Occupational Disease Planned Inspectional Initiative
The overarching Occupational Disease Planned Inspectional Initiative uses a risk-based approach to proactively identify, prioritize, and address the occupational diseases of greatest risk to workers across B.C. Our plan focuses on four categories of disease and seven primary risk exposures:
- Cancer (asbestos, silica, solar radiation, welding fumes)
- Asthma (sensitizers)
- Poisoning (lead)
- Occupational hearing loss (noise exposure)
- Our goals
- Our focus
- What you can do
Our goals
The primary goal of the Occupational Disease Planned Inspectional Initiative is to reduce the incidence of three specific disease outcomes (cancer, asthma, and hearing loss) by engaging employers to reduce exposures to five primary risks: asbestos, silica, welding fumes, sensitizers, and noise.
Our focus
2024 inspectional approach
For 2024 inspections, prevention officers will take a risk-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 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.
The initiative will focus inspections and other tactical approaches on the following exposures:
- Asbestos
- Silica
- Welding fumes
- Sensitizers
- Noise
What you can do
The following web pages include resources that will help you better understand and address some of the health and safety issues we’ll be focusing on with our activities.