Canadian Occupational Safety

November 2014 17 healthy workers and happy workers and they tend to get hurt less." One such initiative is Safety Speaks, which empowers employees to feel comfortable bring- ing their health and safety concerns forward to their supervisors. The program, which encour- ages a proactive rather than reactive approach, is introduced to employ- ees in their orientation period and has been successful in pre- venting minor issues from escalating, says Richardson. "They're the eyes and the ears out there and they can really make the biggest difference in whether or not we have a safe workplace and we tell them right from day one that if you see something that's a concern, bring it forward," she adds. Employees are also recognized for their efforts towards promoting health and safety in the fi eld through the "Thanks, Let Me Buy You a Coffee" program. Through the initiative, a supervisor who sees a worker doing a task safely, rather than cutting corners, can give him a Tim Horton's gift card. The county looks at health and safety differently than other government agencies, explains Shaye. Although policies and procedures are in place and work well, the organization does not use a one-size-fi ts-all approach. Also, managers who bring concerns forward know they are going to get support from senior management to make the necessary changes. The county communicates safety messages in numerous ways, includ- ing poster blitzes for "hot" safety topics and workplace-specifi c personal safety guidelines that touch on the unique risks of each specifi c area. "If we want to keep health and safety in the forefront, in the minds of the front-line workers, the best way to do that is communication and education, and if we can do that and have fun at the same time, we feel we've got a recipe for a win-win," says Richardson. B ill Borger, president and CEO of Borger Group of Companies, is extremely proud of the company's safety record due to the nature of the work his employees perform. "It is an incredibly dangerous business we're in: tons of overhead loads, icy ditches, icy ladders, 300 pieces of machinery running around. And the heat in the summer can reach 35 degrees," he says. "To me, safety is a leading indicator of the entire organization's health. That's how I measure it, so I put a lot of effort into it." Borger says safety awareness starts with a company-wide weekly phone record- ing broadcast to employees on 101 company cellphones. This lively message from the president, with cameos from the management team and foreman, is fun and interactive with trivia contests, jokes and riddles, safety tips and com- pany news. The call also announces the winners of the weekly "SPC" award. Prizes for these awards — named for the company's priorities of safety, produc- tion and cost-savings — are often "Borger bucks." "Then, winners can go on our portal and buy anything, from Katy Perry tickets to an iPad to high-end safety gear," Borger says. The company strives for safety, quality and production — in that set-in-stone order. Workers are trained, fi rst, to create a safe work atmosphere; second, to aim for quality; and third, strive for performance, says Hassan Hussein, safety manager. "Safety must be achieved fi rst; then they can carry on and start work." The company creates a new safety committee every year, he adds, which results in an ever-increasing number of safety conscious workers. Their feedback is used to develop an annual action plan. "The safety committee has really helped to drive the safety message home and given employees a feeling that they can drive change in the company," says Hussein. Training at the management level is another central focus. Managers learn how to conduct safety meetings on job sites and effectively investigate incidents. Regu- lar safety meetings and hazard assessments are key elements of the safety culture. At meetings, managers review incidents and near misses, identifying direct and indirect causes, and later relay that information to workers. At daily toolbox meetings, foremen give safety refreshers and site-specifi c hazard assessments. Currently, Borger says, the company is aiming for 2,500 days with no time lost across its three divisions: transport, earthworks and underground. "We're now at 2,300 days, so it will happen around November. Then I'll make a big announcement. When we hit 1,500 days, we took 630 people to a CFL (Canadian Football League) game, a Western fi nal," he says. "Everyone here takes pride in reaching these milestones." Group of Companies • Carillion Canada • Hatch Mott MacDonald Building and Construction AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE! desjardins.com 1-888-311-1616 Congratulations to this year's winners of Canada's Safest Employers Award! Employer D salutes creativity and innovation in occupational health and safety! Employer D, scalable solutions from Desjardins for payroll, human resources and occupational health and safety management. SILVER GOLD

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