Our friends at Work Safe Alberta are re-introducing the Work Safe Alberta Safety Awards for the first time in 3 years. Based on feedback from previous events, the awards have been re-focused to better align with OHS council priorities. The Work Safe Alberta Awards recognize work being done in the field of occupational health and safety by Alberta-based organizations and individuals. By awarding the best contributions to the awards competition, Work Safe Alberta encourages others to follow these examples of safety excellence.

There are three award categories for the 2013 Alberta Safety Awards, as listed below:

Innovation
The Health and Safety Innovation award recognizes individuals or organizations that have implemented a forward-thinking and original idea to create a safer, healthier work environment that stands apart from traditional industry best practices.

Leader
The Health and Safety Leader award recognizes an organization that leads its industry with exemplary health and safety management practices, and has a proven injury and illness prevention track record.

Individual Achievement
The Individual Achievement Award recognizes an individual for long term commitment and contribution to enhancing workplace health and safety.

Those interested in participating in the 2013 Work Safe Alberta Awards can download nomination packages by clicking the link above. The deadline is November 15, 2013.

Other Canadian safety organizations have introduced safety awards as a way to encourage workplace safety. Click the links below to learn more:

Canada’s Safest Employers Awards

Work Safe BC – Research Training Awards

Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors Safety Awards

COS Safety Leader of the Year Award

With a goal to provide and maintain a healthy, injury free workplace, safety awards like these enable our industry to identify and celebrate excellent safety initiatives and solutions.

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Workforce Compliance Safety, Ltd. can assist companies that are required to be in compliance with ISNetworld®, PICS Auditing, Complyworks, and CQ Network. By creating, uploading and monitoring your account we help ensure you look your best to your current and future clients.

Not long ago developing a safety program was only for large employers with large safety departments. Now the benefits of having a safety program can mean new contracts, reduced Workers Compensation Board (WCB) rates (and other injury associated) costs, and safety-conscience employees. The expectations of oil companies, construction companies, mines, and municipalities have become more directed towards contractors having complete safety programs and how they are being implemented (COR/SECOR safety manuals).

To become safety compliant a company must create a safety program and properly make use of that program. The costs associated with this include:

• Safety Manual creation;
• Training your workers, supervisors , and owners;
• Time to review all completed safety forms and file information.

Training your workers on each hazard they are exposed to is a requirement, so it simply makes sense to write the standards into a safety program so the training requirements are understood.

When you look at the cost-benefits of developing and using a safety program it is obvious that meeting safety and quality standards, and having that in writing, is critical in the development of viable, growing, financially strong company.

Give Workforce Compliance safety a call (1.888.434.0411) to see how we can help your Company with your safety needs.

The Alberta government has released a report on the subject of workplace pipeline safety. Conducted by Group 10 Engineering, the report is a positive review on Alberta’s current regulations and compares favourably with other jurisdictions’ pipeline rules and regulations.

“This review assures Albertans we have a safe system in place, but it’s important that we not rest on our laurels,” says Ken Hughes, Minister of Energy. “As leaders in energy production and regulation, we will make every effort to ensure Alberta’s pipeline safety standards continue to be among the best in the world.”

The Alberta government has begun to act on the report’s recommendations in the report, and Hughes is also asking the Alberta Energy Regulator to develop a management system to ensure operators are respond effectively to incidents involving pipelines. The report has several critics who complain that the report lacked substance.

The full pipeline safety report conducted by Group 10 Engineering can be found here.

A Calgary Herald article written upon the report’s release can be found here.

There are many safety registries–ISNetworld®, PICS Auditing, Complyworks, and CanQual, etc. Contractors are required to belong to these safety registries and maintain good grades. Most registries are able to produce data proving that their purpose is lowering the number of workplace incidents reported each year; and these stats just keep getting better.

Safety registries have definitely increased the awareness and importance of safety. Owner clients can communicate what they require of a contractor, resulting in an immediate reaction by the contractor to comply (especially when they see a drop in grades or are not allowed access to that Client’s site). When an Owner Client has an expectation of fewer safety incidents, and communicates that to its contractors, contractors must oblige in order to continue working. This communication reduces the confusion of the requirements.

Possibly, this pressure from the Owner Clients has resulted in reduced reporting of safety incidents. Personally I think the lower numbers (TRIF, Severity, vehicle accidents, etc.) are resulting from a combination of:

• Proper Reporting of Statistics– understanding and using the CAPP Reporting of Occupational Injuries document.
• Having a visible push towards obtaining COR/SECOR. This is proof that the contractor is following the health and safety program.
• Discussion of the impact of incidents with contractor’s workers. Companies understand that great statistics are rewarded with more contracts.
• The training components (T-RAVS – ISNetworld®, Complyworks Orientations and webinar training, etc.) require workers to be trained in the information that is important to the Owner Client.
• Field Audits are a great tool for contractors and Owner Clients to meet up in the field and discuss safety.
• Ensuring insurance (WCB, Vehicle, E&O, Liability, etc.) covers the hazards of the contracting company.

To all of the contractors who have complied with the owner Client requests, kudos to you! You are making a safer work environment.

The above situation between Owner Clients and contractors is resulting in a safer workforce. In the past, contractors started by giving the Owner Clients a price list, the lowest priced contractor who would do the job correctly got the contract. In the last decade safety has jumped into the forefront of contractor management; it is the basic minimum information required before you can even bid on a project. Improvements made within the company to improve safety, are resulting in more work AND more workers going home each night safe and sound!

Did You Know: EnForm is making it easier to make the transition from a Small Employer (10 or less employees) to a large employer while still maintaining your Certificate of Recognition and improving your Safety program to meet the needs of a larger workforce. Please see the diagram below for more information on this transition process.