As we face continued change in health guidance and orders, leaders in the consulting engineering industry are collaborating to align organizational health and safety practices to best protect people on their teams, in their communities, and their clients. In the coming weeks, these organizations will establish proof of vaccine requirements for their team members who access shared or public workspaces like offices, client and partner facilities, and worksites.
“The health and safety of our staff, their families, and the people we are in contact with in performing our work remains our primary goal. Vaccination is fundamental to achieving this goal.”
– Mark Blamey, P.Eng., P.E, MBA, President and Chair, Kerr Wood Leidal
Encouraged by already high rates of vaccination within their organizations, the decision to require team members to demonstrate they are vaccinated aligns with industry values including health and safety, community, and inclusion. Core to their decision were continuity and efficiency in delivering service to clients, alignment of practice with partner organizations, and to support those who are vulnerable to COVID-19 because they cannot be vaccinated and those whose immune system may be compromised.
“While we know that vaccinations do not fully prevent people from contracting the virus, the science shows that vaccines significantly lessen the impact of severe outcomes if we contract COVID-19. Our decision to request proof of vaccination supports the people we work with, our families, and communities to be safe and healthy.”
– Steve Hedberg, P.Eng., P.Geo., President and CEO, BGC Engineering
“According to the WHO, vaccination against COVID-19 is one of the best ways to protect employees from becoming seriously ill and reduces the risk of transmitting the virus to others. As such, we have implemented a procedure that strongly encourages only those who have been fully vaccinated to access our office facilities. We also support the mandatory vaccination of our employees at some of our client sites.”
– Dale Clarke, P.Eng., President Infrastructure Services and Canada Lead at SNC-Lavalin
Firms including Aplin & Martin Consultants, Associated Engineering, BGC Engineering, Binnie, exp, Frykberg Innovations, GHD, Kerr Wood Leidal, Klohn Crippen Berger, McElhanney, Mott MacDonald Canada, Ram Consulting, SNC-Lavalin, and Stantec have developed internal practices to support safe workplaces and to align with health orders, employment standards, travel requirements, and client site requirements. These firms continue to work with their teams to encourage vaccination and where possible, and accommodate team members who are not vaccinated.
“The last 18 months of the pandemic have challenged all of us. Our team’s dedication to our projects and clients, and resilience they’ve shown during this pandemic reinforces the importance of adopting practices that demonstrate our commitment to the health and wellness.”
– Martin Jobke, P.Eng., President and CEO, Associated Engineering
By sharing their plans to implement vaccination requirements for their teams, these leaders hope to encourage their colleagues in the industry who have not already developed their own policies to consider adopting a similar practice.
“A deep commitment to health, safety, and wellness is core to the culture of our firm and our industry. Aligning our practices is good for all of us, and we always welcome the opportunity to work together with partners to create safer workplaces and safer communities.”
– Allan Russell, P.Eng., President and CEO, McElhanney
ACEC-BC supported members to collaborate on proof of vaccination requirements and has implemented vaccination requirements for our own team and workplace. Members and partners interested in learning more are invited to connect with us. The firms contributing to this collaboration are committed to sharing information with partners to assist them in developing their own policy.
