Canadian Occupational Safety

26 Canadian Occupational Safety | www.cos-mag.com expansion into Edmonton from zero workers to 40 in just 30 days. All new workers received extensive orientation and were brought to Calgary to shadow a local crew for up to one week. Each Edmonton worker was paired with a Calgary worker with a similar role. This involved performing their duties with the Calgary team, working with the lead hand for safety and quality assurance and attending safety clinics and tool box meetings. Recognizing the challenge of instilling the Borger Group culture, the company relocated a key manager and five long-term workers from Calgary to Edmonton. They became safety champions and helped pass along the safety culture. Borger made his expectations clear right off the bat by mandating a safety stand down upon the first minor incident at the project. He also visited the project every week. Borger Group completed the $20-million arena project with no loss- time incidents. Rewards and recognition are very important at Borger Group. The multi- faceted approach recognizes individuals, crews, divisions and the entire company daily, weekly and annually. Daily, supervisors recognize individual safety excellence by awarding Borger Bucks, an internal currency that can be redeemed for a wide variety of prizes. Weekly, a new safety champion is crowned and crews are recognized for site excellence with the Golden Hard Hat award. The Golden Hard Hat is dis- played in the work site trailer and all team members receive decals for their own hart hats. Annually, cash prizes are awarded to the safest individuals. "It keeps safety relevant," says Borger. "It makes sure that it keeps safety top of mind and also makes safety fun." Award winners are mentioned on the weekly Borger Broadcast, where Borger and the senior leadership team promote safety messages and give company updates. All 386 Borger Group employees also receive prizes, such as Borger Bucks or CANADA'S BEST HEALTH + SAFETY CULTURE GOLD SILVER GE Healthcare SILVER Techmation Electric & Controls Group of Companies W hen Borger Group of Companies won the contract to complete the underground infrastructure of Rogers Place in Edmonton — the new home of the Edmonton Oilers — the Calgary-based company was faced with the challenge of maintaining its award-winning safety culture in a new market with new sub-trades and new workers. "Our safety culture is different than a lot of companies," says Bill Borger, president and CEO of the construction company. "It's not seen as an obligation or nuisance factor; it's a source of pride." The 18-month project, which began in 2015, required an extremely quick R esidents of Sudbury, Ont. will often see SUVs packed with health-care equipment driving around the area to deliver public health programs in schools, community centres and health units. These programs, which include dental health, smoking cessation, immunization, breastfeeding and parenting, are presented by the Sudbury & District Health Unit (SDHU). Healthy Smiles Ontario, for example, provides preventive dental services and treatment for children and youth in low-income families. It calls for teams of dental hygienists to take portable dental offices — a folding dental chair, suction for teeth cleaning and bins that hold the day's supplies — to various locations. According to dental hygienist Sally Guy, a 20-year veteran of the SDHU and member of its joint health and safety committee, a typical day involves loading the equipment into her SUV first thing in the morning, unloading mid-after- noon, then completing administrative tasks back at the office. A job like this poses numerous safety challenges, including risk of musculo- skeletal injuries. PUBLIC SECTOR / NON-PROFIT GOLD SILVER Public Services Health & Safety Association

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