Occupational health and safety is a prime mission for Kenaidan Contracting Ltd. which was one of two firms to receive Silver in last year Canada’s Safest Employers Award competition.
Sponsored by Thomson Reuters, the awards recognize companies from across Canada in 10 different industry categories for outstanding accomplishments in promoting the health and safety of their workers.
For Mississauga, Ont.-based Kenaidan a commitment to health and safety is a “continuous improvement” process which is evaluated by on a regular basis by a committee comprised of managers and employees from every department level.
It’s a commitment which isn’t restricted to the job site, says health and safety manager Patricia Pereira.
Under its Care Enough to Act (CETA) set of corporate values, the company takes a broad based approach to how it interacts with its employees, subcontractors, and the community at large.
That includes promotes employees safety at home, raising money for charities, and spearheading a number of pro bono building projects for non-profit charity organizations, she says.
“I was afraid it might be the flavour of the month,” says Pereira, recalling how CEO and co-founder Aidan Flatley proposed the CETA philosophy after attending a presidents and CEO conference several years ago at Bruce Power where the concept originated.
“But Aidan explained that it (CETA) would be defining what we were already doing and Bruce Power had no objection to us using the name.”
Now in existence for more than a decade the CETA program gives Kenaidan workers the freedom and discipline to observe and evaluate their co-workers behaviors and to encourage them to modify unsafe or potentially unsafe conditions by using a “peer-to-peer feedback process.”
A CETA Rewards program allows them to nominate a fellow employee for caring enough to go out of their way to help someone else, to avoid safety violations and potential harm resulting from the hazards that they may not be aware of, or have not controlled in their work area, she explains.
That policy extends to subcontractors. If a project manager or superintendent believes a subcontractor is not in compliance with safety practices they have the right to raise that issue with the subcontractor.
“It’s not about shaming them (the subcontractor). It’s about showing we care.”
And subcontractors who demonstrate exceptional safety practices are recognized at Kenaidan’s Volunteer Week celebrations which coincide with North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, says Pereira.
Promoting wellness and nutrition is also a major component of the program and the company also recently implemented CETA At Home to underscore the point its workers shouldn’t forget about safety when they leave work at the end of the day.
Messages and advice on how to live safely at home are delivered through a combination of web and Facebook pages, and an internal newsletter.
“It’s easy to get complacent (about safety) at home.”
Noting how stressful is to see co-worker injured on the job, she says employees should think about that trauma their spouses or children will experience: “if you’re hurt in front them.”
It is perhaps the community outreach/engagement component of CETA which differentiates it other company health and safety programs. Employees are encouraged to give back to the communities they live and work in by volunteering their time and skills for building projects intended to help families with special needs, she says.
Those projects have ranged from erecting a wheelchair accessible ramp for a retired employee, to the 2010 retrofit of a 700-square-foot bungalow in Hamilton, Ont. to the 2016 restoration of the new home of Lighthouse, an Oakville, Ont. facility which provides counselling services for children who have lost a parent, or a special friend.
A former church, the building required considerable renovation to transform it into a functional space for the approximately 250 children, youths and adults which are supported annually, as well as being as being able to accommodate future growth, she says.
“We take on these projects at no cost, with all the material and labour provided by Kenaidan and our subcontractors.”
Usually, the projects are undertaken on the recommendations of employees and sometimes the work is done on their own time. Some have also been approved after the company has received an external application, she says.
In response to a question about other initiatives, Pereira says: “we’re aiming for Gold.”
That is a reference to the 2018 Canada’s Safest Employers competition. To be considered applicants have to submit detailed technical reports in approximately 15 different categories. Deadline for those submissions is June 1.
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