March 26, 2014 - 11:26 AM
WEST KELOWNA - The District of West Kelowna received two Certificates of Recognition from Worksafe BC and the BC Municipal Safety Association (BCMSA) after a comprehensive review of its Occupational Health and Safety Program and Return to Work/Stay at Work Program.
The municipality, through the BCMSA, was audited in late 2013 and successfully passed all elements, earning an overall score of 87% for its safety program and 92% for its Stay at Work/Return to Work program. Mayor Doug Findlater accepted the certificates on behalf of Council and the municipality at Council’s meeting March 25.
“West Kelowna Council is extremely proud of this important achievement. We know how hard staff worked to get us here,” says Mayor Doug Findlater. “Several years ago, with staff coming on board from the Regional District of Central Okanagan and the former irrigation districts, we had differing approaches to safety. Council and staff made a concerted effort to come together in a united approach to making our safety program the very best it could be. And now, this focus has certainly paid off.”
The certificates are valid for three years and entitle the employer to receive financial incentives. In the District’s case, this equates to an annual refund of approximately $20,000 for each of the three years.
The municipality anticipates investing these savings into even more improvements of its safety program. As part of the Worksafe BC certification, internal audits are required for 2014 and 2015 and the District had two staff members attend training and become certified to perform these audits through the BC Municipal Safety Association.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014