others would give up. A big thank you to all!
Did you know BCRSP has over 300 volunteers who generously donate their time, knowledge, and expertise in making the BCRSP one of the best organizations in Canada? Last year I attended an Institute of Credentialing Excellence conference attended by credentialing organizations from across North America. From the presentations and discussions I took part in I was able to compare BCRSP against other certifying organizations and realized again how good the BCRSP is because of its volunteers.
A special thanks to Nikki Wright and the staff at Fletcher Wright Associates Inc. for the great job they do in organizing and managing all of us to ensure we meet our deadlines and get to the meetings, even if virtual. Being able to adapt quickly to challenges of COVID-19 and keeping everything moving efficiently and effectively is no small feat. We are very fortunate to have this long-established partnership with an organization that truly understands the profession.
David Johnston, CRSP
Chair, BCRSP Governing Board