TORONTO – DESO Construction Limited of Caledonia, Ont. has taken home the gold as the top winner of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s (WSIB) 2025 Small Business Health and Safety Leadership Awards.
Launched in 2017, the awards recognize and celebrate small businesses that demonstrate exemplary health and safety practices and go the extra mile to keep their employees safe.
Here is a list of the winners:
Gold ($10,000 prize) – DESO Construction Limited is a non-residential building construction company. According to the WSIB, this year, the business looked for more ways to strengthen their health and safety programs and chose to address accidental opioid exposure on jobsites by deploying Naloxone kits. They had focused discussions on the kits’ purpose with team members, addressed stigma and fostered acceptance within their teams of the change.
“In a small but growing business like ours, leadership and frontline work often overlap, and are one in the same — which means setting the tone for health and safety starts with leadership, both in attitude and in action,” said Dennis Sousa, president of DESO Construction Limited, in a statement.
Silver (tie, $6000 prize each) – Bayside Geoscience Inc. of Thunder Bay is an independent geological consulting company.
Ottawa Homecare Associates Inc. is a leading provider of personal care and nursing services, and also took home a silver award.
Bronze ($4000 prize) – Simple Strokes Painting Solutions Inc. of St. Marys is a specialized painting and renovation company.
Ontario small businesses registered with the WSIB with fewer than 50 employees that are independently owned and operated are eligible to apply for the awards, which are handed out annually.
Businesses were judged on their performance in safety culture and leadership, implementation of safety programs or initiatives, communications and employee involvement in the internal responsibility system.
