Safety Check Inspections provides vital health and safety training online and in-person

“Here at Safety Check, we are always staying up to date on our course offerings,” Office Manager Jennifer Fahey says. “This year we started offering a mental health first aid course in-house through the Mental Health Commission of Canada. So, if someone you work with suddenly has a panic attack, the course gives you the tools you need to help that person.”

Safety Check Inspections Ltd. is an occupational health and safety training and consulting company based in Sydney, Cape Breton. In 2015 Jennifer, her husband, Operations Manager Frankie Fahey and Training Manager Chris Angione bought Safety Check from the founder Greg MacMillan. They worked with Greg at Safety Check for 2 years before leading the company on their own.

The new team not only refreshed and expanded their course offerings and services offered in 2015 – they also reached out to Coastal Business CBDC for support and advice. Not only was Safety Check able to get the financing needed to grow the business, it also benefited from taking part in initiatives like the Consulting Advisory Service Program, Entrepreneurial Training Fund and Cape Breton Consulting Advisory Program, to name a few.

“I only attended the initial meetings with CBDC,” Chris explains. “They were super friendly, very accommodating, and extremely patient with us. Where our business was a business succession – as employees, we took over Safety Check as owners – we knew our business, our goals, and where we wanted to be. Coastal helped us get there with their advice and support.” 

“I still meet with Patricia and her team at Coastal once a year,” Jennifer says. “It’s mutually beneficial – there’s been so much support – CBDC is fantastic to deal with!”

Mutual because Safety Check provides CBDC clients with WHMIS and OH&S training as needed. Meanwhile, CBDC offered Jennifer and team helpful business advice and courses in Excel, marketing and accounting. During the darkest days of the pandemic, Safety Check partnered with CBDC to set up online safety training. Previously, in-person was the industry standard but times have changed.

“For example, one of our specialities, the confined space training, takes two days,” Jennifer explains. “Now you can take the first day online, and the second day in person - you can even review all course materials online. It saves our clients time and money.”

Safety Check works with a variety of clients, including: oil and gas businesses, local municipalities, as well as power and construction companies. As the dedicated team tries their best to keep up with demand for their courses, they have been able to increase wages and offer more flexible schedules.

“We know what it takes to make our staff happy. They are appreciated, respected, and rewarded,” Jennifer says. “And our staff are amazing – we’re very family oriented here.”

Future plans for Safety Check include keeping up with the latest trends in training, offering at least one new course offering a year, in addition to professional development sessions on mental health, improving focus and work-life balance.