Two of One - Part 1 w/ Jeremy Woolward, HSA, CTSP, Safety Officer
Two of One - Part 1
“We will add your distinctiveness to our own.” A popular quote from Star Trek, this idea of taking the best of something to make it stronger is not something foreign to industry and safety leaders.
The ideal of development and growth is a pursuit of ongoing excellence and refinement that demonstrates our commitment to safety and those we are tasked with keeping safe.
In Alberta, employers have multiple obligations to workplace safety, and often, these obligations are spoken of seperately of each other to avoid muddying the waters.
However, an argument can be made that instead of separating programs, this ongoing excellence could be made easier by bringing them together in practice.
While there are many different safety systems, I’m going to refer to the two that most carriers would be familiar: a carrier’s NSC Compliance Program and a COR Safety Program.
When you become a motor carrier in the Province of Alberta, you must prove to Alberta Transportation that you are willing to take safety seriously and demonstrate that willingness to prepare a written safety program that covers the four following elements:
Carrier Safety
Driver Safety
Hours of Service
Vehicle Maintenance & Inspection Program
As a motor carrier in the Province of Alberta, your responsibility is to adhere to the Alberta Traffic Safety Act and its various regulations that are designed to manage driver fatigue as well as protecting the public and public infrastructure. Compliance is mandatory.
There are some differences in compliance if you operate solely within Alberta or whether your business takes you outside the province to other jurisdictions, but those differences do not change the reality that you either comply with the regulations or you do not operate as a motor carrier.
While transportation legislation emphasizes the need to protect the public, there is also the need in Alberta to protect the safety of the worker.
That need is addressed in Alberta’s OHS Legislation.
COR In Alberta
The Certificate of Recognition (COR) Program is run in a collaborative relationship between Alberta Labour and the Partners in Injury Reduction team at WCB Alberta.
The program is managed by Certifying Partners for their respective industries. For the commercial vehicle industry, the Certifying Partner is the Alberta Motor Transport Association.
Although COR / SECOR is a voluntary program, it does not negate an employer’s responsibility to adhere to Alberta OHS Legislation.
NSC In Alberta
The National Safety Code in Alberta is legislated through the Alberta Traffic Safety Act and its subsequent regulations.
The enforcement of these regulations is done through local Law Enforcement, the Sheriff Highway Patrol, Dangerous Goods Inspectors, as well as Investigators from Alberta Transportation.
Programs are evaluated by Alberta Transportation trained NSC Auditors.
Stay tuned, as part 2 in the 4-part series that will be released in July 2022.
If you would like to get in contact with Jeremy directly:
Email: jeremy@chariotexpress.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremywoolward
As always, let's create a pivotal impact!
If you have not already done so, I encourage you to sign up for our monthly Truck Focus Newsletter, as we continue to connect our industry leaders, to the industry, to help create a pivotal change.
Sign up for the Truck Focus Newsletter
The Truck Focus is a division of the Pivotal Transportation Industry Solutions company. We encourage you to learn more about our mission!
Are you looking to have your product or service gain massive exposure in the transportation and logistic industries across North America? We can help!
Furthermore, if you have a question or topic for a future episode, I encourage you to send us an email inquiry.
Thank you again for taking the time to read, and I hope you have a safe day!