Manitoba Heavy Construction Association

14 WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 9, 2016 A SUPPLEMENT TO THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Asphalt Paving Concrete Paving Base & Excavation Sewer & Water Parking Lots Subdivision Development Asphalt Supply Phone: (204) 237.6253 Fax: (204) 237.5032 www.bituminex.com info@bituminex.com Building Relationships Through Infrastructure • Bridges, Highways, Road Construction • Large Diameter Tunnel Boring and Pipe Jacking • Environmental Infrastructure and Site Remediation/Rehabilitation • Shoreline Stabilization • Waterline, Land drainage, and Wastewater Systems • Drilled Caissons and Structurally Engineered Excavations • Foundations UNIT 5 - 1595 BROOKSIDE BLVD. WINNIPEG, MB. R2R 1V6 PH: 204- 942-1516 | F: 204-942-0693 www.tri-core.ca info@tri-core.ca Tri-Core Projects is a diversified Contracting Firm specializing in: Our experts work tirelessly to provide the best engineering and construction solutions for projects in Manitoba and ensure that your needs are met at every stage of the life cycle. Recognized globally for our agile and responsive approach, we are committed to ethics & compliance, health & safety and the environment. We are proud to serve and strengthen our communities in Manitoba. World-class engineering and construction services in: Infrastructure | Mining & Metallurgy | Oil & Gas | Power Building what matters snclavalin.com MEMBER COMPANIES AND THEIR STAFF DEPEND ON WORKSAFELY ™ PROGRAMS WHEN SUPERIOR ASPHALT WAS FOUNDED IN WINNIPEG IN 1984, THE COMPANY HAD ONLY FOUR EMPLOYEES. AS SUCH, IT WASN'T DIFFICULT TO ENSURE ALL ITS EMPLOYEES WERE OPERATING SAFELY. BUT AS THE COMPANY HAS EMERGED AS A GROWING FORCE IN THE ASPHALT FIELD — EMPLOYING 40- 50 PEOPLE IN PEAK SEASON — IT FOUND THE NEED TO BUILD A SAFETY CULTURE. F ortunately, as a member of the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association (MHCA), Superior Asphalt has access to top-notch safety programs. MHCA's WORKSAFELY™ programs, particularly COR™ (Certificate of Rec- ognition) and SECOR™ (Small Em- ployer Certificate of Recognition), help companies like Superior Asphalt make safety a priority. "When you employ a small number of people, it's easy to keep them shel- tered, but as the number increases it can be a little tougher to manage and make sure everybody is on the same page. Since we've introduced these safety programs, injuries have immediately gone down," says safety director Scott Williamson. "I give credit to the safety program for helping us educate employees on the dangers and teach them how to conduct themselves safely in a work environment. At the end of the day, nobody wants to see anybody go home with a serious injury." Williamson notes that the safety pro- grams also keep Superior Asphalt on its toes. Since there's an annual re- certification process that includes an audit, the company has to remain dili- gent and disciplined when it comes to managing the program. COR™ certification has also been good for the company's bottom line. "From the financial aspect, you can bid on jobs from government and city because they require you have some kind of safety program in place," Williamson says. "By putting safety at the forefront of our operations, it has opened up the door to work on par- ticular jobs." The programs don't just benefit well- established companies. MHCA mem- ber Voltage Power made safety a priority right from the start. When it was founded in 2014, the company's immediate goal was to become COR™ certified. "We started it from the ground up," says Voltage health and safety manager John Evinger. "Our president, Jody Rideout, is a very safety-conscious person and his goal from the beginning was for the company to be a safety leader in our industry. We appreciate the COR™ program because it creates a culture. You have to establish a safety pro- gram that meets certain standards and you're held accountable to those. Once the system's in place, it makes everybody accountable to main- taining the system." Voltage Power focuses on new pro- jects, upgrades or maintenance in the areas of overhead lines, underground transmission and distribution projects. Safety programs must adapt to the demands of new technology in order to be effective, and Evinger says that is one of the strengths of the COR™ program. "We're able to use a digital platform to help organize and implement our safety program," he says. "There's a two-pronged approach here, not only for education and retraining, but edu- cation and retraining on the technol- ogy side as well." MHCA safety programs have inspired Voltage Power to go a step further to earn Occupational Health and Safety international certification. Evinger says MHCA makes quality programs available if companies are willing to put in the effort. "COR™ is a tool and it's only as good as the operator," he says. "If you're going to do it, you can't just do it for show. You've got to put in a 110 per cent effort. Somebody's life may depend on it." ■ BY PAT REDIGER Voltage Power focuses on new projects, upgrades or maintenance in the areas of overhead lines, underground transmission and distribution projects. We specialize in Road Building, Earth Moving, Site Development, Water Management, Flood Protection, & Wastewater Stabilization Ponds. 4 Generations of experience, building hundreds of kilometres of Highways and Drainage across Manitoba. Tri-Line's expertise was called on by the Province to construct the 2011 Lake St. Martin Emergency Outlet. ARBORG, MB (204) 981-1799 | (204) 378-2879 We are proud members of M.H.C.A & COR Certified.

• Cover