Let me start this blog by saying, I believe in safety and safety training. For those of you that have read my past blogs know where I stand. I don't believe in impossible dreams, I'm a realistic, my i's are not always dotted nor my t's crossed but 90% of them are so welcome to my world.
I recently decided to search for new employment a couple of months ago, not because I hated my employers or employment, it was just they had nothing to offer me and when its time to move on its time.
I received a call from an employer who heard that I wasn't working and had plenty of experience in an opening that he had, so he calls me and asked if I would go see him. As I entered his business parking lot I noticed a huge sign.
I thought to myself "wow look at all the signs on safety, on the company vehicles everywhere, he cares about his employees". Well that thought was short lived, this guys safety budget starts and stops at around $0.00.
Most of the employees are not properly trained, ok, ok nothing new here, a lot of companies are the same, so I look for the mandatory health and safety board, well there's none, no posters, nothing. I asked for the company's policy & procedures well there's none, the msds book, none, although I did see the greenbook hanging on the wall, so I asked about who's on the JHSC answer, we don't have any. so I decided to walk around to do a audit, I found tools without guards, gas cans inside buildings, hydro panel without a front cover, but it poses no danger nobody can get near it because of all the stuff piled in front of it, but what's most disturbing is his heavy equipment if pulled over by MTO would be towed away due to extremely poor mechanical conditional. Employee's and the public safety and well being takes a back seat to profit.
This isn't new, this thinking is running ramped all over the place by thousands of company's. when your loved ones get hurt at work or worse yet die and the never coming home ask yourself, "what could their employer have done to help prevent it". I still see tons of roofing company's allowing their employees to work without tying off. Two workers fell and received injuries in the past couple weeks in Ottawa. What is it, profit before safety, ignorance only you and your bank account matter. Workers are saying nothing because if they can't produce or if they do say something they fear being fired and the MOL doesn't protect them, my last GM made that very clear and proved it over and over again.
Easier access to MOL inspector's, instead of having to call the GTA and when the report finally reaches where it should went hours before so they can get to an unsafe worksite before someone does get hurt, and more inspectors, BETTER job protection for workers, larger fines for employers, and some prison time for repeat employers and supervisors offenders, and full use of Bill C-45 when the injury is serious. WSIB premiums increased or coverage denied. Start with that.
If you don't like the cost of Safety then you shouldn't like the cost of an Incident. I see larger company's taking safety serious, but it shouldn't start with the bigger companies, its the thousands of smaller ones.
TO THE EMPLOYERS:
safety starts with me but should be lead by you
