PCL, EllisDon and OGCA launch Stop the Drop campaign
PCL, EllisDon and the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA) have launched a joint effort to improve construction-site safety.
The groups’ Stop the Drop campaign takes aim at falling materials, and the injuries they case. The most recent data from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development shows that critical injuries caused by falling materials represent 15% of all injuries on construction sites.
The campaign is being launched in conjunction with Safety Week, May 1–5.
“The coming together of industry leaders such as PCL and EllisDon to focus on job site safety is great to see; safety is everyone’s business,” said OGCA President Giovanni Cautillo. “Joining forces to share best practices and work collectively to improve safety awareness on job sites is key to this year’s Safety Week theme: ‘Strong voices, safe choices.’ We look forward to this ongoing collaboration that ensures everyone goes home safely to their families at the end of each day.”
As more high-rise buildings dot Ontario’s cityscapes, the groups say there is an even-greater need for the construction industry to come together to prevent falling objects.
“By collaborating with the OGCA, EllisDon and other partners, we are taking a stance to demonstrate to industry that we all have a critical role to play in improving safety on our jobsites, said Marc Pascoli, Senior Vice President and District Manager, PCL Toronto. “Safety is at the heart of everything we do, and we must all hold ourselves and each other accountable to higher standards. Only together can we proactively prevent falling objects in order to protect our community, both on the jobsite and within the cities we build.”
Central to the collaboration among the groups is a shared Toolbox Safety Talk that both PCL Toronto and EllisDon will be distributing to their workforce during Safety Week to provide prevention methods to avoid these types of incidents.
The tips include guidance on how to properly secure all tools and equipment, establish a controlled access zone, and inspect and maintain equipment.
“EllisDon’s strategic business approach may vary relative to our colleagues in the industry, but I can say confidently we all share safety as a top priority as it is fundamentally at the core of everything we do,” said Andrew Anderson, Senior Vice President and Toronto Area Manager, EllisDon. "We need to come together as an industry and take additional steps towards preventing items falling from heights – an occurrence happening all too often and entirely preventable if we work together collaboratively to develop best practices and share knowledge on safety measures that will keep our workers and the public at-large protected."