Manitoba Heavy Construction Association

12 wednesdaY march 23, 2016 A SUPPLEMENT TO THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS they're the unsung heroes who build and maintain manitoba's vast infrastructure network — from the roadways and rail lines that crisscross the province to the floodways and sewer systems that keep residents high and dry. H eavy construction workers contribute to our quality of life every day, and keeping them safe is a legal, moral and ethical priority for the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association (MHCA) and the heavy construction industry. Dating back more than 25 years, the MHCA's WORKSAFELY™ program provides province-wide training and support to the industry's 8,000-plus employees, with a particular focus on nationally recognized COR™ (Certificate of Recognition) requirements and standards. Access to the WORKSAFELY™ menu of education and training is available to the entire industry. Through a mix of customized training, industr y outreach, and internal and external audits, the WORKSAFELY™ program aims to ensure safety standards compliance at all levels of operation, while suppor ting owners, super visors and employees as they pursue both COR™-cer tification and a culture of safety excellence. "What participation in this program is intended to do is provide them with an industry-accepted minimum approach to maintaining and promoting safety in their workplaces," says Don Hurst, director of WORKSAFELY™ education and training for the MHCA. "They have an approach that is proven, if demonstrated and operated successfully, to protect people in the workplace — to minimize injuries and reduce costs." At present, there are more than 340 COR™-certified companies in Manitoba, with 32 new companies achieving certification in 2015 and a further 40 companies registered and actively working towards the same goal. That number accounts for nearly 75% of the industry's workforce, and the MHCA's three-year strategic plan includes a commitment to further growth, through stepped-up efforts to certify smaller operations (those with fewer than 20 employees qualify for SECOR, or Small Employer certification), and strengthened partnerships with municipalities, northern communities and First Nations contractors. "Our objective is to get everybody in our industry COR™-certified," says Hurst, who took over the WORKSAFELY™ portfolio in April 2015, after several years as chief prevention officer for the province's Workplace Safety and Health branch. "We want them all to be operating with a view to achieving safety excellence when they do their work." The strategy is a sound one, and the province appears to agree. Starting this April, Manitoba's Government-Wide Contract Policy requires COR™ certification for not just general contractors bidding on contracts valued at $100,000 or higher, but also any subcontractors that exceed the same amount. Hurst says the policy change will help ensure the vast majority of those working on complex construction projects have been properly trained in the COR™ system's ground rules. A recent University of British Columbia study found participation in that province's COR™ program was associated with lower injury rates in both the construction and forestry industries. And here in Manitoba, Hurst says the sector's injury rate has fallen dramatically over the last 15 to 20 years: In 2014, the MHCA logged 4.6 injuries for every 100 full-time workers — down from 7.3 per 100 workers in 2004. In addition to the obvious impacts on workers' physical health, the reductions also translate to savings for employers. "You're reducing time lost from work, and you're reducing training and retraining costs when people have to take the place of those who are injured," he says. "In today's environment, where the labour market is very competitive for the workforce in general, you want to keep your people healthy and safe, because they're hard to replace." One of the means by which the MHCA hopes to make safety standards more accessible for the heavy construction industry is through technological innovations like the recently launched e-COR™ app, a digital platform that allows companies to store, organize and submit COR™ documents online. "We're one of the early adopters of this application because we see it as something that helps make companies better at safety," says Hurst of e-COR™. "If you want to have at your fingertips your list of Safe Work procedures, or if you want to conduct a hazard assessment on a job site, it's easy to do it on your iPad in real time and share it with others right away. You don't have to put it on a piece of paper and go back to the office to file it or photocopy it or fax it." Next month, the WORKSAFELY™ team will have a chance to welcome some of their newest recruits to the annual MHCA Expo in Winnipeg (April 5–6), where they'll train upwards of 400 attendees in all aspects of safety, human resources and other workplace development and safety supports. As Hurst explains, WORKSAFELY™ training — like the accreditations it makes possible — is an ongoing, collaborative process, and those who sign on are taking an important first step towards protecting their organizations' greatest assets. "It's a statement that they're committed," says Hurst. "It's not just as simple as taking out a membership and all of a sudden you're certified. It takes the training of your workforce, the implementation of effective safe practices, and it takes work." ❚ proteCting our people WORKSAFELY ™ is committed to industry workers one of the means by which the MHca hopes to make safety standards more accessible for members is through technological innovations like the recently launched e-cor™ app, a digital platform that allows companies to store, organize and submit cor™ documents online.

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