Safety Policy Statement Sign Off
A mandatory formal attestation program requiring all employees, supervisors, contractors, and site visitors to acknowledge, understand, and commit to the organization's safety policies, hazard controls, and regulatory compliance obligations under WorkSafeBC and OSHA standards.
The Safety Policy Statement Sign Off program is a binding organizational procedure that requires every individual entering a company-controlled worksite — including full-time employees, part-time staff, temporary workers, subcontractors, and approved visitors — to formally attest in writing that they have read, understood, and will comply with all applicable safety policies, safe work procedures, and regulatory requirements. This program establishes a clear chain of accountability and provides auditable proof of policy dissemination and employee acknowledgment. The sign-off process is triggered upon initial hire, after any policy revision, following a recordable incident, and on an annual recertification basis. Digital signatures collected through the SafeDesk platform are considered legally equivalent to wet signatures for all internal compliance and external regulatory audit purposes. All signed statements are retained for a minimum of three years or as required by applicable jurisdiction, and failure to complete the sign-off process results in immediate restriction of worksite access and escalation to the joint health and safety committee.
This policy applies to all personnel operating under the organization's health and safety management system, including owned and leased facilities, remote work locations, client sites where the organization exercises operational control, and any temporary worksites established during projects or service calls. The sign-off requirement extends to every tier of the organizational hierarchy — from executive leadership and site managers to frontline tradespeople, administrative staff, and third-party contractors performing work on behalf of the organization. Specific sign-off modules must be completed for each distinct policy domain: general safety orientation, hazard-specific protocols (lockout/tagout, confined space, fall protection, etc.), emergency response plans, and workplace violence and harassment prevention. Contractors must provide evidence of their own equivalent policy acknowledgment or complete the organization's sign-off process before commencing work. Any exemption must be approved in writing by the Director of Health and Safety and documented in the contractor's pre-qualification file.
- All personnel must complete the Safety Policy Statement Sign Off within 24 hours of initial site access or policy revision; digital acknowledgment via SafeDesk is the default method, and paper forms are accepted only when electronic access is unavailable, with a mandatory electronic upload within 48 hours.
- The sign-off document must clearly state: "I have read, understand, and agree to comply with all organizational safety policies and safe work procedures. I understand that failure to comply may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment or removal from site."
- Annual recertification is mandatory for all employees and contractors; records must be maintained in the centralized compliance database (SafeDesk) and be immediately accessible during regulatory inspections or internal audits.
- Supervisors must verify that each individual under their authority has a valid, current sign-off on file before assigning any task; a daily pre-shift check of the digital compliance dashboard is required, and any gaps must be escalated within one hour.
- After a recordable incident or near-miss, affected personnel must re-sign the relevant policy statements within one working shift, confirming their understanding of any updated procedures or hazard controls resulting from the incident investigation.
- Language accessibility: All sign-off materials must be available in the primary languages spoken by the workforce, and a translator or interpreter must be present during the acknowledgment process if the individual's literacy or comprehension requires support.
- Senior Leadership (CEO, COO, VP Operations): Provide visible endorsement of the sign-off program, allocate resources for digital compliance infrastructure, and ensure that no individual can bypass the acknowledgment process regardless of position or tenure.
- Director of Health and Safety: Own the policy statement content, approve all revisions, oversee the digital sign-off system implementation, and serve as the final authority for exemption requests and non-compliance escalation.
- Site Supervisors / Foremen: Verify daily that all personnel assigned to their work area have current sign-offs on file, conduct in-person confirmation of understanding for high-risk tasks, and immediately report any gaps to the safety department.
- Human Resources: Integrate the sign-off process into the new-hire onboarding workflow, maintain personnel compliance records, coordinate annual recertification scheduling, and manage disciplinary follow-through for non-compliance.
- Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC): Review the sign-off program effectiveness quarterly, recommend improvements, and audit a random sample of signed statements to verify authenticity and comprehension.
- All Employees & Contractors: Complete the sign-off process in full within the required timeframe, ask questions if any policy language is unclear, and report any observed violations or gaps in the program to their supervisor or safety representative.