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Report a wrongdoing under the Public Interest Disclosure Act (PIDA)

At WorkSafeBC, all employees and contractors must operate by our Code of Business Ethics and Behaviour, which is designed to ensure staff perform their duties in an impartial, fair, and transparent manner. As outlined in the policy, employees and contractors are required to disclose illegal or unethical behaviour, or any other contravention of the Code that they may see in the workplace, to their manager, People and Culture partner, the Ethics Office (ethics@worksafebc.com), or through SafeSpeak. Employees and contractors are protected from reprisals if they report suspected contraventions of the Code in good faith.

B.C.’s Public Interest Disclosure Act (PIDA) provides a safe, legally protected way for current or former employees to report serious or systemic issues. PIDA enhances the reporting channels and protections already active at WorkSafeBC to report wrongdoing. You may have heard PIDA referred to as “whistleblowing.”

  • What is considered wrongdoing under PIDA?
  • Seeking advice about PIDA
  • How to report a wrongdoing under PIDA
  • Next steps
  • Your protections under PIDA
  • More information

What is considered wrongdoing under PIDA?

Included under PIDA

An offence A serious act or failure to act that, if proven, would constitute an offence under the laws of British Columbia or Canada.
Danger to the environment An act or failure to act that creates a substantial and specific danger to the environment.
Danger to people An act or failure to act that creates a substantial and specific danger to someone’s life, health, or safety, other than a danger that is inherent in the performance of an employee's/contractor’s duties or functions.
Misuse of public funds or assets A serious misuse of public funds or assets.
Mismanagement Deliberate gross mismanagement for personal gain or systemic mismanagement (e.g., built into the organization’s structure, policies, or practice).
Directing wrongdoing Knowingly directing or counselling a person to commit one or more of the wrongdoings described under PIDA.

Not all misconduct is wrongdoing under PIDA. For example, minor or isolated transgressions may not meet the seriousness threshold in the definition of wrongdoing under PIDA.

Current and former employees should report these minor or isolated transgressions through one of the other available reporting channels:

Current employees can also report minor or isolated transgressions to a manager or People and Culture partner.

Seeking advice about PIDA

Current and former employees are encouraged to review our PIDA tipsheet for employees.

You can get advice about a potential PIDA disclosure from one of the following resources: a manager at WorkSafeBC, one of WorkSafeBC’s designated officers by emailing PIDA@worksafebc.com, a lawyer, a union representative or shop steward, or the Office of the Ombudsperson. Under PIDA, employees are protected from reprisal when seeking advice from these parties.

How to report a wrongdoing under PIDA

Current employees are encouraged to review the PIDA information available on WSN to determine if the disclosure should be made under PIDA or through a different reporting channel.

If you think your concern falls under PIDA, please review the following information before submitting a report.

Making an effective report

Should you wish to submit a written report of wrongdoing to your manager or directly to the designated officers by email or mail, we recommend you complete the Report of Serious Wrongdoing at WorkSafeBC (Form 13B144) to ensure all details are captured.

If you choose not to use the form, please only include information that is relevant and necessary to the report. When submitting your written report, ensure you include the following details (if known):

  • A description of the wrongdoing and any relevant background.
  • The first and last names of the people involved.
  • The sequence of events, including dates and times where you know them.
  • The department and location where the relevant incident(s) occurred.
  • The names of any witnesses to the incident(s).
  • If you believe you may face reprisal after submitting a report, provide details on who you think may retaliate and how they may do so. The designated officers will work with you to ensure you are protected.

Every report should be made in good faith, meaning you should believe it to be true. If you’re reporting something you’ve heard, but have not witnessed personally, please note it in your report. Also, please keep the matter confidential.

Anonymous reports

Anonymous reports are accepted but not recommended. If you’d like to remain anonymous, please provide a non-identifying email address (i.e., one that doesn’t include your first or last name) so that a designated officer can contact you if they need more information to assess and/or investigate the allegation. If there’s not enough information, they may be unable to pursue an investigation.

Ways to submit a report

You can report a wrongdoing by:

You may also choose to report the wrongdoing in writing to the Office of the Ombudsperson.

If your concern does not fall under PIDA, it will be redirected to the appropriate reporting channel.

Next steps

Your report will be sent directly and confidentially to the designated officers, who will confirm your eligibility to report under PIDA and review and assess the information provided. They may ask you for additional information to better understand the report of wrongdoing under PIDA and its connection to WorkSafeBC. Only designated officers at WorkSafeBC can assess reports of wrongdoing under PIDA.

The designated officers will initiate an investigation into the report, if necessary. Investigations are used to objectively determine what happened and then decide what to do based on the facts. This may include the collection of evidence from witnesses and other sources. Investigation outcomes and recommendations will be addressed internally.

WorkSafeBC will publish an annual report on worksafebc.com summarizing PIDA disclosures and investigations.

Your protections under PIDA

Protection from reprisal

Current and former employees are protected for confidentiality and receive whistleblower protections under the Code of Business Ethics and Behaviour. The PIDA legislation reinforces the importance of this protection for employees and makes acts of reprisal under PIDA an offense under the law. Any current or former employee, acting in good faith and on the basis of reasonable belief, who reports a breach and/or participates in a PIDA investigation will not be dismissed, suspended, demoted, disciplined, harassed, or otherwise disadvantaged.

Retaliation against an employee involved in the report under PIDA is prohibited and will not be tolerated.

If you are a current or former employee and feel you’re experiencing reprisal due to your involvement in a PIDA disclosure or investigation, please contact the Office of the Ombudsperson.

Unfortunately, the Office of the Ombudsperson is unable to address reprisal experienced by contractors.

Protection of identity

Your identity is protected to the fullest extent possible throughout all PIDA processes.

Anonymous reports are accepted but not recommended. If there is not enough information, the designated officer may be unable to pursue an investigation.

If you’d like to remain anonymous, please provide a non-identifying email address (i.e., one that doesn’t include your first or last name) so that a designated officer can contact you if they need more information to assess and/or investigate the report.

More information

For more information about PIDA and reporting wrongdoing under PIDA:

Annual reports

The Public Interest Disclosure Act requires WorkSafeBC to publish an annual report on all disclosures of wrongdoing that have been made.

Accessibility

WorkSafeBC is committed to fairness and supports the creation of accessible policies, procedures, and tools. To provide feedback on the accessibility of this process, please email accessibility@worksafebc.com or use our online form.