SafetyCo Partners (“SafetyCo”) announced an investment in and partnership with Industrial Safety Trainers (“IST”) today, adding to its growing portfolio of companies. The newly launched, occupational health and safety platform offers an integrated suite of safety services under one umbrella, modernizing a fragmented industry to better serve its industrial, infrastructure, construction, and education sector clients. Adding to SafetyCo’s existing roster of companies, including recently announced Safety Design Strategies, IST has been an innovative industry leader for over 20 years. IST founded the Safety Bus concept, which delivers on-site training, and pioneered virtual and hybrid safety training courses during the pandemic, which are now used to support underserviced regions in northern Canada. SafetyCo is a growth platform of private investment firm &Capital which aims to change the face of safety consulting nationwide.
“Having entrepreneur and founder, Randy Dignard, and his team at IST join the SafetyCo family has been an exciting milestone in our journey to-date,” said Mark Ferrier, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of &Capital. “The innovation that Randy’s team has brought to the industry is unmatched, and we know that armed with Randy’s nuanced knowledge of health and safety policy and regulation in Canada, we can combine our resources and expertise to grow SafetyCo for the benefit of our clients and an in-demand sector.”
Founded in 1999, IST’s group of companies includes Industrial Safety Trainers; Construction Safety Trainers, which is focused on working at heights along with providing a myriad of compliance solutions to the construction industry; and the Safety Bus, which provides mobile, on-site training. With training centres in Toronto, Barrie and Ottawa, its 25 employees are certified professionals with in-field experience that service all of Ontario. President and founder, Randy Dignard, is well known in the industry as one of Ontario’s leading safety consultants, and he coaches business owners across the country on how they can demonstrate due diligence and adherence to Ontario safety laws. IST pioneered remote and hybrid training courses during the pandemic which has set the standard for other private and public-sector training providers. The company has provided training to 26,300 workers over the past two years.
“Safety training has been a passion of mine for nearly 25 years, and I have seen the industry evolve in many ways during that time. I fundamentally believe that safety training does not need to be expensive or inconvenient and I have built my business around these values. Given the increased demand we’re seeing from employers and the shortage of trained workers, I’m excited to partner with the SafetyCo team to make our services more accessible and competitive for our growing client base,” said Randy Dignard, President and Founder of IST.
