The Acts, Regulations and Administrative Agreements that govern BCSA also tell us how to fulfill our mandate. If you want to learn more about how we’re legally structured, take a look at the Safety Authority Act. Also, review the Safety Standards Act to understand some of the actions we may take to promote safety in British Columbia.
Safety Authority Act
The Safety Authority Act is the foundation of our organization. It describes why we exist, how we govern ourselves and what we must do to achieve a safer British Columbia. You’ll see that we’re an independent, not-for-profit organization with a commitment to fostering safety by regulating technical products, equipment, systems and railways.
The full Act is available online. Read it to understand how we work and what it means to you. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
For more information on our legal context, please review the Administrative Agreements below and the Safety Standards Act.
Safety Standards Act and Railway Safety Act
The Safety Standards Act sets out the general requirements for regulated work performed by contractors. It also includes information on the legal requirements for permits and qualifications. The Safety Standards Act authorizes BCSA to take enforcement actions if we discover a non-compliance with the Act or Regulations.
The Safety Standards Appeal Board is created by the Safety Standards Act. It is this appeal board that can review certain BCSA decisions when clients request a review.
The railway group operates under the Railway Safety Act. This is what grants BCSA authority over provincially regulated railways.
For regulations that fall under these Acts, see the appropriate technology's Regulations webpage.
BC Safety Authority has two Administrative Agreements with the Province, one for the railway group and one for all other technologies. The Administrative Agreements set out our obligations to the Province to administer the Safety Standards Act and Railway Safety Act.
Memoranda of Understanding
Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) are agreements between BCSA and other agencies with overlapping jurisdictions. The MOUs describe the procedures we use to share information and cooperate to fulfill both agencies’ mandates.
We currently have MOUs with WorkSafeBC and the Oil and Gas Commission:
Memorandum of Understanding - WorkSafeBC (1.77 MB PDF)
Memorandum of Understanding - Oil and Gas Commission (1.24 MB PDF)