Special to the DCN: Safety leaders share insights at League of Champions AGM

While health and safety on construction sites has improved thanks to organizations like the League of Champions (LOC), there is still more work to be done and significant progress to be made.

In his address at the LOC’s AGM, held Oct. 16 at Lionhead Golf Club and Conference Centre in Brampton, Ont., Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development David Piccini reiterated the importance of making safety in construction a top priority, especially in light of an incident that occurred on a jobsite earlier in the week.

On Oct.14, a gas explosion at a highrise construction site in Toronto sent seven workers to hospital. Four of them had life-threatening injuries.

“I actually just came from the hospital where I met some of the workers who have been injured. This is a reminder that our work is not done and we have a lot more work to do to protect our workers and to keep people safe,” said Piccini to the over 100 people in attendance at the AGM. “Regardless of what you do, you want to leave your family in the morning and come home and know that you’ll be home, hopefully in better shape thanks to a rewarding day of work.”

Piccini said it’s difficult to see the aftermath of a construction incident, especially when there are young people involved.

“It’s a reality that must force us all to get up every day and say, ‘How can we drive a successful economy? How can we get our projects done on time and on budget? And how can we do them safely because safety is paramount?’” he stated.

He talked about some of the initiatives the Doug Ford government is working on to make sites safer.

“We’re on the heels of a meeting yesterday with the Skilled Trades Ontario CEO and we acknowledged that for the first time in modern history, we’ve had a doubling of the registration in women our apprenticeship system,” said Piccini. “That is pretty historic in Ontario…There are more youth getting involved between the ages of 15 and 24 than at any time in recent history.”

Putting partisanship aside and working with folks of all political stripes across Canada is essential to fostering change, Piccini said.

“That’s what were doing at our Labour Ministers Table…working on health and safety harmonization,” said Piccini, adding there are a list of seven programs, including Working at Heights. “We’re going to lead that sort of harmonization across Canada. This is rising tides, raise all ships. We’re breaking down barriers for labour mobility.”

Piccini was presented with his own LOC jersey, a symbol that represents safety excellence and commitment.

Ontario’s Chief Prevention Officer Joel Moody also attended the event to show his support. Piccini, along with the LOC Board of Directors, welcomed 16 new members to the league and presented them with jerseys.

A new board of directors was also announced at the AGM. Harold Reinders stepped down as chair and is now past-chair. He said his mission over the last year has been to challenge leaders in organizations to step up when it comes to safety.

“We can’t just count on good policies,” Reinders noted. “We have to change the culture. We have to change the way we think. We have to lead by example.”

New board chair Stephen Agla, who is also director of EHS at Aecon, said significant strides have been made in health and safety since he joined the LOC.

He also shared the priorities the league will focus on over the next year:

Establishing a new funding agreement with the Chief Prevention Officer.
Expanding outreach to members to support their safety programs.
Establishing a roster of safety experts and champions who will support member programs.
Collaborating with the Mental health Commission of Canada.
Advocating for the importance of mental wellbeing in the construction workplace.
Focusing on Fit for Duty.

“Collectively we are stronger,” said Agla.

The AGM also included educational sessions from safety leaders in the construction industry.

In her presentation, Working Near Powerlines: Data-Driven Safety Insights for the Skilled Trades, Patience Cathcart, a public safety officer with Electrical Safety Authority, had some good news to share.

“We have seen a significant decrease in construction sector contacts with powerlines,” said Cathcart.

In terms of the overall trend, fatalities from fire and electrocution over the last 10 years has declined, she added.

“We are encouraged to see the efforts you are putting forward with partners, including ourselves, are working,” said Cathcart. “We do think these safety programs are working.

“Please don’t stop what you’re doing. Do more of it if you can.”

The AGM also included a session on How to Prevent Trench Collapses, presented by John McGuire and Cam Dougherty of Cooper Equipment rentals.