TORONTO, Ont. – Its stamp of approval appears on everything from hockey helmets to toasters, but now the Canadian Standards Association is looking to add Canadian trucks to the list.

CSA International has unveiled its new Carrier Safety Management System that both sets standards and certifies the safety practices of participating fleets. Much like traditional ISO registrations, the newest system includes benchmarks and an auditing system, but in this case focuses on an entire operation rather than its individual components, and on the physical state of equipment as much as the paper trail that surrounds it.

At the heart of the Carrier Safety Management System is a $50 binder that outlines better safety practices, but those who want to carry the famous mark of approval need to apply for CSA certification, which requires a series of audits.

Terry Drew, director of transportation services at CSA International, says it’s a rare opportunity for Canada’s safest carriers.

“What if I invest heavily in safety and the guy beside me does not?” he asks of the trucking industry’s current operating environment. “There’s no way for me to distinguish myself from the other guy.”

The system itself has been built to improve any aspect of a trucking business that has an impact on safety – from ensuring outsourced mechanics use calibrated tools, to developing training programs for drivers.

“It makes the whole notion of safety manageable,” Drew says.

The program and its benchmarks were developed in conjunction with a volunteer committee that included the likes of provincial trucking associations, enforcement officers, General Motors, the Canada Safety Council and the Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council. And two years after their work began, it’s a reality.

Walter Scott, the owner of McArthur Express in Cambridge, Ont., had already been looking for a quality standard program, but he hadn’t been able to find one that focused on equipment as much as paperwork.

That’s why his was one of four fleets to participate in a pilot project that helped set many of the final standards over the past year. Now he’s just waiting for the final audit.

“It shows McArthur has a commitment to safety,” he says of the CSA approach, referring to his fleet of about 90 power units and 215 trailers.

While the fleet already has an envious safety record, the CSA offers an external set of eyes and annual audits to keep the company on the right track, he says. “That way we know that, every year, they would keep us proactive.”

So too does it force vendors and suppliers to follow the same standards. “It’s put them on a different level now,” he says. “They have to follow the audits as well.”

The end result, Drew says, is that the CSA’s safety management system can help fleets become safer than ever. “It makes the whole notion of safety manageable.”

The standard covers four key areas: management’s commitment to safety; the implementation of a safety management system; ongoing support for such a system; and a commitment by management to continuously improve a fleet’s safety performance.

“The standard will allow carriers to establish baseline processes which we anticipate may result in improved performance in safety, service and productivity,” Drew says. “It will also assist in promoting uniform safety performance amongst carriers across all jurisdictions.”

“We’ve been involved in transportation for over 40 years, beginning with the development of standards for automotive turn signals,” he says. Turn Signals for Motor Vehicles was first unveiled in 1952. So too has CSA been involved in such things as school bus standards and the transportation of dangerous goods. (Little surprise here, considering that many drivers can see the stamp on their hardhats and workboots.)

Through its QMI division, CSA already certifies corporations to such international standards as ISO 9000 and QS 9000. In fact, it has certified more than 400 transportation companies. But while it has a common framework, this new look at safety performance is offering something more.

It’s even needed as Canada struggles to develop a common safety rating system under the National Safety Code, Drew says.

“When you try to get the provinces and territories to agree on something, it’s historically the lowest common denominator,” he says. Ontario, for example, was unable to convince other provinces to mandate fleet audits for a safety rating system. And unlike Alberta’s Partners in Compliance system, the CSA program isn’t limited to a single region.

“The (new) standard requires carriers to set their own benchmarks,” he says of the CSA approach. And they’ll be higher than any existing national standards. “If you set your benchmarks at this level, you’re assured virtually no out of service, no fines or penalties for violations.” n

– For more information, call 800-463-6727, or E-mail www.csa-international.org. Ask about CSA B619 – 00 Carrier Safety Management System.