On October 25th the Worker's Compensation Board of British Columbia (WCB) will launch The Health and Safety Centre, a new website designed to help small business owners with health and safety regulations.

“The new website will make it easier to develop informal, effective health and safety programs and assist with small businesses to manage their relationship with the Board,” said Roberta Ellis, Vice President, Prevention. “After consultation with business leaders, this tool was created to respond to the specialized needs of small business in B.C.”

The Health and Safety Centre will be part of the WCB’s existing website www.worksafebc.com. Small business owners will be able to find a searchable version of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. Better yet, the Regulations will have summaries that spell everything out in plain language.

Another feature that should help is the ability to search the Regulations by specific industry rather than sifting through piles of information that don’t apply to you. Sections relating to Construction, Health Care, Performing Arts and Film, Tourism and Hospitality, and Wood Products and Manufacturing have been defined in an attempt to help entrepreneurs pinpoint the information they need faster and easier.

Small businesses in B.C. employ about 40 per cent of the working population and represent over 90 per cent of the 167,000 employers registered with the WCB. Since 1993, the number of small businesses that are registered with the WCB has grown by 21,000 companies.

 

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