By Randy Dignard
Ottawa Construction News special feature
After years of investigating workplace accidents, our consultants have determined that the top 5 causes of construction related accidents are:
- Workers not paying attention;
- Workers, rushing and taking short cuts;
- Supervisors that would not enforce safety rules or safe work practices;
- Lack of specific instructions to workers; and
- Lack of hazard identification and communication to workers.
Certainly, this information is not a new revelation to anyone in the construction industry. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on training to prevent most accidents; you just need to have a strong leadership team. If employers and supervisors were to make safety a priority at work, communicate safety all the time and plan how you will work safely, you will reduce the frequency of accidents, incidents and near misses.
What should employers be doing? Ensure and provide competent supervision to your workers to ensure they are following the proper procedures, wearing PPE, inspect the workplace to ensure any existing hazards are identified and controlled, and provide your workers with adequate training.
As of Dec. 14, 2017, the maximum fines for non-compliance under the Occupational Health and Safety Act increased from $25,000 to $100,000 for individuals and from $500,000 to $1,500,000 for corporations. These fines were increased to send a message to all employers in Ontario that the Ministry of Labour is serious about enforcing workplace health and safety.
ConstructionSafetyTrainers.ca (CST) are advocates for the employer, we understand the challenges of employers and are experts in offering solutions and coaching. We can help you minimize workplace accidents through a positive culture change.
Give our local help line at (613) 274-3662 a call and one of our consultants will discuss tactics your facility can implement to keep workers safe.
Randy Dignard is CST’s president.
