How leadership, accountability and collaboration are shaping a safer future for telecom, hydro and construction projects across British Columbia
In British Columbia, safety isn’t just a regulatory requirement — it’s the foundation on which the province’s infrastructure is built. From hydro and telecom installations to bridges, highways, and large-scale real estate developments, every project depends on the discipline of keeping people, communities and assets protected. With BC’s mountainous terrain, unpredictable weather, and complex regulatory landscape, the margin for error is small. Yet the opportunity to lead is great.
The High Stakes of Civil and Infrastructure Work
Few industries carry the level of visible accountability that construction and civil engineering do. Every bridge built, road resurfaced or telecom trench dug unfolds in public view. A single safety lapse can have devastating consequences — not only for those directly involved but for entire communities. For companies working with municipalities, utilities and developers, strong safety performance is now as much a business advantage as it is an ethical obligation.
British Columbia’s Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, enforced under the Workers Compensation Act, sets a firm baseline for compliance. Yet leading organizations know that regulation alone is not enough. They integrate safety into every phase of project planning, design and execution. For example, BC Hydro’s “Life Saving Rules” require contractors to embed stop-work authority into their protocols, empowering anyone — from a site foreman to a first-year apprentice — to halt work if conditions are unsafe. This approach transforms safety from a checklist into a culture of shared accountability.
What It Means to Build a Safety Culture
Safety culture begins with leadership. When executives and senior managers treat safety as a core value rather than a compliance exercise, it sets the tone for the entire organization. Leadership commitment is demonstrated not through memos, but through visible actions. That means showing up on job sites, participating in safety meetings and ensuring that adequate resources and training are in place.
Empowerment follows naturally from leadership. Workers must feel confident that they can speak up, ask questions or stop work without fear of reprisal. True safety cultures thrive when communication flows freely across hierarchies and when the field crew’s observations are valued as much as management’s directives.
Equally important is the ability to learn and adapt. Incident reviews and near-miss reports shouldn’t end in blame but in insight. Organizations that analyze root causes and update their protocols accordingly demonstrate maturity and transparency. Continuous learning keeps safety practices relevant in a sector defined by rapid technological change and evolving project complexity.
The Infrastructure of Safety: Systems that Support Culture
Culture may drive behavior, but systems sustain it. A well-structured Construction Safety Management Plan (CSMP) provides a clear framework for every contractor and subcontractor working on a site. These plans outline hazard identification, emergency response, inspection procedures and communication chains, ensuring that safety responsibilities are not lost amid tight schedules or shifting crews.
Standard operating procedures (SOPs) also play a critical role. The British Columbia Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA) provides extensive Safe Work Practices that serve as industry benchmarks for specific tasks and equipment operations. These should never be static documents; they must evolve as new risks emerge or lessons are learned in the field.
Training and certification underpin all of this. Programs such as SiteReadyBC give every worker a consistent understanding of hazard management, confined space procedures and emergency preparedness before stepping onto a job site. When training is standardized and reinforced through mentorship, the results are measurable — fewer incidents, stronger confidence, and higher morale.
Incorporating guidance from the BCCGA’s Best Practices, especially around underground utility coordination and right-of-way management, is another step forward. Telecom and hydro contractors in particular face elevated risks when working near buried or energized infrastructure. Proactive coordination not only prevents accidents but also reduces costly damage to essential services.
Sector-Specific Realities
Each segment of the infrastructure sector carries unique safety challenges. Hydro and power projects, for example, require strict adherence to grounding, bonding and lock-out/tag-out procedures, especially during live-line or confined-space work. Telecom projects demand careful planning to avoid strikes on existing fibre, gas, or water lines — a risk mitigated through “common ground” principles championed by the BCCGA.
Municipal infrastructure and bridge projects bring their own complexities. These sites often operate in live traffic zones or densely populated urban environments, where protecting the public is as important as protecting workers. Meticulous traffic management, clear signage, and diligent communication with municipal partners are essential. The challenge lies not only in meeting technical safety standards but in coordinating multiple contractors, agencies, and stakeholders who must all share responsibility for the outcome.
Sustaining a Culture of Safety Over Time
Maintaining safety excellence requires discipline and reinforcement. Leading companies integrate safety metrics into their core business systems — tracking both leading indicators, such as inspections and training completions, and lagging indicators, such as incident rates. Transparent reporting creates accountability, while regular third-party audits and COR (Certificate of Recognition) certification through the BCCSA validate performance against provincial benchmarks.
Equally important is communication. Toolbox talks, visual dashboards, and safety huddles keep the topic active in daily operations. Recognition programs that highlight safe practices help shift safety from obligation to aspiration. When employees see that their vigilance is valued, engagement rises naturally.
In the long term, the most successful firms make safety inseparable from their brand. They treat it as a defining element of how they do business — a promise to clients, communities, and employees alike. This approach attracts top talent, earns trust from partners, and sets them apart in competitive tenders where a strong safety record can tip the balance in their favour.
The Business Case for Safety
Safety leadership delivers measurable returns. Projects with fewer incidents experience fewer delays, lower insurance premiums, and better workforce stability. Beyond numbers, a visible commitment to safety enhances a company’s reputation with municipalities, developers, and utilities — the very clients who prioritize risk management in vendor selection.
In a sector where skilled labour is in short supply, a reputation for protecting workers is also a magnet for talent. The best people want to work where they are respected, heard, and safe. As infrastructure spending grows across BC, this will become a decisive factor in attracting and retaining the next generation of skilled trades and engineers.
Leading the Next Chapter of Safety in BC
British Columbia’s civil and infrastructure community is evolving, and with it, expectations for safety leadership. It’s never been more important to align industry standards, promote collaboration between utilities and contractors and advocate for a culture that sees safety not as a cost, but as a core value.
Every organization has the opportunity to contribute. Conducting a safety culture audit, revisiting internal training and aligning policies with BCCGA best practices are concrete ways to start. More broadly, leaders can set the tone for an industry that no longer tolerates “good enough” when it comes to protecting people and property. Because in the end, building safely is more than a responsibility — it’s a reflection of who we are as an industry and a province.
