Manitoba Heavy Construction Association

THURSDAY MARCH 23, 2017 15 A SUPPLEMENT TO THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Call Us! 204.633.1529 Or Toll Free 1.800.689.8744 info@saturnind.com 37 Sylvan Way Winnipeg, MB R2R 2B9 www.saturnind.com Saturn Industries We Revolve Around You MANITOBA'S ONLY FULL SERVICE RIGGING SHOP & CUSTOM TRAILER MANUFACTURER • Saturn Manufactures All Products Locally Including Synthetic Slings, Wire Rope Slings, Trailers and More • All of Our Welders Are CSA/CWB Certified • Over 40 Years' Experience in Custom Trailer Manufacturing • Rigging Training Provided by Certified Instructors • Manufacturer of Twin-Path & Check-Fast Slings • Cargo Tie Down & Load Securement Supplier • Tire Chain Supplier Featuring Trygg & Laclede Chains • On-Site Proof Testing & Rigging Inspections • Yoke Hooks & Chains – BUILDING THE FUTURE – Municipal | Residential Commercial and Industrial Works Aggregate and Paving Works Underground Services Phone 204-949-8700 | Fax 204-237-8337 www.nelsonriver.com PROTECTING THE VULNERABLE INJURY PREVENTION IS FIRST JOB FOR YOUNG WORKERS B Y P A T S T . G E R M A I N R emember your first job? How excited you were to clock in on Day 1 — and how eager you were to please? Youthful enthusiasm is a wonderful thing, but combined with inexperience, it can be dangerous on a heavy construction site. "Students are typically the most vulnerable because they're new to the industry," says Peter Paulic, vice- president of Thompson-based Smook Contractors Ltd. "It's all brand new to them and eagerness can get them in trouble, and the size of the equipment can get them in trouble. A lot of times the kids think they're invincible." Young workers are often reluctant to ask questions, and they're more willing than experienced workers to expose themselves to danger. YOUNG WORKERS ARE OFTEN RELUCTANT TO ASK QUESTIONS, AND THEY'RE MORE WILLING THAN EXPERIENCED WORKERS TO EXPOSE THEMSELVES TO DANGER. "That's why you put them with more experienced workers," Paulic says. "One, it's getting them comfortable with the job and the people they're around so they can ask questions, and two, making sure they're not being overzealous and trying to please anyone with doing more than what they should be doing." Young workers typically enter the industry as flaggers or general labourers, and they're often surprised that their jobs begin with a full day of safety orientation in a classroom setting, followed by close supervision shadowing an experienced worker on the job. Amber Klassen, general superintendent at Direct Traffic in Brandon, says about 60 per cent of the company's flaggers are students working summer jobs, and all workers spend at least one full day going over safety procedures in the classroom and in the field. "Even those workers that have come back with us redo all their training every single year so we can make sure that we're all on the same page, and that way we can update them if there are any changes in rules and regulations." After their first day on the job, workers meet with managers to discuss the experience, and they have many opportunities to ask questions of trainers and supervisors. Klassen says working in traffic is the most dangerous part of the job, but flaggers have to be alert to everything that's happening on a job site. "You have to keep moving your head all around and make sure that you're not only aware of the vehicles that are coming toward you, but also the large piece of equipment that's moving around behind you," she says. Other hazards are less obvious. Both Klassen and Paulic say weather is a factor. On hot days, employees in every position have to stay hydrated, and on excavation sites, rain can cause a bank to cave in. In Northern Manitoba, Paulic says flaggers face a few unique hazards — bears and flying rocks on gravel roads. "If somebody is not slowing down or stopping for you, they're shooting rocks at you at 100 kilometres an hour," he says. "They have to be in a safe position so they're not getting hit by flying rocks. We do the best we can in order to put them in safe positions, and a lot of times that means having vehicles with them at all times in a protected environment." Flaggers can duck behind a vehicle if an approaching driver doesn't slow down, and they may be seated inside the vehicle if there are bears in the area. All workers have to make sure their lunches are protected so they don't attract bears, and intentionally feeding bears is dangerous for the animals and workers alike. Bold bears will even lie on the road and then approach vehicles when they stop. Paulic says most young workers who land summer jobs with Smook Contractors are university students who return every summer during their academic career. And he's proud of the fact that older workers with established careers in heavy construction take them under their wings. "They really care for them and they really want to make sure that they all go home safely and soundly," he says. "The workers that are there that have the experience typically all have kids, and the kids could be a similar age, so it's very easy to bring a student on in the heavy construction industry, as far as I'm concerned, and have experienced workers really take care of them."

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