Alternative Safety Approaches
State of Safety 2025
Yearly Trends: Alternative Safety Approaches
The Alternative Safety Approaches (ASA) program gives owners and operators of regulated equipment greater flexibility by providing variance to existing regulations, codes or standards. Rather than focusing solely on prescriptive regulatory requirements, ASA treats safety as an integrated system centered on achieving defined safety outcomes.
Under this program, owners or operators may develop a written ASA plan that outlines how they will carry out regulated work or use regulated equipment.
14
Audits rated "effective"
13
Audits rated "effective, except for"
0
Audits rated "not effective"
The ASA Program in 2025
Building on the 13 new ASA applications and expressions of interest received in 2024, the ASA program received an additional 14 applications and expressions of interest in 2025. These inquiries came from both prospective new clients and existing clients seeking to expand their participation through additional ASAs in other technologies. This continued growth reflects the need for flexibility in how owners and operators manage safety in their facilities and suggests that clients are recognizing the value and benefits of the ASA model.
This year, Technical Safety BC also continued with the development of a new ASA client portal designed to improve service delivery and streamline client interactions. Once launched, the portal will enable clients to directly access their ASA accounts, submit and manage information, and track account details more efficiently. Significant progress was made on the portal throughout the year, and it is expected to be fully operational by late-2026.
Another notable milestone in 2025 was the completion of a Construction Safety Management Plan for a major liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing plant on British Columbia’s southern coast. Construction of the facility is now well underway, with several component modules already in place and others currently in transit.
This project has been in planning and development for several years and represents a significant investment in British Columbia’s economy. Technical Safety BC is proud to support this important initiative and the safe development of major industrial infrastructure in the province.
When Organizational Change Tests a Safety Program
An ASA holder’s experience shows how organizational change can affect compliance, and how corrective action can restore good standing.
Changes in personnel can affect any organization, but for companies that operate regulated equipment, those changes can also have safety implications. Under Technical Safety BC’s ASA program, participating organizations are able to manage certain aspects of their safety programs within a regulatory framework that requires them to have authorized representatives, maintain effective processes, demonstrate compliance, and support continuous improvement. One example comes from an experienced ASA duty-holder in the oil and gas sector.
In 2024, the client received a “not effective” audit rating. This result followed a period of corporate restructuring during which the company’s ASA Administrative Authorized Representative left the organization. That change created gaps in the management of the ASA program.
Consistent with Technical Safety BC’s risk-based oversight approach for the ASA program, a follow-up conformance audit was scheduled within 12 months of the 2024 audit to confirm progress in addressing the identified non-conformances.
In advance of the follow-up audit, the client submitted its 2025 annual report to the ASA Safety Manager. The report outlined the corrective actions underway and the steps being taken to strengthen the program and support continuous improvement.
During the 2025 follow-up audit, the client achieved an “effective” audit rating. The company’s staff were engaged throughout the audit, and they provided a presentation outlining the corrective actions taken in response to the previous findings. They also implemented new policies and procedures to restore compliance and support effective program management going forward.
These improvements included succession planning measures, with additional staff trained in ASA program management to reduce the risk of a similar staffing-related issue in the future.
As a result of the 2025 “effective” audit outcome, the client returned to good standing. Future oversight activities will reflect the strong corrective actions taken and the client’s demonstrated commitment to maintaining compliance and safety performance.
Audit Categories
Effective | Processes and/or controls are adequate, appropriate, and effective to provide reasonable assurance that risks are being managed. |
Effective, Except For | Processes and/or controls are adequate, appropriate, and effective to provide reasonable assurance that risks are being managed. However, there are deficiencies that need to be addressed by management. |
Not Effective | Processes and/or controls are not adequate, appropriate, or effective to provide reasonable assurance that risks are being managed. There are a number of critical and high-risk deficiencies that need to be addressed by management. These deficiencies have a significant impact on operations. |
2025 Audit Results
In 2025, we performed 27 audits. Of these, we rated 14 audits as “effective,” 13 audits as “effective, except for," and 0 audit as “not effective.” For comparison, in 2024, we performed 21 audits where 14 were rated as “effective,” six were rated as “effective, except for" and one that was rated as “not effective."