1 Safety Policy

At New Graph Environment we believe that all injuries are preventable and that safety is the responsibility of everyone. We believe that getting hurt at work is not acceptable and that by building a culture of safety we:

will look ahead to identify hazards,
will document safety procedures and ensure that our management, staff and contractors are familiar with them and understand why we have them,
will strive for continuous improvement to ensure that we learn from the past and look to the future to facilitate the safest working environment possible for ourselves, our contractors, our clients and the public.

1.1 Feildwork Staff Training Requirements

Work your way through the New Worker Orientation Checklist, sound in Appendix 1.
Watch the bear aware training video.
WHMIS training - free online course here.
Sign up for electrofishing certification course through VIU or through NRTG. Have them send the invoice to Al or submit the expense in Harvest under project safety and category professional_development, using a descriptive name in the notes.
Sign up for an OFA Level 1 course or another option in Castlegar. Have them send the invoice to Al or submit the expense in Harvest under project safety and category professional_development, using a descriptive name in the notes.
Swift Water Rescue is not require but we suggest getting it in the future. Courses are offered Raven Rescue and others.
Add applicable training certificates to the certificates folder and update the Training Log with your training.

1.2 Forest Safety Accord

1.3 Corrective Action Log

These corrective actions are to be completed by the person indicated, within the time frame allotted. If more time is required, or there are difficulties encountered, please contact Allan Irvine for assistance. These comments or corrective actions are based on the quality assurance review by the BC Forest Safety Council.

Table 1.1: Corrective Action Log.
Item	Company Action Plan	Person Responsible	Due Date	Date Closed
Continual Improvement Suggestion: The company has submitted the 2020 CL with this 2022 audit instead to the 2021 CAL returned to the company with you last audit review letter. The company did not receive credit for the submission of the correct CAL, and questions 4, 10, and 11 with your 2021 audit. The CAL submitted here should identify the deficient questions and indicate what the company is doing or plans to do to correct them all.	Submit 2022 CAL with current 2023 audit.	AI	30/07/2023	12/06/2023
Recommendation: Please obtain a Regulation compliant orientation form. Orientation checklists must contain all items listed in section 3.23 of the OHS regulations. Missing was the instruction and demonstration of work tasks and work processes. A single page compliant orientation checklist is available on the BCFSC website.	Update new worker assessment forms.	MW	30/07/2023	12/07/2023
Continual Improvement Suggestion: The “Worker Is competent.” has not been selected in either forms submitted - which is the sole purpose of a worker assessment.	Assess worker competence and ensure all associated checkboxes are filled out.	AI	30/07/2023	12/06/2023
Recommendation: Please submit 1 monthly safety meeting or pre-work minutes from every operating month, from the current audit reporting year (the preceding 12 months to you June 28, 022 audit submission date). the company reported worked in all 12 months of July 2021 - June 2022, You may also submit the safety / fatality alerts covered in the monthly meeting agendas.	Submit all available monthly safety meetings.	AI	30/07/2023	12/06/2023
Continual Improvement Suggestion: Please check one box in all question 15-22 on the audit tool - decaling if the question applies to this current years reporting, with all future audits.	Ensure all questions in audit are answered and all required boxes are checked.	AI	30/07/2023	12/06/2023

1.4 Safety Team Members

As a small company all management and staff are considered safety team members and expected to integral to the safety program. Feedback is encouraged as continual improvement is a paramount goal.

1.5 Roles, rights and responsibilities

Everyone has a role to play in workplace safety. Whether you are the owner, employer, supervisor, worker, or prime contractor. Know your rights and responsibilities. These are outlined on the WorkSafeBC website here.

1.5.1 Right to refuse work and report unsafe conditions

You have the right to refuse unsafe work if you have reasonable cause to believe the work you are doing could create a hazard or cause an injury. Identify hazards before starting work and determine whether it is safe to proceed. This is work and it is not worth it to risk life and limb.

1.6 Workplace Harassment

We are committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and harassment-free workplace. Workplace harassment is a serious issue that must be proactively addressed to ensure a positive work environment for all employees. While we do not currently have a formal harassment policy, we follow the guidelines set by WorkSafeBC to prevent and address workplace harassment. More information can be found here: WorkSafeBC Bullying & Harassment.

1.6.1 Reporting & Investigations

Employees are encouraged to document and report incidents to their supervisor or designated safety representative. Our workplace harassment report template can be found here: Workplace Harassment Report Template
We take all reports seriously and commit to investigating them promptly, ensuring fairness and impartiality. If necessary, a third-party investigator may be engaged to maintain objectivity.

1.6.2 Protection & Support

Retaliation against employees who report harassment or participate in an investigation will not be tolerated.
Support services, such as medical and counseling assistance, are available to affected employees.

We understand that some employees may feel uncomfortable reporting harassment internally. In such cases, they may seek assistance from WorkSafeBC, the BC Human Rights Tribunal, or legal counsel. By fostering a culture of respect and accountability, we ensure a safer and more inclusive workplace for everyone.

