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A SUPPLEMENT TO THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A SUPPLEMENT TO THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Celebrating 75 GROUNDBREAKING years in 2018
Distracted driving is a construction- zone hazard for everyone TAKING SAFETY FROM GOODTO GREAT BUILDING ON INDUSTRY SUCCESS
raises the risk of an accident. Drivers face increased penalties for speeding or otherwise endangering people in work areas, but that hasn’t stopped those behaviours from occurring. The same respect and duty of care drivers owe to workers in construction zones must also be given to those involved in snow clearing operations. Nicole Chabot, Vice-President of Chabot Enterprises and Chair of the Manitoba Heavy Construction, stresses the importance of protecting road workers. This past winter has seen many accidents involving snow-clearing work zones and the public. “Operators are working to make streets safe for the public. Our message is to stay back, stay safe, and to quit trying to save time following right up behind equipment or passing around without care to caution,” advises Chabot. “Operators are following a methodology of multiple passes that do not follow standard/ predictable driver movements, combined with equipment blind spots that would seem atypical to the average driver, and they are working at night in extreme, blizzard conditions. “Regardless of the season, it’s important when we’re driving to remember that in a construction zone our roads and highways are also workplaces, and everyone has the right to a safe workplace – we need to ensure that every person at work is treated with the same hazard assessments fi rst thing in the morning and reassessing potential hazards throughout the day. “Someone might notice a tree with a big wasp nest later,” he says.
level of respect and consideration,” Chabot states. When you’re driving in a construction zone: • be prepared for the unexpected, such as traffic slowing or stopping unexpectedly, sudden merging of traffic lanes or equipment and workers entering the roadway; • slow down and obey the posted speed limit, whether or not you see work in progress; • obey road crew flaggers and road signs that help drivers move safely through the work zone; • keep a safe following distance between other cars, construction workers and equipment; • stay alert and focused and don’t multitask while driving; • check traffic reports for real-time traffic information, including accidents and construction zones and plan accordingly; and • be patient, remembering that the crews are working to improve roads and make everyone’s drive safer. Losing your focus for more than a few seconds can increase your risk of an accident. Even a simple distraction can cause a crash or even a fatality. That is why staying focused and alert is the best way to move safely through a construction zone and prevent injury – or worse – to road workers, yourself or others. “Because we all have to work alongside each other and if everybody is held to the same standards that will help take safety from good to great.” Earlier this year, Hugh Munro initiated a Behaviour-Based Safety (BBS) program as an incentive to encourage workers to focus on safety behaviours, both good and bad. Workers fi ll out cards and submit them in a ballot box, with the option to be entered in a draw for small prizes, or remain anonymous. Reported behaviours might be anything from noting that an equipment operator failed to use three-point contact while climbing o ff a machine, to acknowledging a worker who drove at a safe speed through a job site. Th e reports are not used for punitive response but rather as valuable feedback. Good has used some issues in his toolbox talks. Loo says the open communication contributes to a culture of safety from the top to bottom. Rather than laying blame, the company uses incidents for learning purposes, and shares that information with others. “Sharing what’s been successful and not successful for companies is not going to create any unfair advantage competitive edge to contractors. It’s all leading to growth.” ❱❱❱
BY PAT ST. GERMAIN
Don Hurst
I f there’s a secret to shaping a strong culture of safety, it’s this: Th ere are no secrets. Sharing information is key to success, and the heavy construction industry is unique in that its members are willing to collaborate, says Gord Lee, president of Nelson River Construction. “Whatever you’ve done really well in your own company, you’re happy to share it with your competitor so that they don’t fi nd themselves in a predicament that you could have otherwise helped them with,” Lee says. “It’s just amazing the cooperation you get on safety from people who could be your most fi erce competitor. Th ey’re quite open about what they’re doing to be safety-minded and you reciprocate.” At Nelson River Construction, success rests on promoting a sense of “internal responsibility” as well as maintaining a long history of corporate responsibility. “Internal responsibility means that safety always starts with the individual,” Lee says. “Each of us has a responsibility to act safely for our own sake and so we don’t bring harm to the person next to you or even outside of your group.” Lee says senior management has always provided unequivocal support for safety initiatives. “It’s always safety fi rst, production second. I remember back right from the earliest days, 30 years ago, when I was working part-time here, safety always took precedence at Nelson River Construction.” In the early days, only a few in the industry really paid attention to that element of operations, Lee says. “Today everybody thinks about it.”
Th e COR™ (Certi fi cate of Recognition) safety program has become an industry standard. Currently, about 75 per cent of Manitoba’s heavy construction companies are COR™-certi fi ed. Lee would like to see the industry itself move it upwards of 90 per cent. “You act on safety because it’s the right thing to do and if you have a strong moral compass, which I believe most of the employers in our industry do. It’s good for their people, it’s good for their company and it’s the responsible thing to do.” Inspired by the book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t , by American business consultant Jim Collins, the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association (MHCA) is looking at ways to apply Collins’ analyses to raising the safety bar. Th at means adhering to core values, maintaining focus and taking action because it’s a responsibility, not a job. Th e fi rst step is to have the right people in the right place. People like Hugh Munro Construction safety coordinator Brent Good and Accurate HD safety coordinator Marc Rodrigue. Th e MHCA was among eight organizations that presented awards at the inaugural Safetys, co-hosted by SAFE Work Manitoba in September. Rodrigue received the fi rst MHCA WORKSAFELY™ safety leader award. Along with providing safety orientation for new workers, WORKSAFELY™ training sessions and “toolbox” talks, Rodrigue conducts inspections to ensure everyone on a job site is in compliance with safety protocols — everything from wearing personal protection equipment to conducting
A mong the biggest threats to the safety of construction workers on projects on or near roads, are vehicles – especially distracted drivers. A roadside construction zone increases the need for driver attention. A driver who takes their eyes off the road is taking a greater chance of a collision and that puts construction workers and motorists at increased risk of injury or death. These conditions, as well, put construction equipment at risk of damage. While many people now equate distracted driving with smartphones, even something as simple as changing the radio channel can divert a motorist’s attention. Driving in a construction zone requires a much higher level of attention to the road. Drivers must drive through a complex array of signs, barricades and lane changes, all while reducing speed and watching out for road crews and construction equipment. In all construction zones, the road crews put up clear signs to guide drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Road crews may put up directional road and speed limit signs intended to guide and warn drivers about construction ahead. Distracted drivers can miss those signs completely. When a driver drifts outside that assigned construction zone, it significantly
Accurate HD safety coordinator Marc Rodrigue reviews safety logs. Photo by DARCY FINLEY
“In the last year we have had two employees working for us that were highly allergic to bee stings… those things also have to be brought up to the crew.” When in doubt, Rodrigue calls upon WORKSAFELY™ sta ff and other companies for advice, and he’s happy to return the favour. Good has been with Hugh Munro Construction for more than 30 years, and since 2010, he has been teaching safety in formal classroom and workshop settings as well as in the fi eld. “If you’re working with a subcontractor who isn’t, say, up to par on their safety, we would make sure to help them out, give them some guidance, make them aware of things they should have in their safety program.” Hugh Munro general manager Wayne Loo says it bene fi ts everyone to help smaller companies bridge any safety gaps and increase baseline knowledge throughout the industry. “ Th e best thing we can do as an industry is make sure that everybody working in this industry is getting to the same standards and levels,” he says.
Don Hurst is the Director of MHCA WORKSAFELY® Education and Training
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