A quarter of a century ago, Belgian industry set up 'Contractor Safety Management' within the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium. The non-profit organisation manages the VCA and BeSaCC safety and healthcare systems in Belgium and the associated training, certificates, and attestations. Last week, the organization celebrated its (just over the) 25th anniversary in the presence of more than 100 active stakeholders and veterans.
A dive into history
In 1997, at the request of its members from industry, sectors mainly representing clients (chemicals, petrochemicals, energy, metals, utilities, etc.) and sectors mainly contractors (construction, maintenance, measurement and control technology, cleaning and industrial cleaning, environmental management, etc.) FEB set up a platform entitled 'Safety of (sub)contracting'. A year later, the non-profit organisation BeSaCC (Belgian Safety Criteria for Contractors) saw the light of day and in 1999 the BeSaCC system was operational, and the first certificates were issued to contractors after analysing their files.
At that time, the industry in and around the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp had already been using the VCA (Safety, Health and Environment Checklist for Contractors) for several years, a certification system based on an audit by a certification body accredited for this purpose by the government (Belcert, now Belac). In 2001, the Belgian activities in the VCA system were entrusted by the Dutch management organisation SSVV (Foundation for Cooperation for Safety) to the non-profit organisation BeSaCC, which from then on was known as the non-profit organisation BeSaCC-VCA. In 2007, both systems were incorporated into a new vehicle, the non-profit organisation Contractor Safety Management.
The activities give substance to the law of 4 August 1996 on the well-being of employees in the performance of their work. This Act contains a specific chapter entitled 'Special provisions concerning work carried out by external companies' with a series of regulations that apply to both employers who have the work carried out (clients) and the (sub)contractors who come to carry out the work. The competent authority (FPD WASO - Federal Public Service Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue) points on its website to VCA and BeSaCC as instruments to give substance to the legal obligations. Link to website.
Active members, partners and veterans celebrate 25 years of Contractor Safety Management in Belgium
Contractor safety in Belgium today
The current Contractor Safety Management stands for partnership between clients and contractors and with certification bodies, training and examination centres, health and safety experts, trade unions and governments. Activities include management, maintenance, control, quality assurance, support and updating of systems and regulations, and the provision of tools and training materials. More than 4000 companies in Belgium have a valid VCA certificate or BeSaCC certificate. As many as 100,000 employees a year receive safety training (theoretical and practical) in the system through some 60 approved centres. Internationally, there is cooperation with similar organizations in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Spain and Portugal.
What does the future hold?
The ambitions for the future are great. The aim is to create a fully-fledged European Alliance for Contractor Safety. A new version of the VCA standard should provide an answer to the challenges in the economy and make use of the opportunities:
- more focus on safe behaviour and safety in the workplace;
- strengthened management involvement;
- new forms of work organisation;
- AI and digitalisation;
- safeguards for subcontracting chains;
- avoiding the risks of social dumping;
- breaking down language barriers;
- ensuring the quality of audits and training;
- Etc...
Needless to say, all of this will require even more trust and cooperation from the partners. After more than 25 years, the organization and its members are ready for it!
“Contractor Safety Management staat voor partnerschap tussen opdrachtgevers en aannemers”
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