To promote and enforce public safety+-
Company Profile
Putting Public Safety First
Since 1997, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) has delivered public safety services on behalf of the government of Ontario in four key sectors:
• boilers and pressure vessels, and operating engineers;
• elevating devices, amusement devices and ski lifts;
• fuels; and,
• upholstered and stuffed articles.
TSSA is a not-for-profit, self-funded organization dedicated to enhancing public safety. With headquarters in Toronto, TSSA employs approximately 380 staff, 70 percent of whom work in operations. Governed by a 13-member board of directors, TSSA is accountable to the Ontario government, the residents of Ontario and its other stakeholders.
TSSA funds its operations by charging its industry customers a fee for the services it provides.
Safety Value Chain and Value Proposition
While TSSA is required to enforce the Technical Standards and Safety Act and regulations, the organization has embraced a much broader role than compliance. Through both promotion and enforcement actions, TSSA seeks to continuously improve safety. TSSA cannot respond to all public safety risks through compliance actions. Many incidents are caused by operator or user behaviour and can at best only be influenced by TSSA. As a result, TSSA seeks to act as both a regulator and an advocate – firmly committed to improving safety.
In identifying its safety value chain activities, TSSA has included activities that enable both elements of its purpose: promote and enforce. In addition, certain activities within the safety value chain outlined below are by definition more preventative in nature. TSSA’s safety value chain activities are:
- Influence codes and regulations: support government in developing regulations, and participate in code development and standard setting.
- Inform, educate and modify behaviour: inform and educate end-users and industry participants regarding better safety practices and issues, new codes, regulations and requirements, and seek to influence user behaviour.
- License, register and certify (examine): influence training institutions to properly train trades people, and effectively examine and certify trades people, register plants and equipment, and license devices, sites and contractors.
- Review designs: review the design of new technology, new installations, alterations and modifications to existing equipment and plants for compliance to codes and regulations.
- Inspect and monitor: inspect/audit trades people, contractors, plants, equipment and sites for compliance with codes and regulations, and monitor developing safety related trends or issues.
- Enforce: take appropriate regulatory actions to resolve non-compliance situations or actions before or after safety incidents.
- Investigate: investigate safety incidents or near-misses.
TSSA’s value proposition is to put the greatest emphasis on preventative activities within the safety value chain.
TSSA recognizes that the evolutionary path toward this goal will vary for each sector it regulates. In delivering on its value proposition, TSSA is committed to ensuring compliance through the application of best practices. Where additional opportunities to enhance safety are identified, TSSA will design and implement preventative actions, such as public safety awareness campaigns. In doing so, TSSA recognizes the role of its regulatory customers and other stakeholders to have a shared responsibility for safety and encourages them to fully accept this responsibility.
