Assessments
Annual State of Safety 2023
State of Safety: Assessments
Assessments help us confirm that owners and duty holders are complying with the Safety Standards Act and associated regulations. We use a combination of advanced analytics and human decision-making to find the greatest sources of potential harm to British Columbians. This helps us target places with the highest risk while optimizing efficiency and scale.
In the electrical and gas technologies, every installation permit assessment request received is first assessed by a predictive machine learning algorithm which determines the probability of a moderate or high hazard being found. Safety officers use this information and their expertise to determine the type of assessment that ought to be applied, whether it’s an accepted declaration, remote assessment, or in-person physical assessment.
Real-Time Data Informs Risk
In 2023, we continued to enhance our structured resource allocation (SRA) framework by increasing the frequency of model retraining. This increased the addition of real-time data (or observed hazards) as documented by safety officers to better inform predictions of high-risk installation permits.
Safety officers continued to increase the frequency of in-person physical assessments in places where high hazards are more probable. Remote assessments continued to be effective in areas predicted to have lower hazards in accordance with safety officer discretion.
As we move forward, we remain focused on non-compliance management and prioritizing high hazards. We will work together with our clients and safety partners to reduce risks and promote safety.
Understanding our Assessment Approach
Assessments Versus Inspections
Assessments refer to our evaluation of whether a system or equipment possesses safety risk. We can use any combination of the different tools available to us when evaluating safety – from video calling to checking submitted documents, using predictive machine learning, and more. Onsite inspections are a type of assessment where safety officers perform physical inspections in places where high hazards are more likely to be found.
In-Person and Remote Assessments
We use a combination of physical, in-person assessments and remote assessments to support our mandate. Remote assessments are performed by safety officers and allow us to increase our reach and presence, especially in outlying parts of BC. When combined with physical, in-person assessments, remote assessments are useful in detecting areas of high hazards, while helping us improve client experience and reduce our environmental impact.
Structured Resource Allocation
Risk-based oversight is used to efficiently find areas that may have a higher number of hazards or safety risks. The structured resource allocation framework, made up of five drivers, determines how we assess regulated work and equipment. 1) We use a machine learning model that takes data from past assessments, adds real-time data, and applies the expertise of people and machine learning to predict areas with higher safety risk. 2) We identify and assess a representative sample of permits in order to draw broader conclusions about risk. 3) We establish policies that identify areas where our tolerance for risk is low and assess all systems that fall within those policies. 4) Our safety officers use their expertise, local knowledge, and discretion in determining where hazards may lie. 5) We gather and address hazard notifications from the public.
Remote Assessments
Similar to audits, remote assessments usually include a review of photos, videos, and other documentation, as well as communication with the client through phone calls, video calls, and email. While a safety officer is reviewing documents and communicating with clients virtually, a remote assessment is not categorized as an in-person assessment.
In-Person Assessments
In-person assessments refer to safety officers assessing or inspecting work on site.
Compliance of Duty Holders' Work
We refer to a person who owns regulated products or performs regulated work as a duty holder.
The duty holder has a responsibility to comply with the Safety Standards Act, regulations, and any applicable technical code associated with the products they own, or work they perform.
When assessing the work of a duty holder, our safety officers provide one of the following ratings: pass, conditional pass, or fail.
Learn more about these ratings and applying for assessments.
Physical Assessments
In 2023, the electrical technology performed 17,783 physical assessments. Of these, 13,418 passed while 4,365 failed. This represents a failure rate of 25%.
The boilers, pressure vessels, and refrigeration technology had a similar failure rate, at 23%, as safety officers performed 4,214 physical assessments where 3,261 passed and 953 failed.
The gas technology had the highest failure rate at 31% where safety officers performed 6,985 physical assessments where 4,795 passed and 2,190 failed. These technologies do not use a “conditional pass” in their assessment results.
The elevating technology performed 2,691 physical assessments, where 1,381 passed, 1,007 conditionally passed, and 303 failed. This represents a failure rate of 11%.
The passenger ropeways technology performed 157 physical assessments, where nine passed, 134 conditionally passed, and 14 failed. This represents a failure rate of 9%.
The amusement devices technology saw the lowest failure rate at 6%. Safety officers performed 362 physical assessments where 16 passed, 325 conditionally passed, and 21 failed.
Compliance of Duty Holder's Work in 2023 (Physical Assessment)
Compliance of Duty Holder's Work in 2023 (Physical Assessment) Data
Hazards Found, by Category in 2023 (Physical Assessment)
Hazards Found, by Category in 2023 (Physical Assessment) Data
Remote Assessments
In 2023, the electrical technology performed 13,938 remote assessments. Of these, 13,069 passed while 869 failed. This represents a failure rate of 6%.
Similarly, the elevating technology saw a failure rate of 6% as well. Safety officers performed 493 remote assessments where 459 passed, four conditionally passed, and 30 failed. Most of the remote assessments conducted in elevating were on personnel hoist extensions.
The boilers, pressure vessels, and refrigeration technology, gas technology, and amusement devices technology had similar failure rates, at 13%, 11%, and 10% respectively. Safety officers in the boilers, pressure vessels, and refrigeration technology performed 1,506 assessments where 1,315 passed and 191 failed. Gas safety officers performed 6,562 assessments where 5,828 passed and 734 failed. The amusement devices technology saw a total of 41 assessments, resulting in nine passing, 28 conditionally passing, and four failing. The passenger ropeways technology enjoyed a 100% pass rate, with 14 total assessments, of which three passed and 11 conditionally passed.
Compliance of Duty Holder's Work in 2023 (Remote Assessment)
Compliance of Duty Holder's Work in 2023 (Remote Assessment) Data