In July 2021, the WorkSafeBC Board of Directors approved amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (OHSR) regarding Part 18 – Traffic Control. These amendments took effect on December 1, 2021.
The purpose of the amendments is to update and align the BC OHSR with the 2020 editions of the Traffic Management Manual for Work on Roadways (TMM). With the new updates, it eliminates the conflict between the OHSR and the Ministry’s Traffic Control Manual (TCM).
With the amended requirements in the OHSR, a qualified person must perform a risk assessment that meets the requirements in subsection (2) & (3) in Section 18.3.1. Based on the risk assessment performed, written work procedures and a Traffic Control Plan must be developed.
In addition, previous OHSR did not detail specific orientation or training needs to be completed before starting the work. The new OHSR regulation provides more information on the acceptable training program to be completed prior to starting the job.
Furthermore, the previous OHSR regulation focused on when a Traffic Control Person (TCP) needs to be used. To protect and further consider the safety of the Traffic Control Person, the OHSR has added regulations where a Traffic Control Person cannot be used.
For more information on the regulation update on Traffic Control, visit the WorkSafeBC website.