1.7 COVID 19 Prevention and Risks

We have developed a COVID-19 Safety Plan that outlines the policies, guidelines, and procedures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

All staff, contractors, volunteers, and participants must complete a self-assessment (https://bc.thrive.health/covid19/en) before starting work each day. If they are experiencing any symptoms related to COVID-19 they must halt all involvement or participation, notify the project supervisor, and get officially tested.

The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads in several ways, including through droplets when a person coughs or sneezes, or from touching a contaminated surface before touching the face. Planning to COVID-19 is a moving target and should be a continuous effort. Planning is outlined by WCB (https://www.worksafebc.com/en/about-us/covid-19-updates/covid-19-returning-safe-operation). Detailed procedures are included in the safe work procedures in the Appendices of this document and were developed by progressing through the following steps:

Assess the risk at your workplace to identify places where the risk of transmission is introduced
1. What job tasks or processes require workers to come into close proximity with one another or members of the public?
2. What tools, machinery, and equipment do people come into contact with in the course of their work?
3. What surfaces are touched often, such as doorknobs, light switches, equipment, and shared tools?
Implement measures to reduce the risk
1. Maintain a distance of 2 metres (6 feet) between workers and others wherever possible
2. Create pods of workers who work together exclusively to minimize the risk of broad transmission throughout the workplace
3. Where physical distance cannot be maintained consider the use of masks.
4. Provide adequate hand-washing facilities on site for all workers
5. Develop policies around when workers must wash their hands, including upon arriving for work, before and after breaks and before and after handling common tools and equipment.
6. Implement a cleaning protocol for all common areas and surfaces, including washrooms, equipment, tools, common tables, desks, light switches, and door handles. Ensure those engaged in cleaning have adequate training and materials.
7. Remove any unnecessary tools or equipment that may elevate the risk of transmission.
Develop policies to manage the workplace
1. Anyone who has had symptoms of COVID-19 in the last 10 days must self-isolate at home.
2. Anyone under the direction of the provincial health officer to self-isolate must follow those instructions
3. When workers or contractors are feeling ill at work they should immediately let their supervisor know and go home. If symptoms align with those of COVID-19 they should be tested and self-isolate until they are symptom free and have a negative test result.

1.8 Required safety meetings

1.8.1 New Worker Orientations

New workers are at a high risk for injuries. They need to know the safety policies and procedures and demonstrate that they understand how to protect themselves and others. All employees and dependent contractors operating under your company’s safety plan must review the New Graph health and safety policies and safe work procedures on their first day before they start work or when returning to work after an absence of longer than 6 weeks. Template to be filled out is attached as Appendix 1.

1.8.2 Tailboards

Tailboard meetings are a way to reset at the start of new work tasks to put safety first as the top priority at all places of work. Our tailboard template is unique in that it contains documentation of numerous safety policy actions in one place. Tailboards include references to field safety plans and contain:

Site Assessments, Hazard Identifications and Risk Assessments
Worker Assessments
Personal Protective Equipment Checklist/Inspections
Machinery Inspection (Vehicle/Trailer/ATV)
Emergency Contact List and Info
Call In/Call Out Numbers for Check-ins
Hazard Inspections
First Aid Assessments

They are included in this plan as Appendix 2.

1.8.3 Monthly Safety Meetings

We are a Safe Certified company and with that comes the requirement to have monthly safety meetings. These meetings are a way to discuss safety issues and to ensure that everyone is on the same page. They are also a way to document that we are meeting our safety obligations. You can find our past safety meetings at oneDrive/Projects/safety/meetings.

1.9 First Aid equipment and procedures

A level 1 kit is kept under the seat of each work vehicle and our OHSP is also kept in the truck. The kit should be inspected for contents to see that it is complete. A weatherproof container is recommended for all items except the blankets. Below is an itemized list of what should be in the kit:

Quantity	Required Item
1	Blanket
24	14 cm x 19 cm wound cleansing towelettes, individually packaged
50	Sterile adhesive dressings, assorted sizes, individually packaged
10	10 cm x 10 cm sterile gauze dressings, individually packaged
4	10 cm x 16.5 cm sterile pressure dressings with crepe ties
2	7.5 cm x 4.5 m crepe roller bandages
2	7.5 cm conforming gauze bandages
1	2.5 cm x 4.5 m adhesive tape
2	Cotton triangular bandages, minimum length of base 1.25 m
2	Quick straps (a.k.a. fracture straps or zap straps)
1	Windlass style tourniquet
1	14 cm stainless steel bandage scissors or universal scissors
1	11.5 cm stainless steel sliver forceps
1	Pocket mask with a one-way valve and oxygen inlet
6	Pairs of medical gloves (preferably non-latex)
1	Waterproof waste bag
	First aid records

1.9.1 Worksite First Aid Requirements

To determine an adequate and appropriate level of first aid coverage, the first step is a first aid assessment. This requires a full review of the workplace. The assessment will help you determine the minimum level of first aid needed in your workplace. First aid levels are outlined in the OHS Regulation Schedule 3-A: Minimum Levels of First Aid. First aid requirements are found in Appendix 5.

Below are the steps for a first aid assessment.

Identify the number of workplaces.
Identify your workplace hazard rating.
Consider the surface travel time to a hospital.
Determine the number of workers on a shift.
Determine the required first aid services for your workplace.
Review your assessment.