An interview with Christine Shearer, Baptist Housing

“This work isn’t about checking boxes or meeting minimum requirements. It’s about having the right partner to help you do safety well.” Christine Shearer, director of people and culture, labour relations and occupational health and safety at Baptist Housing, knows collaboration drives results. 

These words capture the essence of her approach to health and safety. Across long-term care, assisted living, independent living, and affordable housing, she is responsible for making sure that staff can understand, apply, and rely on the tools in their daily work.

In long-term care, assisted living, and housing, every decision around safety directly affects people’s lives. Misunderstood or ignored policies can cause real harm.

Organizations are tested not by their profits or efficiency, but by how they protect the vulnerable. And as the organization grew, Christine noticed a challenge.

New locations and teams brought energy and opportunity, but also differences in how policies and practices were applied. She wanted to be sure that safety standards were consistent, up to date, and truly reflective of the realities staff face every day. Partnering with us for a safety program review and gap analysis offered a chance to step back and align practice with policy.

The process was thorough and collaborative. All safety-related policies, procedures, and documentation were compiled into a single, centralized view. A health and safety specialist from SafeCare BC reviewed the materials, spoke with team members and management, and toured the buildings to see safety in practice.

“I felt comfortable right from the start. The focus was on continuous improvement rather than identifying deficiencies,” she recalls. “And while policies may be well intentioned, they don’t always reflect how work is actually being done or the realities team members face day to day,”

She understood people act with care when they feel supported, but retreat or make compromises when they don’t.

The review made it clear that safety cannot be set and forgotten. Policies must be living tools, revisited regularly and grounded in the realities of daily care. The experience reshaped her perspective, reinforcing that effective safety depends on curiosity, observation, and ongoing engagement.

And when one leader models thoughtful, engaged safety practices, it spreads.

SafeCare BC’s safety toolkit made the biggest difference to Christine’s team. It became an essential resource that streamlined compliance efforts across the organization. Whether it was the practical templates, clear guidelines, or Q&A materials, they focused on implementation rather than interpretation.

Since completing the review, there has been a noticeable cultural shift. Staff are more engaged in safety discussions, more confident in identifying hazards, and quicker to raise concerns. Policies are no longer rigid documents, but rather living tools guiding daily decisions. Safety has become a shared responsibility, embedded in the day-to-day life of every team member.

Going forward, Christine sees safety as an ongoing effort. Policies will continue to be revisited, conversations will remain active, and staff will be supported to confidently apply standards every day. For Christine, the work is about building trust, strengthening culture, and making sure the policies protect the people who rely on them. Through her partnership with us, Christine has shown that safety is something lived, every day, in every action.