WorkSafeBC inspections are an important part of ensuring health and safety in B.C. workplaces. During a WorkSafeBC inspection, a prevention officer may call or visit unannounced to inspect your workplace and assess safe work practices in accordance with the Workers Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation.

What to expect

Inspections are intended to provide a predictable, consistent, and fair experience focused on meaningful risk reduction.

Employers and workers can expect:

• A process that is respectful and transparent
• Inspections that are grounded in legislation, policy, and publicly available guidelines
• Prevention officers who are collaborative and answer questions in a timely and responsive manner
• Clear communication about WorkSafeBC’s findings and compliance expectations

Our mandate is to ensure the Workers Compensation Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, and WorkSafeBC policies, practices, and procedures are applied fairly. If an inspection experience does not align with the expectations above, the concern should be brought to the officer’s manager. The Issue Resolution Office can provide impartial assistance and ensure it gets to the correct manager.

Our inspectional approach

Prevention officers will take a risk management–based approach to ensure that the most significant risks are effectively managed. This approach involves workers and employers identifying hazards, evaluating risks, and implementing the appropriate controls specific to the on-site activities. In addition, it focuses on employers ensuring that these efforts are effectively communicated to workers and monitored through foundational occupational health and safety systems such as new and young worker orientations, training, supervision, incident investigations, worksite inspections, and (where applicable) joint health and safety committees that are effective, robust, and well supported.

What happens after an inspection?

After an inspection, the officer will send the employer an inspection report with details about the inspection as well as additional information and resources that may be of value to the workplace.

The officer will cite orders if they identify health and safety violations that require correction, as well as the measures the employer must take to comply. The officer will follow up to ensure the necessary steps are taken to correct the violation.

Access your inspection reports online

You can view and download your inspection reports through your online services account. To do so, you’ll first need to set up access through one of the following ways:

• If you are the administrator of your online services account, you can give yourself access by selecting “Change my or another user’s access to online tools” under the For administrators menu.
• If you are not the administrator of your online services account, you will need to request access from the account’s administrator(s). You can do this by selecting “Request a change in my access to online tools” under the My profile menu.

Once you have access, click on the “Health & Safety” tab and you will see a link to “View inspection reports.” Learn more.

How are employers selected for inspection?

Inspection opportunities and selection of target industries and employers are data-driven. They are based on the risk of serious workplace injury or illness, significant contribution to the serious injury rate, and the time-loss claims rate.