Bringing the British Columbia construction industry together around a common approach to worker safety required years of effort, negotiation and reassurance that every construction discipline would continue to have a voice.
This year marks 25 years since B.C.’s construction industry safety associations began the work that ultimately reshaped the province’s safety landscape. The Construction Safety Association of B.C. (CSABC) and the Construction Safety Network (CSN) eventually merged in 2010 to create the B.C. Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA), a decision that continues to deliver results by giving the industry a unified voice on issues affecting its members.
Grant McMillan, who previously served as president of the Council of Construction Associations (COCA) and president of the CSABC, says organizations in Alberta and Nova Scotia provided valuable lessons during the process.
“We learned a lot from similar organizations in Alberta and Nova Scotia,” McMillan says. “They were very helpful in establishing the focus for what became the BCCSA.”
According to McMillan, the sustained efforts of contractors and the BCCSA have contributed to significant improvements in both injury rates and related costs. He also credits BCCSA employees and contractors for consistently translating the organization’s vision into practical programs and initiatives that provide meaningful support to the construction sector.
For Joe Wrobel, president of JPW Road & Bridge Inc. and one of the key figures behind the CSN, the push for change came from employers who wanted stronger safety solutions while also needing confidence that the programs they adopted would meet provincial requirements.
“We were also looking for an employer-oriented association that could bridge the gap between all construction employers and get them together to share and establish best practices,” Wrobel says.
That approach ultimately helped bring initiatives such as the highly successful COR® program to B.C. Wrobel says the BCCSA has since developed into an effective and respected organization with a clear focus on worker safety and return-to-work outcomes. He points to innovations such as the Silica Control Tool® as evidence of the alliance’s ability to react quickly to emerging safety challenges.
One association instead of two
Wayne Fettback, director of safety and procurement at Western Pacific Enterprises Ltd., played a central role in bringing the two organizations together. As chair of the CSABC, he negotiated the merger alongside John van Dyk, who was chair of the CSN.
The objective was straightforward: avoid having the two organizations compete with one another.
“We didn’t want to see the two organizations competing,” Fettback says. “John and I got boards from both sides involved, and worked out an agreement to form one association, and I think it worked out well for everyone.”
Fettback became the BCCSA’s first chair and remained on its board until 2025. While the alliance’s philosophy has developed over the years, he says its core value to the construction industry has remained consistent.
“The BCCSA’s philosophy has evolved over the years, but it continues to provide good service to the industry and remains a respected voice for safety,” he says.
Jack Davidson, president of the BC Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association from 1999 to 2017, represented an organization that was originally part of the CSN. He says employers supported the idea of creating a single safety association because it offered a more effective way to ensure workers were protected.
“We felt that a single safety association would be more effective in helping employers to know they were doing everything they could to keep their workers safe,” Davidson says.
Today, he believes the alliance offers some of the most current safety practices available and continues to improve them. More importantly, he says, its work has contributed to a fundamental shift in how safety is approached across the industry moving away from responding to incidents and toward preventing them.
A quarter-century of progress
Tammy Oliver, senior director at the BCCSA, has been part of both the CSN and the alliance since their respective beginnings. Although she says the past 25 years have gone by quickly, she is proud of the milestones achieved across the construction safety sector.
“It’s truly amazing what we have accomplished together over this time, from board members to our staff, alongside industry,” Oliver says.
She points to the substantial growth in both safety practices and the perception of safety within the construction industry, while also looking ahead to the lessons and achievements still to come.
BCCSA executive director Mike McKenna also recognizes the large number of people whose contributions have shaped the organization over the past quarter-century.
“It’s almost impossible to acknowledge the many people involved over 25 years who have gotten us this far,” McKenna says.
He adds that their contributions continue to shape the organization’s work today as the BCCSA speaks with a united voice and remains focused on its mission to make safety simpler while keeping workers safer.
The BCCSA’s 25-year history, from the early efforts of separate construction safety organizations to the creation of a single province-wide alliance, reflects a broader evolution in how workplace safety is addressed in British Columbia’s construction sector. Its emphasis on collaboration, prevention, practical tools and shared best practices continues to define its role within the industry.
