Safety Standards for Technical Systems and Equipment

Publication date: June 16, 2023

Providing safety oversight to reduce hazards, prevent accidents and increase public safety is important.

The Safety Standards Act (external link) and regulations (external links) set the guidelines for the following technologies and the people who work with them:

  • Amusement rides
  • Boilers, pressure vessels and refrigeration systems
  • Electrical equipment and systems
  • Elevators and escalators
  • Gas appliances and systems
  • Railways
  • Ski lifts and aerial trams

Technical Safety BC (external link) (formerly the BC Safety Authority) oversees the safe installation and operation of these technical systems and equipment. It does this through permits, licensing, enforcement, education and research.

Ten municipalities are delegated portions of the Safety Standards Act to issue electrical and/or gas permits and perform assessments. More information on the local governments and their delegated permissions is available on Technical Safety BC's website (external link).

In 2023, the Province completed an audit of Technical Safety BC. For more information, review the Performance Audit of Technical Safety BC (PDF, 2.3 MB). Review of recommendations and implementation is ongoing.

Contact information