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- News release
- Backgrounder: Project overview
- Introduction to Safe Practices on Resource Roads (PDF 633kb)
- Profile: Craig Payne (PDF 71kb)
- Incident Types on Resource Roads (PDF 212kb)
What are resource roads?
There are over 400,000 kilometers of resource roads which are not public highways and may be known regionally as “industrial roads,” “forest service roads,” or “petroleum development roads.”
Many resource roads have a gravel surface and are suitable for one or two lane traffic.
Resource roads, constructed primarily for use by forestry, mining, or oil and gas industries, have, over time, started to be used by the general public to access more remote regions of the province.
Why focus on resource roads?
In the past, resource roads were built to provide access to remote locations for a single user. During these times, a single industrial user such as a logging company had reasonable control over the road's construction, maintenance, and operation.
Today, different industries with different truck configurations and the general public are sharing the same road. As the frequency and diversity of the users on existing resource road increases, so does the number of roads being built to accommodate expanding industrial activities such as:
- Tree harvesting and log-hauling as a result of the mountain pine beetle
- Oil and gas exploration and drilling
- Tourism in the north
- Mining
With effective communication and coordination, the risk to resource road users will be reduced.
Why is WorkSafeBC involved?
Serious safety issues for workers (see list of incident types on resource roads) have developed as transportation needs and industrial activity continue to increase along resource roads.
Managing road systems is complex. Good management requires an understanding of safety fundamentals and regulatory requirements as these roads are workplaces for logging truck drivers or industry service providers. Committed to promoting safe workplaces and reducing risk to workers, WorkSafeBC leads the demonstration project to provide two working examples of how safety can be managed effectively on resource road systems.
What is the resource road demonstration project?
The demonstration project is a partnership between WorkSafeBC and regional industry partners to illustrate practical ways that health and safety responsibilities as they apply to resource roads in the two pilot regions can be clearly defined and the results measured.
The project will provide two working examples of how safety on resource roads can be managed by regional owners and local user groups. The project will use standards found in the Resource Roads Compliance Field Officer Guide and the Resource Road Safety Practices.
- Resource Roads Compliance Field Officer Guide: “The Field Officer's Infoflip” is a tiered pamphlet serves to assist WorkSafeBC officers during inspections on resource roads. Freely available on-line to the public, the guide offers guidance on operational roles, obligations, and accountability for different scenarios.
- Resource Road Safety Practices (RRSP): “The Matrix” provides detailed information and guidance for developing, implementing, and maintaining resource road safety management systems.
The RRSP also covers the four key components in the process: drivers, trucks, loads, and roads.
In addition to focusing on stakeholder responsibilities, the RRSP provides recommendations on how different stakeholders can work together to keep roads safe and maintained.
These two documents are available to all stakeholders.
Who is involved in the project’s two Road Safety Management Groups (RSMGs)?
In the Prince George Forest District, WorkSafeBC will partner with the Prince George Forest Road Safety Committee which represents the area’s road owners.
Initially created in 2007, the Prince George Road Safety Committee members are mainly licensee owners who control the majority of the area’s forestry activity.
The group has developed operating procedures and the demonstration project intends to build on their existing accomplishments.
As part of the project for the Fort St. John area, WorkSafeBC will examine the processes required to successfully establish a Road Safety Management Group.