Oshawa, Ontario – Oshawa Power, a leader in energy services for over 130 years, proudly celebrated a significant safety milestone earlier this year by reaching one million hours of operations without a single staff-related Lost Time Injury (LTI). This grand achievement has taken the 80-person organization six (6) years.
Enzo Garritano, President and CEO of Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA), joined the organization for a celebratory barbecue and to present the award.
“Focusing on the daily participation and dedication of the team, supervisors and site crews is integral to success. Congratulations to all of you for reaching this milestone.”
– Enzo Garritano, President & CEO, IHSA
Everyone at Oshawa Power has a role in health and safety, beginning at onboarding and extending into daily practice. Policies, practices and procedures are reviewed at the very beginning of employment and revisited regularly to ensure each employee is comfortable and confident in the practices.
“Achieving this milestone can be attributed to four measures, orientation, training, industry best practices and a comprehensive incident review committee, where incidents are openly discussed to make improvements and keep people safe. The Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) plays a pivotal role in ensuring the full team is aware and fully capable of adhering to new practices and procedures.”
– Matthew Shaw, Health & Safety Coordinator, Oshawa Power
Every employee is encouraged to participate in identifying issues and become comfortable speaking up for safety. When all the pieces are working seamlessly, teams are confident in assessing their day-to-day situations and recognizing potential hazards – keeping everyone safe.
Safety meetings are integral and held regularly to review relevant workplace-related safety topics, safe work practices, policies and incidents, both internal and external. Recommendations, adjustments or specific training are developed as a result.
The JHSC is a critical team and factor in the success as they perform workplace inspections of the facility to identify, analyze and mitigate risks. Additionally, the safety team completes an annual review of the occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) results to prepare us for the upcoming year of health and safety goals.
“The focus on safety never stops. It evolves. We will continue to focus on our training, and intentionality. The dedication that has brought us to this point will undoubtedly take us to our new goal ― to reach ten million hours.”
– Denise Carpenter, Interim President & CEO, Oshawa Power
For information on what it takes to be safe – check out the resources below.
Resources:
- Find tips on safety and outages
- The IHSA Safety Podcast is a free podcast from the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association that seeks to improve the workers’ lives in Ontario — one thought-provoking discussion at a time
- Learn about Electrical Utilities Safety Rules
- Find out more about the Canadian Council for Occupational Health and Safety Association
